As an athlete and student, Karina Pate continues to push herself with new goals and challenges. After taking Broadcasting I, Pate returns to campus as an anchor for WCTV19.

“I really liked the creative aspect of broadcasting last year and being able to tell a story about someone that might not be able to tell themselves. I also really like filming games, going out to interview people, and being involved,” Pate said.

To have a place in the broadcasting program the students had to go through a process of trying out for the role they want. Then the students are scored and evaluated. The student with the highest score in all six categories of adlibs, correction, confidence, voice, pronunciation, and attire receives the position.

“There were a lot of other people that were auditioning and I had to compete with them,” Pate said. “I chose to try out to be an anchor because in the past I’ve really kept to myself, and now I just really want to put myself out there and develop skills that will be helpful in the future like talking to people and researching things,” Pate said.

Pate has already set goals for herself as an anchor in order to improve her skills.

“The goal I have this year for broadcasting is to do my best and put out quality content for students,” Pate said. “I’m looking forward to all the people that I’m going to meet and learning about all the different sports that I’m going to report on,” Pate said.

Broadcasting teacher Mr. Ben Barnholdt has also set goals for Pate in order to encourage her to be the best she can.

“I want Karina to improve as a storyteller and how she tells a story as an anchor. [Also,] how she communicates and articulates to the school and then how she tells stories to cover games around the campus. Karina is super competitive. The only thing that Karina will ask you is “How do I get better – how do I keep going?” because she always wants to get better than last time,” Mr. Barnholdt said.

As an athlete, teenager and anchor it is sometimes difficult for Pate to find a balance for everything in her life.

“The most challenging thing is balancing my lifestyle because I’m also an athlete. I have anywhere from one hour to three hours of [soccer] practice everyday and so it’s hard to find time to train and do my school work. On top of that I also have to rehearse what I’m going to say on the morning announcements, do all of my planners for broadcasting, shoot games, and find time for myself and for my mental health,” Pate said.

Pate considers earning the anchor spot to be her biggest accomplishment in the program so far.

“When I found out I received the role as a Desk and Weather Anchor I was a little scared, because a lot of people would rely on me now. If I mess up, the show still goes out [and] I don’t get a second chance, so a lot of people are depending on me to make the show look good,” Pate said.

In addition to these skills, Pate’s time in broadcasting has allowed her to form strong bonds with classmates such as Zoe Clark.

“I think Karina will be a very good anchor this year. She is very dependable, vocal and always pushes to be the best she can. Mr. Barnholdt and our broadcast team have a lot of faith in her and we know she will get the job done because she is always there for you no matter what,” Clark said.

Although the program takes up a significant amount of her time, Pate says she has learned life skills from her involvement

Pate said, “I’m always working on something, and even if I’m done I’m always thinking of how I can do better next time. It really limits the amount of downtime I have, but I also like it because it keeps me busy,” Pate said. “Broadcasting has taught me how to interact with and approach people, hard work, not letting your team down and working with others.”

by GABBY AOUN & DESIREE MONTEJANO