Rianne E. Coale

Enthusiastic, enterprising, and hardworking, Rianne Coale embodies the School of Communication’s mission to develop journalism students who can report and tell stories for print, broadcast, and the Internet.

She has twice won the Jim Gibbons Memorial Scholarship for Outstanding Broadcast Journalism and is a National Merit Scholar. In addition to her coursework, Coale also has served as a mentor for high school students and has helped with the School of Communications Career Fair.

Here, she talks about her mentor, why she loves to volunteer, and how things you say while hypnotized can stick with you for years.

What’s your favorite Loyola memory?



Wow. That’s tough. I have so many, but I’d have to say it was when I got hypnotized during the first week of my freshman year at one of the Welcome Week events. Apparently, I named my racehorse Keg Stand, so for the rest of the semester anybody I met would immediately refer to me as Keg Stand Girl. It brings a smile to my face every time I think about it.

Talk a little about a professor or mentor who inspired you.



Ralph Braseth is the manager of student media in the School of Communication, and he is the mentor who has inspired me the most. Ralph has been by my side since I met him four years ago through the Rambler Sports Locker, and I couldn’t ask for a better mentor or inspiration. He picks me up when I’m down, gives the best advice of anyone I know, and has helped me tremendously. I’m really lucky to have him in my life.

Tell us about your volunteer/service work and what it means to you.

I love to volunteer. I was a Girl Scout for 13 years, and service work was one of my favorite things about it. There’s so much satisfaction that comes from helping people. Serving as a mentor and role model to kids who are just starting to find their passions in life? Wow, it is so incredibly rewarding. Through the volunteering and service work I’ve done, to know that I’ve made a difference in even just one person’s life is all the motivation I need to keep doing it.

Any advice you would give students about how to get the most out of their education?

Get involved! Find something you love to do or that you’re passionate about and seek out any opportunity you can to do it here. Get to know your professors and don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. Go to class, do your homework, and keep an open mind. If you do that, I promise the relationships you’ll make and the knowledge you’ll leave with will be more than you could have ever imagined.

What do you hope to be doing 10 years from now?

I hope to be working as a TV news producer or anchor in the greater Chicago metropolitan area. I’ve got some big dreams and some crazy aspirations, but for some reason, I feel like I will be able to accomplish all of them if I work hard enough.

What’s your favorite spot in Chicago?

Hmmm, I’d have to say that it’s probably the sidewalk right outside the Tribune Tower, where you can see the Magnificent Mile on either side of you. I don’t know why I love it so much, but it just screams “Chicago” to me. It makes me feel like I’m right at home.

Any tips on how to de-stress during finals?

Is there such a thing? I’m just kidding. Make sure to take short breaks while you’re studying. I know I tend to remember information at the beginning and end of whatever I’m doing and lose the stuff in the middle. So, if you have more starting and stopping points while studying, it will be easier to remember and recall the information during an exam. Also, try to get some sleep the night before, because it really can make a difference.