Emma Webster is a senior electronic media and broadcasting major with a minor in journalism and a specialization in public relations. In addition to her studies and other school-related projects, the Walton-Verona native has been a resident assistant, an executive producer for Norse Media and is an active member in her sorority, Kappa Delta.

What led you to NKU? What made you stay?
My parents led me to NKU. They told me to have an open mind about where I wanted to go. I was looking at some other schools to get out of my hometown and Northern Kentucky in general. However, when I came here and saw the digitorum and all of the opportunities NKU has, that’s when I decided to come here. I stayed because I really enjoyed the professors. Instructors such as Tracy Songer, Sarah Drabik and the women in my major—since it is a male-dominated field—have always inspired me to keep at it.

How did you decide on your major?
I didn't always know that I wanted to go into EMB. I struggled a lot with my mental health in high school, and I needed an outlet. For me, that outlet was video-making. I was able to talk about my feelings toward a camera, and then I just kept at it. My YouTube started to grow from there and I thought, "Okay, I could do this professionally." From there I heard about the EMB program at NKU and started to get into the nitty gritty of it—whether I wanted to go into journalism or broadcast media. I think really just keeping at what I was doing to begin with through my YouTube channel drew me to EMB.

What have been the highlights of your major?
The Czech Republic research project has definitely been the most fulfilling thing I’ve done while at NKU. It was originally supposed to be a study abroad trip, but because of COVID we weren’t able to travel. It turned into a giant project that we did for a global agency called Gioba, where we were asked to produce five different films. For my film, I made a foreign documentary. It came down to going in with an open mind because of how little experience I had going into the project. I didn’t think I would be capable of doing what I did. I don’t know marketing super well, and I didn’t have a ton of hands-on work experience because of COVID. On top of that, the stigma of being a woman in such a male-dominated industry stuck with me. Not necessarily at NKU, but in the actual industry female directors and producers are so looked down on and haven’t been taken seriously. I wanted to prove people wrong with this project—that I could do a good job at it.

What experiences at NKU have prepared you for your post-NKU life?
The specific classes have really prepared me. Production management was a huge one; it confirmed for me that I wanted to go into producing because I love managing things. Narrative production was also a big one because I love to direct as well. I think it all came down to finding out what I liked and what was my niche, which these classes let me do. The big projects also helped prepare me for my career. Right now I’m currently working on a movie project which I think will be one of my favorites, and working with the Disney Studios was also really cool.

What advice do you have for incoming and current NKU students?
This sounds super cheesy, but keep at it and continue to believe in yourself. There will be people along the way who will guide you, but having that mindset will get you through to the end.