From the classroom to the production studio, Dominique Girardi ’14 applied her broadcasting skills to succeed in the fast-paced and dynamic environment of CNBC’s popular show Power Lunch.
Girardi completed a summer internship at the financial news cable channel that she described as an amazing opportunity. She initially applied online and received a call back for an interview. After a successful interview, she achieved her goal of interning in the broadcasting industry.
Girardi’s role as an intern involved writing scripts an hour before a live show aired to cutting packages and editing them. Girardi attributed her performance under pressure to her exposure to Avid, a video-editing software that she learned in her Manhattan College broadcasting classes.
“The beauty of working in news is that you never know what to expect each morning. We could have our daily 9 a.m. meeting and all the stories could change instantaneously,” says Girardi, describing the experience as awe-inspiring.
Interning for CNBC led to numerous perks for Girardi, including meeting popular NBC personalities and visiting the New York Stock Exchange, where she delivered scripts to anchors and updated CNBC’s social media outlets.
“I was lucky to meet with Matt Lauer and Andy Cohen, and visit the trading floor of the New York Stock Exchange. I can honestly say that my summer internship at CNBC surpassed my greatest expectations,” she says.
I will always look back at my 2013 summer and be overwhelmed with joy to have been given the opportunity to work with CNBC.
Her communication courses at Manhattan College taught her the skills to research and produce fiction, news and documentary stories. Specifically, Girardi’s experience in Advanced Television Production (COMM 419) with Michael Grabowski, Ph.D., associate professor of communication, prepared her for the prestigious internship.
Encouraged to work with actual clients, Girardi produced a public service announcement for a broadcasting class at the College. Girardi’s work in the classroom translated into representing clients at her internship. She worked with Venture for America, a company that provides a path for college grads who want to learn how to build companies and create jobs, by composing a segment and prepping fellows from the company for their television debut.
“When I saw it come together smoothly, I was reassured that I can do this as a career,” she says.
Girardi looks back with fond memories of her internship at CNBC. In the future, she hopes to incorporate her passion for broadcasting in the entertainment or television industry.
“Wearing an NBC Universal badge around my neck and having a desk to myself, I will always look back at my 2013 summer and be overwhelmed with joy to have been given the opportunity to work with CNBC. Now I am back at Manhattan College for my senior year eager to learn more about my major and concentration,” she says. “I am ready for the real world.”