Communiqué
WOUB Senior Spotlight: Gabe Scotto
< < Back toBy Kae Walther
ATHENS, OH – After Gabe Scotto walks across the stage to receive his master’s degree in journalism next month, Scotto is headed to Charleston, South Carolina to start his media career as a digital content writer for WCSC TV.
Scotto, who is originally from Rochester, New York, says he is looking forward to this new opportunity and what the future holds. He says the WOUB Job Connection Program, where media company recruiters come to campus twice a year to interview WOUB students for jobs and internships, helped him tremendously.
“For one thing, the Job Connection interviews help you make contacts with various people in the TV business,” said Scotto. “It’s like ‘Okay, I know there are jobs at this company, but where do I look for them? Who do I have? I don’t have a connection within the company, but that’s what these interviews are for.’”
Scotto also mentioned that the interviews helped him feel more prepared for the job search. He is grateful to WOUB for providing this support and for being a place that was a “good fit” for him to help him find his path.
After moving from Tampa, Florida to Athens, Ohio with his family, Scotto graduated from Ohio University with an undergraduate degree in history. He then decided to pursue a graduate journalism news and information degree.
Scotto did not get involved at WOUB until 2022 when he was awarded a position as a summer intern. After the internship, Scotto continued working as a paid student on the WOUB team writing online articles and creating digital content. Funding for Scotto’s position came from the Neil Mahrer and Sonia Franceski WOUB Student Staff Support Fund, which helps fund student wages at WOUB.
Outside of WOUB, some of Scotto’s passions include trains, boats, and airplanes. He is a part of a model train club in Athens. Along with his love of modes of transportation, Scotto also adores cats and has four of them.
As Scotto prepares to move on from his college career, he wants current students to know that it’s okay to go outside of your comfort zone and try new things.
“Your academic path may zig and zag, and it won’t necessarily be straightforward,” said Scotto. “But you will arrive at a good destination if you put the effort into it. Sometimes it’s okay to change your plans and go down paths you never thought you would.”
Scotto says he wouldn’t be where he is today without the chair of his graduate committee, Dr. Victoria LaPoe, WOUB News Assignment Editor David Forster, WOUB News Editor-in-Chief, Atish Baidya, and professors, Dr. Jatin Srivastava and Dr. Hans Meyer.