New York Times reporter Jeanna Smialek visited campus on Nov. 10 as a guest in the Shields School of Business’ Executive-in-Residence Program.
Smialek covers the Federal Reserve and the U.S. economy for the New York Times.
A native of the Pittsburgh area, she spoke to students in several classes and also conducted one-on-one and small-group sessions with students during her visit.
Smialek holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Global Studies from the University of North Carolina and an MBA from New York University.
Prior to joining the staff at the New York Times in 2019, she served as an economics reporter at Bloomberg News for six years.
“I like constantly being able to learn things,” said Smialek, “and getting to communicate what I learn to a much broader audience.”
Smialek, who has written extensively on numerous economics topics, including the Treasury Department and the European Central Bank, said she always knew that journalism was the career path she wanted to pursue.
“I decided I wanted to become a journalist in the second grade,” said the Mars, Pennsylvania native, “but I did have a lot of deviation in what kind of journalist I wanted to be.”
The SFU students who interacted with Smialek last week said they learned a lot from speaking with her.
“After listening to her experiences, it became evident that anyone who wants to be a writer/reporter needs to be driven and willing to put in the hard work,” said senior Communications major Lindsey Slebodnik.
Smialek told the students that there is no substitute for experience.
“Get as much experience as you can, as early as you can,” she said.
