Schutte, who was homeschooled and graduated from high school in 2021, thought initially she’d like to become a nurse. Her mom, Stephanie Schutte, has a degree in music therapy and her dad, Greg Schutte, is a counselor.
Both her parents play musical instruments, and her mom taught piano lessons. Schutte not only learned piano, but also the viola and the guitar.
“Honestly there is a lot of pressure in our society to know what you want to do when you graduate high school,” Schutte said. “I didn’t have a clue except that I knew I wanted to take care of people and bring them joy and I thought nursing would be a tangible way I could do that.”
But Schutte’s mom encouraged her to look at other career opportunities, “just in case.” And Schutte did just that, taking her lifelong love of science with her to Hillsdale College in Michigan, where her sister Sarah had gone before her.
“We weren’t allowed to declare a major until sophomore year, so I took core classes and that really helped me see there were other things I was interested in,” Schutte said.
One thing she discovered was that science wasn’t where she excelled. When it came time to declare a major, Schutte decided upon a rhetoric and media major, because it sounded interesting.
“It was a bit of a gamble but as I was looking through classes wondering why no one had told me about this area before, I realized they all suited my strengths,” Schutte said.
Schutte began volunteering to work at the student-led radio station on campus — WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale. It was there she realized how much she enjoyed using her voice in newscasting.
Her sister encouraged her since she had also worked at the station.
“Newscasting was a simple way to start,” Schutte said. “We pulled news clips from a 24/7 news source, — state, national and local — then we added a few sports clips.”
The students add a weather forecast and the newscasts end up being about five minutes long. The students are also responsible for editing their own stories. Schutte and her fellow students all get a credit for working at the station.
And she immediately loved it.
Credit: Austin Thomason
Credit: Austin Thomason
“It’s a great set up because it’s not necessarily contingent on your skill level or talent because they are willing to teach you,” Schutte said.
Schutte’s mentor and radio host at the station, Scot Bertram, encouraged her to record a newscast and allow him to submit it for an International Broadcasting System award. She did one of her usual weekly broadcasts, and Bertram cleaned it up and sent it in for consideration.
“It was quite a while before I heard anything,” Schutte said. “IBS is looking for many things, but I was submitted under the newscast category.”
Schutte found out she was a finalist at the end of last semester and was invited to attend the IBS conference in New York in early March. She and five of her fellow students flew out on March 7 and attended the awards ceremony on March 8. Schutte ended up winning first place for the Best Newscast in the Intercollegiate Broadcasting System College Media Awards.
“I’m proud of Emily and all of our WRFH students for their work,” Bertram said. There were thousands of submissions from college stations across the country and it’s exciting to see one or our own students accept top honors in this important category.”
Credit: Sophia Rome
Credit: Sophia Rome
Schutte said that regardless of the outcome, she was excited to be in New York City and experience all the creativity surrounding her.
“It was really neat meeting creative people who had been doing this job for a long time,” Schutte said. “I was able to glean a lot of ideas, and it was a huge honor for our radio station as well.”
Schutte said that although she has confidence in her abilities, she was still surprised she won. And the experience has helped her better plot her future.
“This experience has really enhanced my interest in doing audio books and storytelling,” Schutte said. “I guess I didn’t realize what a big deal it was and almost forgot about it.”
In addition to her studies, Schutte is a resident assistant in her dorm and said she lives her life “doing the next thing that is in front of me.”
“I met so many people in media broadcasting while I was in New York,” Schutte said. “It’s really made a huge impact on my life because people do want you to succeed and are genuinely excited for you.”
To listen to Schutte’s award winning broadcast, visit https://hillsdale.app.box.com/s/dtam6dzyjqujvegxpble7dhx6aqzdf70.
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