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Caleb McCleskey headshot

WOUB Senior Spotlight: Caleb McCleskey


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ATHENS, OH – Caleb McCleskey, a journalism news and information major with a podcasting certificate, is ready to pursue his dream job of working on podcasts at National Public Radio (NPR) after graduating this May.

When McCleskey, who came to Athens from Gahanna, Ohio, started at Ohio University, his initial interest was in studying business. But he quickly discovered his love of journalism and decided to switch his major to journalism.

“Ohio University was not my first choice when I was a senior in high school. I wanted to play college basketball. But I decided to focus on my education more than my dream of playing basketball at the next level. I thought I wanted to go into business but then I quickly realized business was not as enjoyable as I thought it was,” said McCleskey with a laugh. “After doing some research about some of my different hobbies and watching national sports shows like First Take and Skip and Shannon: Undisputed every morning, I decided to go into journalism. Ohio University is no doubt one of the best journalism programs in the country, and it has proven that time and time again over my four years at the university.”

During his time in Athens and at WOUB, McCleskey has worked as producer for WOUB’s The OUtlet podcast and as a student leader.

“My favorite part of the job is the growth that I see from myself and the staff at WOUB,” said McCleskey. “It’s like every day I see someone learn something or accomplish something that they are proud of, and it makes me happy that individuals at WOUB can grow not only as reporters, producers and directors, but also as people.”

Outside of WOUB and academics, McCleskey looks back positively on his college experience when it came to the friends he’s found and the unique experiences they shared living near home.

“One of my core college memories is this trip my friends and I took in the 2024 fall semester to watch the Battle of the Bricks game at Miami University between the Miami Redhawks and the Ohio Bobcats,” McCleskey said. “The first day of the trip was my friends and I driving and exploring Miami University and watching the football game later that afternoon. After the game we went to dinner and then traveled to Covington, Kentucky where my friends’ parents lived, and we stayed there overnight. The next day we watched a drone light show in downtown Cincinnati, which was really cool because this was my first time watching a light show and seeing the animals and objects the hundreds of drones could draw out.”

While he’s looking forward to the next chapter, McCleskey urges incoming students to learn to find balance in everything you are doing on campus.

“My advice to freshmen is to not overwork yourself or put too many things on your schedule. If you put too much on your schedule, that’s a very easy way to ‘burn out.’ So, it’s best to figure out what your limitations are with classes, organizations and other responsibilities so you can get personally involved with Ohio University’s vibrant campus culture outside of classes.”