By Jessica T & Josue A, staff writers
Working behind the scenes at C-SPAN as a production assistant for almost 4 years, English teacher Ms. Boland had the opportunity to meet a number of famous politicians. A few people she was able to meet included; Nancy Pelosi (Speaker of the U.S House of Representatives), Christopher Hitchens (British-American author) , Temple Grandin (American scientist), Newt Gingritch (Former Speaker of U.S house of Representatives), Karl Rove (Former White House Deputy Chief of Staff), and Condoleeza Rice (American Diplomat and Political Scientist) to name a few.
Ms. Boland felt lucky to be in a position where she could be around such famous people. She said, “I got to meet all these famous people, and I was always afraid I was messing up. I went to so many fancy parties and events, even though I was just this nobody.”
Not only was Ms. Boland able to meet some famous politicians but she also attended a few historic events. She was there when the supreme court confirmed Chief Justice Roberts, as well as when President Obama was inaugurated. “I was in the control room or at my desk with everybody and the whole room was silent. But you’re just front row and you’re the person who’s pushing the buttons so that everybody’s paying attention,” Ms.Boland said.
While working as a production assistant, Ms. Boland helped cover court hearings, research and compile news for the editors, and continually read and watch news stories. Working with different broadcast televisions was a great opportunity for Ms.Boland in which she was exceedingly glad, but also found it challenging. Ms. Boland said, “It was always exciting, but you were always that person at the bottom, and people were really intense so it was stressful.”
Ms. Boland grew up in San Francisco and attended San Francisco State University for a year, but longed to get into a University that had just opened up and suited her interests. Before she knew it, she decided to transfer to Soka University of America in Orange County where she ended up being part of the first graduating class of Soka university
After graduating, Ms. Boland was unsure of what career path she should choose so she moved to Washington D.C., where she stayed for 9 years. She then moved to New York, where she stayed for 4 years, which is when she worked as a production assistant.
After leaving C-SPAN to pursue another career which ultimately winded down to her becoming a teacher, Ms. Boland expresses that she has no regrets. She said, “I Like this better. It’s more meaningful and I really like teaching more than any of that stuff.”
