(L to R) Andy Tell ’23; Jeremy Menard, television and radio operations manager; and Connor Hibbard ’23 got the opportunity to visit The White House as part of College Radio Day.
(L to R) Andy Tell ’23; Jeremy Menard, television and radio operations manager; and Connor Hibbard ’23 got the opportunity to visit The White House as part of College Radio Day.
This past fall, two IC students were given the experience of a lifetime when they travelled to our nation’s capital to take part in College Radio Day at The White House.
Connor Hibbard ’23 and Andy Tell ’23, who are, respectively, the station managers for IC’s award-winning student-run radio stations WICB and VIC, took part in the celebration of college radio alongside Jeremy Menard, television and radio operations manager.
Hibbard and Tell also got a tour of several rooms inside The White House.
At the event — which included students from nine other schools — attendees heard from six members of the Biden administration, including Vice President Kamala Harris and White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, about the importance of journalism. They also received a tour of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building and the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room.
The whirlwind trip had kicked off just one day earlier after Menard received an invitation from IC alum Rob Flaherty ’13, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Digital Strategy at The White House.
“I asked Connor and Andy, ‘Hey, are you free tomorrow? We might be able to go to The White House,’” Menard said. “Their jaws dropped to the floor, and in less than 24 hours, we were in a car driving down to Washington.”
The event wasn’t just celebratory, however. While at The White House, the students also got to connect with other young journalists as well as media professionals for a discussion and Q&A session on timely news topics such as climate change, student loan forgiveness, and the economy.
“It was great to meet other college and professional journalists,” Tell said. “It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime endeavor. I’m still shocked that it happened because it didn’t feel real. Getting to take part in this event is really a recognition of the reputation of our stations and the strong alumni relationships that the Park School maintains.”
“People across the country know about our stations and programs because of our longtime success within award competitions. The students put in so many hours to not only entertain and inform our audience, but to also learn how to make a career in the field. To be recognized and to be given this opportunity not only speaks to the current work that's being done, but the work that's been done for over seven decades here at Ithaca College. It was a milestone for everyone who's ever worked on either of these stations.”
Jeremy Menard, television and radio operations manager
Menard took it a step further.
“People across the country know about our stations and programs because of our longtime success within award competitions,” he said. “The students put in so many hours to not only entertain and inform our audience, but to also learn how to make a career in the field. To be recognized and to be given this opportunity not only speaks to the current work that's being done, but the work that's been done for over seven decades here at Ithaca College. It was a milestone for everyone who's ever worked on either of these stations.”