Journalism student solidifies career choice during TV news internship

(Editor's Note: This is the seventh in a series of stories about students in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications completing summer internships in 2026.)

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Even though Cassandra Hager grew up watching the local news with her family, she said she never foresaw a career in journalism. That all changed after attending a leadership competition in high school. Two years later, she was interning at the same local news station she grew up watching.

During her junior year at Palmerton Area High School, Hager and her friend Isabella Catania participated in the broadcast journalism competition at the Future Business Leaders of America’s national conference.

“We created packages and news reads and all of that, and we ended up placing first in the state and seventh in the nation,” Hager said. “When it was all over, my teacher came up to me and told me I should consider journalism as a career path.”

After giving it some thought, Hager agreed, and before long, she had changed the major on all of her college applications to journalism.

Road to Happy Valley

Growing up two-and-a-half hours east of the University Park campus, Penn State was the only in-state college Hager applied to, she said. Even though she had her eyes on some West Coast schools, the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications had everything she was looking for.

“It was just the best option for me as far as extracurriculars and opportunities go,” she said. “There's so much to do at Penn State for journalists, and that's why I'm here. No other school would have given me what Penn State has. I'm so happy with my decision.”

Since arriving at Penn State, Hager has immersed herself in campus life. She has interned with Penn State Athletics, volunteered with THON, contributed to VALLEY Magazine and anchored several student broadcasts. She is also a Schreyer Honors College student with scholarships from both Schreyer and the Bellisario College.

Del Schwab, an academic adviser at the Bellisario College, taught Hager in a first-year seminar for honors students. He said Hager is an all-star student who is genuinely interested in the people around her.

“In addition to being extroverted, the bigger quality is that Cassie takes initiative,” Schwab said. “If there's something to be done, Cassie is going to go do it ... which is sort of the talent, quality or skill that really pays off.”

Hometown news

Hager hadn’t finished her first semester on campus when she started searching for summer internships. She tracked down the email for the internship coordinator at WFMZ 69 News, a station in Allentown, Pennsylvania that serves Hager’s hometown of Palmerton.

Hager drove to the station over winter break for an interview, and by February she had an offer to join the team. Her first day was June 8.

It didn’t take long for Hager to fall in love with the work, she said. On her second day at WFMZ, Hager shadowed a reporter interviewing a close friend of a former Allentown mayor recently released from federal prison. Watching the story unfold solidified her career choice.

“I knew in that moment that this is what I want to do,” she said. “There's no ifs, ands or buts about this career path being the one for me.”

Hager said the reporters and photographers were excellent mentors. She contributed by working on scripts, picking out sound bites and assisting on location.

“Everyone has been so kind and a great advocate for me,” she said. “It’s very clear they want their interns to get something out of this experience. They also want interns to feel like equals with everyone that works full time. It wasn’t something I expected.”

Hager got to attend editorial meetings and sit down with producers and others in the newsroom. She wrote voiceovers and worked with the station’s software. But she said the biggest takeaway from her summer was building the confidence to speak up.

“Asking for these different opportunities and shadowing different people has been huge,” she said. “Learning how to work up the courage and advocate for myself has been one of the biggest things I’ve learned through this internship.”

Born leader

Hager’s internship with WFMZ ended on Aug. 14. She’ll soon be back in Happy Valley for her sophomore year. With lots of time left as a college student, she said she has several goals and a few decisions to make.

“Of course, I would love to do CCR [Centre County Report] and be a news anchor for them, that’s definitely a goal,” she said. “I would love to do Big Ten sideline reporting, that would be the ultimate goal when it comes to junior, senior year.”

Hager said she isn’t sure if she wants to focus on news or sports, or even entertainment, but she has plans to get better at and learn about all three areas.

“Learning sports and how to interview players and doing live hits is all going to translate to whatever aspect I pursue in the future," she said.

Schwab said he expects Hager to “stay ahead of the game.” He added that she’ll likely be interning full time for a news outlet during her senior year, something that’s unusual among Bellisario College students.

“Cassie has the talent and the initiative to be a news anchor in the future, if that’s what she chooses to do,” he said. “She started on the ladder earlier, so I expect her to climb higher.”

Hopefully getting involved early as a freshman, Hager said, will open the door to leadership opportunities in her second year on campus.

“I've naturally always been a leader, and this past year I think I've struggled a little bit, because freshmen are definitely at the follower end of things,” she said. “I'm not used to that. So, I think stepping back into leadership positions as I get older is something that I'm really interested in.”

Hager said serving as the THON chair for PSN TV is “definitely a goal," and she hopes to find leadership opportunities in all of her activities from the classroom to the newsroom and beyond.

“[Journalism] is what I want to do. I’m very set in my decision,” she said. “But I want to better myself as a person too in every way that I can over the next three years.”