Jacqui Boyle, former editor-in-chief of Flyer News, has achieved success since her days at University of Dayton. She earned her Master’s degree last year, recently began a job at a newspaper in her hometown and is now a newsworthy subject in the paper that she once worked so hard to produce.
After earning her bachelor’s degree in 2011, she graduated from UD with a master’s degree in journalism in 2012, and served as editor-in-chief of this student-run paper the previous year.
Before earning this top position, Boyle was assistant arts and entertainment editor her sophomore year and arts and entertainment editor her junior year. This experience with writing, along with an internship at Cox Media Group Ohio, helped her attain a job writing for the life section of the Dayton Daily News, upon graduation.
She worked for the Dayton Daily News until last Tuesday, when she began her current position as assistant editor at Business First, a weekly newspaper in Louisville.
“I’m really excited,” Boyle said of her new job. “When I was at Flyer News, my favorite positions were editor positions. My passion is really for editing and coming up with story ideas.”
Boyle attributes much of her success to the journalism classes she took at UD. She said her classes prepared her to take on a journalistic role in the real world, and her professors gave her a lot of practical knowledge. She also credits Flyer News with preparing her for the professional world.
“Flyer News was, by far, my most valuable experience at UD,” Boyle said. “It gives practical experience that includes writing, editing and interviewing skills.” Not only did her years at Flyer News prepare her to work as a journalist, but she said it also helped create some of her best memories at UD.
“Some of my best friends were on the staff,” she said. “Although we spent really long hours in the office, I was working with people who loved doing their job, and we had a really good time.”
Boyle said her overall experience at UD was a great one. She said she built many close relationships and this helped her grow intellectually as a person. Some of the close relationships she built with her professors further aided her success by giving her good references for internships.
During her college years, Boyle interned with the St. Mary’s Development Corporation, the Downtown Dayton Partnership and Cox Media Group Ohio, where she was offered a job with the Dayton Daily News after she graduated.
“My biggest piece of advice is that you really need to network,” she said. “A large part of getting a job is who you know.”
She advises current undergrads to keep in contact with everyone they meet, and build a network in the area in which they want to work. Though these internships undoubtedly provided her with valuable experience in her field, she remains insistent that her time with Flyer News was the best experience to prepare her to work at a newspaper.
Boyle is a big advocate of the importance of the paper not only for journalism major but for the entire campus.
“I think it’s the most important organization on UD’s campus,” she said, “And I really hope the campus realizes how important the work we are doing is.”
