Before skyrocketing herself into a position as the Director of Government Relations for Mosaic, Alyse Preston began her career at WKU in 1993 concluding her bachelor’s degree in photojournalism and anthropology in 1998.
Preston began her time at the College Heights Herald as a staff photographer, eventually becoming a photo editor while learning to deal with stressful situations inside the newsroom.
“I was basically a top social worker for the last 20 years, and my working at the Herald and my photojournalism degree set me up so well,” Preston said.
Since graduating from WKU, Preston worked for a newspaper in Florida called the Citrus County Chronicle as a staff photographer for around one year.
After marrying her husband they moved to Colorado where Preston did freelance work for the Rocky Mountain News.
In 2000, however, Preston pivoted her career by beginning to work in the child welfare system where she has been since then.
“I would never change it,” Preston said. “Even though I am not a journalist anymore, I would have never changed my journalism degree. I learned from working at the Herald and my journalism degree how to just be in chaotic situations and how to really just like eyes open and ears open and take everything in.”
The biggest changes since Preston’s time at the Herald in the 90s are the shift to mostly digital publishing, the different in newsroom location, and the topics tackled in coverage.
“I don’t remember us as a publication going through such tough, tough topics you guys are going after right now,” Preston said. “Honestly, I feel like back then we were just kind of reporting what was going on on campus.”
Preston’s favorite part of her time at the Herald was her role as a staff photographer and covering sports.
“We had so many good nights, all-nighters, in that Herald dark room,” Preston said. “Printing your photos with friends, I’ll never forget that.”
Overall, Preston cherishes how the Herald taught her to be in a chaotic environment and how to deal with deadlines.
“You’re always going to have deadlines and you need to make sure people are taken care of and things get done,” Preston said. “Working for the Herald definitely set me up for success.”
News Reporter Kaylee Hawkins can be reached at [email protected].
This piece is number 5/100 of Herald 100, a project to celebrate a century of the College Heights Herald. To see more from this project, click here.
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