Take a Girl Scout to Work Day

Three lucky Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast’s Media Girls were able to shadow media professionals in the workplace during “Take a Girl Scout to Work Day.”

Girl Scout Ambassador Lily Tomlinson visited 13News Now on April 4. She submersed herself in the newsroom and learned what it takes to share the news with people every day.

She attended the morning editorial meeting where reporters, producers, editors and managers discussed story ideas for the day. Lily also sat with a broadcast producer and digital producer which allowed her to learn more about the different types of production. During the noon broadcast, she got a front-row seat to the show! Lily was even given a headset so that she could hear the producers and directors talk while the crew was on the air.

“When I visited WVEC, I gained an understanding of how much effort goes into making a newscast,” Lily explained. “Many people with different gifts collaborate to make their broadcast a success. Each step of creating the broadcast is necessary and irreplaceable, and without just one person using their talents, the news would lack something not only important, but also special.”

As a Media Girl, Lily has worked both on and off screen and has found the news industry to be interesting.

“I always felt excited and expectant to visit any news station with the Girl Scout Media Team. I saw everyone’s love for sharing the news with others, and their passion drew me in to explore the field,” Lily said.

Girl Scout Cadettes Krystina Brook and Maureen Keller also participated in “Take a Girl Scout to Work Day.” The pair visited Cox Communications Inc. on April 5 and learned a lot about working with the media from Girl Scout alum and Public Relations Manager for Cox Virginia, Sarah Buck.

Throughout the day, Krystina and Maureen met with members representing the Public and Government Affairs, Production, Programming and Customer Care teams. Since both Cadettes have demonstrated an interest in the media, Sarah took the time to take them down to the recording studio to practice their interviewing skills.

While there, the girls sat on the set of “A Las 11 por el 11,” a Spanish program produced by Cox Communications. Sarah reviewed with them how important it is to have three clear communication points that they want to make before speaking with the media, and to speak in sound bites so that production is easily able to edit a segment if needed. The girls took the advice and put it into practice as they took turns interviewing on camera

After finishing up their practice interviews, it was time to see the set in action. The girls participated as part of a live studio audience for the recording of the Saturday, April 7 airing of “A Las 11 por el 11.” In addition to watching the show’s recording live, they took turns visiting the control room during recording to see the process of a show being prepared for TV broadcast.

Finally, the day wrapped up in Sarah’s office as the girl’s asked Sarah questions about her job and what it is like being a public relations manager. Together, they discussed the importance of community outreach and the girls were able to ask Sarah about her involvement with Cox Charities. Sarah shared with the girls how proud she was to be involved with Cox Charities, and specifically of her work with Connect2Compete, an initiative which provides low-cost internet services to qualifying families who receive government assistance.

“Girl Scouting taught me the basics of leadership and reinforced the importance of giving back at a young age,” Sarah said. “I am pleased to see girls like Maureen and Krystina taking the extra time to focus on their personal development by participating in opportunities like Take a Girl Scout to Work Day.”

Thank you Sarah, Cox Communications and 13News Now for hosting Take a Girl Scout to Work Day and providing these Media Girls with an unforgettable opportunity.