WDBJ reporter Lindsey Cook ’25 lives by a single quote from her favorite journalist, Nellie Bly: “I said I could, and I would, and I did.”
The quote helped motivate her as she took on the job halfway through her junior year, balancing her roles as both a full-time student and journalist.
“I had a lot of people tell me that they didn’t think I was going to be able to pull it off,” said Cook, who graduated in May with a degree in multimedia journalism. “They said, ‘Being a full-time student and a full-time reporter is hard. How are you going to have the time to do that?’ I told them, ‘I’m already doing it. I’m going to do it, and I’m going to finish strong.’”
Cook arrived at Virginia Tech with a plan to poise herself for a long career in journalism. As soon as she stepped on the Blacksburg campus, she scouted ways to get her foot in the door.
“I got involved with Virginia Tech Television in my first semester of freshman year,” Cook said. “I auditioned to be one of the anchors for ‘Tech Tonight,’ and I got the gig. That was the most exciting thing that had ever happened to me because prior to college, I had no experience in journalism.”
As an anchor with Virginia Tech Television (VTTV), Cook learned the process of making a show by writing scripts and shooting stories, further deepening her love for journalism.
After two years, Cook turned to the newsrooms in Roanoke for opportunities. In the fall of Cook’s junior year, she pursued an internship at WDBJ7, the region’s CBS affliliate.
“I knew that WDBJ7 was going to be a station I could really grow at after I had a broadcasting lesson from Robin Reed,” Cook said about her professor, the station’s former news anchor. “He came and spoke to us at VTTV and just hearing him talk about his experience was inspiring.”
Reed recognized Cook’s passion and talent, and helped connect her with his hometown station.
“She was always reaching forward,” Reed said. “What struck me about that was for such a young person to be that motivated in the industry of journalism, communications, and especially television.”
Cook’s journey at WDBJ7 began as an eight-week internship in the fall of her junior year. Cook transformed from a journalism rookie into a sharp, highly capable intern with no plans to look back.
“I fell in love with the station. I fell in love with the people,” Cook said. “I realized I truly was learning from some of the best people in the industry. The craziest part was a lot of them were just a few years older than me.”
WDBJ7 brought her on as a part-time multimedia journalist just three months after beginning her internship. After shooting short off-camera stories for a few weeks, Cook grabbed the attention of WDBJ7 professionals. By January of her junior year, she was working 40 hours a week while still maintaining full-time student status.
“Above anything, it was very challenging,” Cook said. “It was difficult, but it was really cool to be able to do both at the same time. Being a student really helped my work life and being a journalist really helped my student life because the two went hand in hand.”
Cook’s full schedule was her biggest challenge, acknowledging that she struggled to meet the needs of her top priorities, school and her professional career. Cook credits her advisor and Professors Jared Woolly and Reed to her success.
“She’s full of energy all the time and really works hard on every project she tackles,” Woolly said. “Being a local news reporter isn’t nearly as glamorous as it looks on television, and Lindsey absolutely embraces it.”
The School of Communication was a pillar of support for Cook during her time at Tech.
“I’m very grateful to Virginia Tech and the School of Communication for giving me a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Cook said. “They were the reason that I had the skills to be a full-time reporter. It’s just a testament to how amazing the multimedia journalism program is. I’m very happy that I came to Virginia Tech.”
Cook plans to continue at WDBJ7 as a multimedia journalist.
Story written by School of Communication students Evan Hull and Emily Southern