Communiqué
WOUB Senior Spotlight: André Norrils
< < Back to woub-senior-spotlight-andre-norrilsATHENS, OH – André Norrils path to WOUB and Ohio University wasn’t typical and the path he plans to take when he graduates this May isn’t going to be typical either. But Norrils knows even though he tends to take the path less traveled, it’s the right one for him.
“I’ve always been interested in so many things,” said Norrils. “Those interests led me to journalism, Ohio University and WOUB and are leading me another direction after graduation. However, I know all of these interests and skills will come together into a unique career.”
Norrils was born in Toledo, Ohio and then his family moved to Columbus. In high school, he explored communications classes, but wasn’t exactly sure what he wanted to do. After graduation, Norrils started at a community college, studying political science, but eventually realized that journalism and communications were what he wanted to study.
When the COVID Pandemic began, Norrils, out of boredom, started making a series of YouTube videos called “The Rona” Effect and interviewed people whose jobs were impacted by the COVID shutdown. This solidified his interest in video journalism.
“I knew I liked editing video and helping people,” said Norrils. “I decided I need to apply to the journalism school at Ohio University.”
Norrils was accepted and arrived in Athens as a junior. The journalism news and information major knew he needed to get involved at WOUB right away.
“WOUB is the main reason why I came to Ohio University,” said Norrils. “I knew I needed to get hands-on experience and catch up since I was already a junior. I set up a meeting with the WOUB News Editor-in-Chief Atish Baidya to talk about how I could get involved because I knew I needed to get my foot in the door.”
During his two years on campus, Norrils worked on the podcast The OULet and worked as a reporter and anchor for WOUB TV’s NewsWatch. He also started working with WOUB Community Engagement Manager Cheri Russo to learn about marketing and public relations.
“The experience at WOUB has been amazing.”
But as Norrils approaches graduation, he realized that he didn’t want to jump into a media career right away. Even though he was offered a reporting position at a TV station, Norrils decided to do an internship this summer instead with Carnival Cruise Lines as an activity host.
“I love cruises. It’s a hobby I have. I have always liked going on cruises, but not just the vacation part. I always wanted to know how the process worked,” said Norrils. “I don’t know when I’ll have another chance to do something like this where I can spend three months on a cruise and travel. So I’m going to take advantage of this opportunity.”
When Norrils returns from his summer internship, he plans to start searching for a job in media.
“I’m either going to look for a job in TV news or public relations,” said Norrils.
In addition to enjoying cruises, Norrils other hobbies include to playing the piano and taking his dog for walks.