Texan Mosaic

by MICHAELA CHAMBLEE/Staff Writer

Every student finds his or her passion in different ways.

For Peyton Sifrit, she chose Broadcast Journalism.

“I decided to choose broadcasting as my major because when I was a little girl I would sit on my parents’ bed before school and watch the local news,” said Sifrit. “I loved how they shined a light on important issues and gave a voice to people who didn’t have one.”

The Lubbock native also chose her major because she likes being able to bring awareness to issues and people who the public wouldn’t know about otherwise. However, she is thinking about changing her major to Public Relations because she does not want to be on call 24/7 with news. She wants to be able to have a more organized work schedule, as well as be able to interact with people and companies on a day-to-day basis.

The one thing Sifrit wants everyone to know about her major is that even though people behind the camera have practiced, have a degree, get paid, and are considered professionals, they are still people, and people make mistakes.

Her first steps on her broadcasting path were at LISD-TV in Lubbock. She was an anchor, sideline reporter, news producer and helped worked behind the scenes.

“My favorite part about LISD-TV was the hands-on experience I had,” said Sifrit.

Once she graduated from Coronado High School, she was offered an internship with KAMC-TV.

As her path continued, it was time to decide where it was going to take her next. She said she chose SPC because it had a really good Broadcast Journalism program. After graduating, she plans to attend Texas Tech University and hopefully get another internship at a local TV station.

“My favorite categories to cover are typically the inspirational stories,” said Sifrit, “stories that make you feel good about society and highlight all of the good things that happen in our community on a day-to-day basis.”

At SPC, Sifrit is an anchor for SPC-TV, and she also likes conducting interviews, helping behind the scenes, and creating packages.

Sifrit said there isn’t a huge difference from high school broadcasting to college broadcasting. To Sifrit, the only difference was going from being at the TV station five days a week in high school to only being there two days a week in college.

“Since the two stations I’ve done stories for are both school stations, we haven’t covered a crime scene story,” said Sifrit. “But I think when I eventually do a cover a story like that, it would be my least favorite.”

Broadcasting is not the only thing that occupies Sifrit’s time. Outside of school, you can normally find her hanging out with her friends and family, as well as working out with her younger brother.