The return of Transatlantic Storytelling is officially underway as 16 Ball State students have been selected to participate in the second iteration of the award-winning project with Cardiff Met University in Cardiff, Wales.
The highlight of the project will be a 12-day cultural immersion trip to Wales in late February and early March 2024. While on the ground, students will collaborate with their peers in the Cardiff Met Sport Broadcast course to produce feature stories, live sporting events, studio shows and podcasts.
Andrew Willett (Graduate Student)
I was interested in adventuring to Wales from the second it was mentioned as an opportunity. Travel and experiencing new cultures has always been goal of mine. So, when I found out my path could take me there — through Sports Link and hopefully professionally — I was determined to make it to this moment. I am beyond thrilled and blessed to be able to travel to Cardiff Met and tell amazing stories, but I am even more fortunate to be able to work with the group of students coming along for the ride.
This is a once in a lifetime trip surrounded by some of the most talent I will ever be around. Being able to consider myself as worthy of being a part of this group and traveling abroad was an honor and a clear goal to aspire towards. I cannot wait to discover more about not only the rest of the world, but also about myself.
My name is Andrew Willett, and I am a first-year graduate student at Ball State. I graduated a year early to step into my current role as the graduate assistant with Sports Link.
I am an aspiring feature storytelling producer. I have gone through a lot in the past few months and changed my path and career goals countless times throughout my entire college experience, encompassing multiple internships, writing positions, radio broadcasting jobs, and experience in play-by-play talent, sideline reporting, live event production, and feature storytelling.
My time in Sports Link has afforded me the courtesy, patience, and most importantly the opportunities for growth and development. Going from talent to editor to producer in terms of career goals has challenged me. It makes me question whether I made the right choice, if I am good enough to make it, and what the future holds. But my time in Sports Link has made me who I am. They accepted me at a time where the world was questioning everything, gifted me every opportunity to grow, and even gave me a second chance to find a career path. I have been able to find myself between the tools Sports Link has given me and the passion and hard work I bring to the table. I want to make a difference in the world and storytelling has given me a chance to do that. It is even more reason to be so excited for everything Wales has to offer. Bring it on, Cardiff.
The goals are simple, but the experiences will be passionate and fulfilling. I hope to tell a great story with future graduate assistant, Daulton Cox, as well as help the rest of our class reach its potential individually for a greater combined documentary. I also hope to experience new cultures, try new foods, and see new sights. I want to grow as a person and become better acquainted and bonded with the unbelievable talent around me.
Andrew Willett