Name: Kelly Evans
Graduation year: 2007
Major: Business Journalism
Hometown: Lexington, VA
What exactly are you doing?
-I’m an economics reporter at the Wall Street Journal, based at our current headquarters in downtown Manhattan, right next to Ground Zero.
What do you miss about W&L?
-Well, as Jan and RBarr know, I was pretty stressed out by the end of senior year and ready to graduate! But now, there’s so much I miss – W&L is such a beautiful place, and it was so much fun being there two years with my sister Colleen, and having my family be nearby and able to catch most of our lacrosse games. The great thing about living in New York City now is there are tons of alums up there with me – so I get to see my former teammates Karina, Maggie, Lane and lots of other non-lacrosse people. I love when I get emails or text messages from past professors or classmates or just people I know who have read my articles or seen me on TV – that’s the best thing about W&L, is the sense of community that you have even after graduating.
Anything you want to say to your former Lax teammates?
-Keep the streak alive!! It’s harder to earn respect as a top-notch program in Virginia when historically the stronger and better-known teams are in the Northeast. But we’ve done so many great things in recent years and I’m so proud to be part of a successful franchise. Brooke: can you “accidentally” schedule more games up our way? RBarr: I’d like a care package of goodies after each tailgate. And to the rest of the team: please give Bean a hard time for me (and remember to wave hello to that creepy guy watching practice – he’s my father).
Want to follow Kelly’s latest stories and videos? Log on to WSJ.com (subscription required – but there is a student rate), or check out http://blogs.wsj.com/economics (which is free).
-I’m an economics reporter at the Wall Street Journal, based at our current headquarters in downtown Manhattan, right next to Ground Zero.
What is the latest story you are working on?
-Much of what I do right now is covering breaking news and incoming economic data (which has basically gotten worse and worse since I started in June 2007), with specific attention to shifts in consumer behavior. Of course, I have been able to sneak in a lacrosse story this year as well!
What made you decide to live and work in the city?
-I always thought working at the Journal was a pipe dream or career goal – and never expected I’d have a chance to start working there right out of college. But in the fall of my senior year, at the very last second, I decided I had nothing to lose and applied for the Journal’s post-grad internship (I remember tearing my past stories straight out of old copies of The Trident and enlisting my mom’s help to get the package overnighted to NYC so I’d make the deadline!). Around the same time, I had an on-campus interview with Bloomberg and tentatively accepted their offer for a similar post-grad internship, but when I heard back from the Journal in December I knew I had to fly up for the interview. (My previous internships had been summer stints with Reuters and with Bank of America.)
When they offered me the internship, I immediately accepted. I always thought I’d go abroad after graduation and was even considering some fellowships to do so, but I couldn’t turn down this opportunity, so about 10 days after graduation in June, I began my first day on the job. Several weeks later, I was offered a full-time position with the Global Economics team, and I’m eternally grateful to work side-by-side with a phenomenally talented (and patient!) group of people. I’m also so thankful for W&L’s business journalism program, headed by the irreplaceable Prof. Luecke. People I meet up here are continually impressed to hear the school offers such a program.
What's the coolest thing you've done since arriving there?
-I have a lot of fun doing radio and especially TV interviews – it always amazes me to see what a talented team of hair and make-up people can do! It also means getting to hang out off-camera with a lot of great people – CEOs, actors, pro football players – which helps takes the edge off grueling days at work. Recently I went and helped judge dance team tryouts for the New York Titans – the pro indoor lacrosse team with players like Casey Powell, who I grew up watching. But I try to keep the fun stuff for nights and weekends, so it’s not too much of a distraction.
-Much of what I do right now is covering breaking news and incoming economic data (which has basically gotten worse and worse since I started in June 2007), with specific attention to shifts in consumer behavior. Of course, I have been able to sneak in a lacrosse story this year as well!
What made you decide to live and work in the city?
-I always thought working at the Journal was a pipe dream or career goal – and never expected I’d have a chance to start working there right out of college. But in the fall of my senior year, at the very last second, I decided I had nothing to lose and applied for the Journal’s post-grad internship (I remember tearing my past stories straight out of old copies of The Trident and enlisting my mom’s help to get the package overnighted to NYC so I’d make the deadline!). Around the same time, I had an on-campus interview with Bloomberg and tentatively accepted their offer for a similar post-grad internship, but when I heard back from the Journal in December I knew I had to fly up for the interview. (My previous internships had been summer stints with Reuters and with Bank of America.)
When they offered me the internship, I immediately accepted. I always thought I’d go abroad after graduation and was even considering some fellowships to do so, but I couldn’t turn down this opportunity, so about 10 days after graduation in June, I began my first day on the job. Several weeks later, I was offered a full-time position with the Global Economics team, and I’m eternally grateful to work side-by-side with a phenomenally talented (and patient!) group of people. I’m also so thankful for W&L’s business journalism program, headed by the irreplaceable Prof. Luecke. People I meet up here are continually impressed to hear the school offers such a program.
What's the coolest thing you've done since arriving there?
-I have a lot of fun doing radio and especially TV interviews – it always amazes me to see what a talented team of hair and make-up people can do! It also means getting to hang out off-camera with a lot of great people – CEOs, actors, pro football players – which helps takes the edge off grueling days at work. Recently I went and helped judge dance team tryouts for the New York Titans – the pro indoor lacrosse team with players like Casey Powell, who I grew up watching. But I try to keep the fun stuff for nights and weekends, so it’s not too much of a distraction.
What do you miss about W&L?
-Well, as Jan and RBarr know, I was pretty stressed out by the end of senior year and ready to graduate! But now, there’s so much I miss – W&L is such a beautiful place, and it was so much fun being there two years with my sister Colleen, and having my family be nearby and able to catch most of our lacrosse games. The great thing about living in New York City now is there are tons of alums up there with me – so I get to see my former teammates Karina, Maggie, Lane and lots of other non-lacrosse people. I love when I get emails or text messages from past professors or classmates or just people I know who have read my articles or seen me on TV – that’s the best thing about W&L, is the sense of community that you have even after graduating.
Anything you want to say to your former Lax teammates?
-Keep the streak alive!! It’s harder to earn respect as a top-notch program in Virginia when historically the stronger and better-known teams are in the Northeast. But we’ve done so many great things in recent years and I’m so proud to be part of a successful franchise. Brooke: can you “accidentally” schedule more games up our way? RBarr: I’d like a care package of goodies after each tailgate. And to the rest of the team: please give Bean a hard time for me (and remember to wave hello to that creepy guy watching practice – he’s my father).
To see Kelly’s latest TV interview
Want to follow Kelly’s latest stories and videos? Log on to WSJ.com (subscription required – but there is a student rate), or check out http://blogs.wsj.com/economics (which is free).
