J-school alum says Mizzou education, along with hard work, are keys to his success

by Davis Hamor, posted Dec. 8, 2011

The Missouri School of Journalism is the world's oldest, and is ranked third in the nation for its undergraduate journalism program, according to education-portal.com. Over the years, Mizzou has produced many well-known and respected journalists. In 2006, Aaron Bennett joined those ranks, and he credits the education he received as a student of the MU Journalism School for his fast-rising career.

Bennett did not always know what he wanted to for a living. For most of his high school career he wanted to be a doctor, until he discovered play-by-play broadcasting. His next step was to find a school. One of his high school teachers was a graduate of Mizzou and encouraged him to look at the university. After making an official campus visit, Bennett made the decision to enroll at the University of Missouri.

Upon his arrival at Mizzou, he quickly began to network with people who could help him make connections in the broadcast industry. Working at the local NBC affiliate, KOMU, allowed him to gain practical experience in the field. During his freshman and sophomore years he worked at the station as much as he possibly could covering Friday night high school football. During his junior and senior years, he was required to work at the station, which is operated by the Missouri School of Journalism. During his work at KOMU, he realized that he wanted to become a local television sports caster.

Throughout Bennett’s senior year, he worked to build his resume tape that helped him land a job one week before graduation. He was hired by WCIA, a local news station in Champaign, Ill. Thus began the next chapter of his life, the real world.

“The first few years at WCIA were pretty tough,” Bennett said. “The expectations others had of me were through the roof, and it was hard to live up to that standard. I kept working hard to improve the quality of my work, and that's helped me move up the ladder at WCIA.”

In June 2008, Bennett was promoted to weekend sports anchor. This meant that instead of going out and covering stories every day, he would only have to do that three days a week, as he was the main sports anchor on the weekends.

In June 2010, after two years as the weekend sports anchor, he was promoted to Sports Director, which is the position he holds today. He now coordinates, oversees and organizes WCIA’s sports coverage. Bennett also manages three members of the sports department, making story assignments and working to make sure their sports coverage as a whole is top-notch.

“It was important for me to pay my dues early,” Bennett said. “Working weekends and holidays is not glamorous, but in my business it's what you have do to. But if you keep a good attitude, and I believe this applies to any career path, people will notice, and it will open doors for you when the time is right.”

When talking to one his best friends, Jason Wetherholt, you can understand how Bennett has risen through the ranks as fast as he has.

“One of the things I appreciate most about Aaron is what I would consider his reasonable and strong work ethic,” Wetherholt said. “Aaron is a guy who puts forth the extra effort to do things well, but he knows when enough is enough and it's time to go home and be with his family.”

A family that is just starting to grow. Bennett and his wife, Stephanie, are expecting their first child soon.

“I strongly believe that I would not be where I am today if it weren't for the great people I met and outstanding experiences I had at Mizzou,” Bennett said.  "The real-life, hands-on experience I got put me head-and-shoulders above so many other people applying for jobs, and that is what helped me land my first job."

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