Centralight

I am Central: Senior • Journalism major with Cinema Studies and Political Science minors Grand Central Magazine editor Matt Erspamer Why writing? "It started with a newspaper class in high school. I always had a thing for computers and technology, so CMU's online journalism program was a good career choice for me." You also like entertainment. And you worked at Cannes Film Festival. Dish. There were a lot of requirements for candidates who applied. I believe that l Ma my experiences working with Grand Central Magazine combined with my cinema studies minor helped me become tech supervisor at the festival. Did you feel like an A-lister? And you've been to China? Yes. I personally met movie directors Lee Daniels, George Lucas and Ken Burns and actor Jackie Chan. It was amazing seeing other actors like Reese Witherspoon, Mathew McConaughey and Brad Pitt walk the red carpet. Through CMU, I had an internship in China as reporter and copy editor for the China Daily's U.S. Edition. It gave me a broader spectrum of what the world is like, and I learned many things about the culture in China. I hiked the Great Wall, went to the Forbidden City and even ate scorpions. Scorpions? Yes, scorpions. Many people sell them on the street in China. I bought two scorpions that were slightly grilled and chowed down. They were actually pretty tasty. What do you enjoy writing? "Movie reviews. I started a movie review website called cynicritics with my best friend. We've been featured on the Internet Movie DataBase (IMDB) for our writing. When it comes to reviews, does CMU get fi ve stars? Absolutely. Central has the best journalism program in the state and the size of CMU's campus intrigued me. Smaller class sizes allow professors to get to know their students. And both of my parents attended CMU. Can't forget that. • 44 centralight winter '12

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