Elaine Aradillas Gives Texas State Students Tips on Finding a Job

By Tyler Rodgers

SAN MARCOS, Texas –

            Texas State students are informed on how to find a job in journalism by experienced crime reporter for People Magazine, Elaine Aradillas, when she spoke during a Mass Comm Week panel on Wednesday, October 26, 2016.

When you have multiple people
 trying to take your picture at
the same time, you take a
snap of them!

            Elaine Aradillas is a crime reporter from People Magazine who has had the experience of working for multiple major magazines and publications before landing her job with People Magazine. Aradillas started out wanting to work with art when she graduated from University of Texas in 1999, with a bachelor’s degree in art.

            While attending the University of Texas, she wrote features for the San Antonio Express News, where she got her first experience as a journalist. During her second lead, she had to go out and report on a motorcycle crash. Upon arrival to the scene she noticed the body bag but saw police officers scanning the field nearby for the motorcyclist’s helmet which still had his head inside of it. It was at this moment that she knew she could handle being this type of reporter, and she fell in love.

            Aradillas loved the realm of crime journalism and decided to go to Columbia University in New York in order to pursue her Master’s Degree in Journalism. This is when she applied for a New York Times internship and landed the gig, writing features for their Art and Leisure column. She wanted to write crime-related features but two people were already fighting for the position so she decided to write for the art and leisure column anyways. As Elaine Aradillas said herself, “sometimes you land the wrong job, at the wrong time, but never stop fighting for what you want.” This was an important lesson that she instilled in Texas State students during her presentation on finding and fighting for the job you want in this clustered society of journalism.

            The field of journalism is always changing and in order to stay on top and keep the job that you want, you have to keep fighting and pursing your dreams. Like Aradillas mentioned in her speech, “it’s not always easy to find the job you want, especially with all of the competition, but if you want a certain job then you have to fight for it. And if you don’t succeed at first, then try again.” Tyler Rodgers is a Public Relations student with a minor in Communications at Texas State University.