Jennifer Dove, a sophomore journalism major at Hofstra University, has always had a knack for being extroverted. Dove, with her journalism concentration in sports broadcasting, recalls as a child being struck with awe as she watched the news anchors, knowing them each by name. She admired how upbeat they all seemed, no matter what they were going through in their personal lives, they were able to flip a switch in themselves. Detoxing from the stresses of daily life, you get to showcase the real you on air.
Junior year of high school, Dove joined her school’s broadcasting morning announcements class: The Early Bird. This moment left a lasting impression on her as the first time she was given the opportunity to truly exercise her voice on camera.
During her senior year oh high school, she enrolled in a multimedia journalism class called Eagle Watch. In the class, Dove would venture out into her community and cover local events in her small town like sports games, church gatherings and holiday functions. Being able to feature these sorts of events strengthened her connection with her community and solidified what she wanted to do in college.
Dove’s parents urged her to tour Hofstra’s campus. Since they live near the campus, they were aware of the school’s extensive communications program. Dove explored campus during Hofstra’s “Open House Day” and took a peek into the Lawrence Herbert School of Communications building.
“I saw everything in the control rooms, the studios and the radio station. I kind of was like ‘Yep – this is where I belong!’” Dove said.
At the open house, Dove listened to two guest speakers – both Hofstra alumni. She remembered being sincerely impressed by how well they spoke to the crowd. The amount of professionalism that they conveyed on stage was a clear signal to Dove: if she wanted to get to that level, this was the right place for her.
Dove then went on to announce her college decision on “The Today Show” after winning a contest her senior year of high school.
Dove believes that the most important step to take as a communications student is to join extracurricular clubs at Hofstra. One of the clubs she is involved in is Hofstra’s radio station, WRHU 88.7 FM. Dove is on the executive board as the social media manager and has been heavily involved in the Morning Wakeup Call, as well as the Newsline evening newscast.
“One thousand percent, as soon as you get to Hofstra, you should be joining the radio station. The HEAT Network is great if you’re a television major. But specifically for journalism majors, WRHU should be your home,” Dove said.
Another massive imaginative outlet for Hofstra students resides in one of the shows that The HEAT Network runs – Thursday Nite Live (TNL), inspired by NBC’s award-winning sketch comedy show “Saturday Night Live.” Dove auditioned for this year’s cast of TNL, landing an acting role. Her TNL debut was on Thursday, Oct. 2.
Very similar to a theatrical production, TNL has so many moving parts to it, both on stage and off. Although it is geared towards communication majors, this club is easily enjoyed by many different students at Hofstra.
“I think acting is so important if you want to be on television and broadcasting because god forbid the prompter goes down, you have to be able to improvise,” Dove said.
Following the theme of the HEAT Network, Dove is also involved in “Hofstra Today,” reporting on the weather.
When it comes to Greek life on campus, Dove cannot recommend Zeta Phi Eta enough. Zeta, as members of the organization call it, is a pre-professional communications fraternity open to those of all genders; students only need to be communications majors to join. Dove has been an active member since the Spring 2025 semester and has already gained an immense amount of professional experience from joining. The most crucial takeaway for Dove is fostering those connections with Zeta alumni, especially going into a field with less job security.
“It’s very important to have those connections because if all else fails, and you’re stuck looking for somewhere to go after college, you have an entire organization of people to reach out to for guidance,” Dove said.
Dove addressed that the biggest challenge regarding being a journalism major is being able to handle harsh deadlines, where there really is no exception for late work. Learning to budget your time, especially as a communication student who is involved in multiple clubs, is incredibly important. Dove stresses the importance of not comparing yourself to others when pursuing your dream. She advocates giving everything your all and always putting yourself out there. Dove’s dream career post-graduation is to become an anchor on “The Today Show,” bringing things full circle for Hofstra’s rising star in the communications department.