Watch Kasey’s stories produced for ABC News On Campus:
“A Recession-Proof City?”
“Virginia Tech’s Legacy of Safety”
Read more about Kasey’s accomplishments:
“West Virginia Student Selected as ‘Roving Reporter of the Year’ (ABC News)
“WVU journalism student gets major kudos from ABC News” (WVU P.I. Reed School of Journalism)
“ABC News recruits college reporters” (eSchool News)
Fox News Internship Q & A

Kasey Hott

Broadcast News Senior
Named ABC News On Campus “Roving
Reporter of the Year”

“I feel so fortunate to have attended a school with such a great broadcast news program. It’s pretty impressive that even ABC News executives are taking notice.”

What was your reaction to winning ABC News On Campus “Roving Reporter of the Year” award?
I was so surprised when I found out I had won the award. I actually didn’t believe it at first. I didn’t really believe it was true until I got a letter in the mail from ABC. I had seen all of the great videos on the ABC News on Campus website and couldn’t believe they had chosen mine.

What were some of the highlights of your trip to New York City?
Visiting the “Good Morning America” set was definitely the highlight of my trip to New York City. I have always been a big fan of the show, and it was so awesome to actually be there and get a behind-the-scenes look at the set and the control room. I have always admired Diane Sawyer—she is one of my role models—and I couldn’t believe that I got the opportunity to meet her. She was so kind. She took the time to talk with me and congratulated me on receiving the award. She even asked about each of my stories. It was something that I will never forget.

What feedback did the ABC News producers give you regarding your work?
I had the opportunity to speak with some of the producers at ABC News, and many of them had seen some of the “WVU News” newscasts. They all said that they were very impressed with the quality of the show and with the professionalism of the students from West Virginia University. Some of them had seen my classmate Geoff Coyle’s work and said that he was one of the top journalists they had seen this year! I feel so fortunate to have attended a school with such a great broadcast news program. It’s pretty impressive that even ABC News executives are taking notice.

To what do you attribute your early success as a student journalist?
I am so grateful for my teachers at the P.I. Reed School of Journalism. My SOJ professors—Gina Dahlia, Tori Arthur, George Esper and Jan Boyles—played such an important role in my college career. I know I would have never had these opportunities if it hadn’t been for them teaching me and pushing me to be the best student journalist I could be. Even though my time at WVU is coming to an end, I know I will take the lessons I learned from my professors here and apply them to my post-college career.

What advice do you have for students who aspire to be the next “Roving Reporter of the Year”?
If I were giving advice to a student just starting out in the School of Journalism, I would tell them to take advantage of every opportunity they possibly can during their time here at WVU. Internships are such an important part of journalism, and they’re not hard to find. I’m lucky to have been able to take part in some incredible internships, and I wish the same for every SOJ student. In broadcasting, there’s no such thing as learning too much—and the best way to learn is to step outside your comfort zone and give it a try.