Beyond the Books: SDPB Provides Journalism, English and Secondary Education Major With Newsworthy Experience

Jackson Dircks '25 is a journalism, English and secondary education triple major from Freeburg, Illinois. This summer, Dircks is interning with South Dakota Public Broadcasting (SDPB) in downtown Sioux Falls. From writing daily stories and scripts to exploring videography and radio show production, this internship is providing him with an up-close look at the ever-evolving world of radio broadcasting.

Q: What extracurricular activities are you involved in?

A: I'm a captain of the men's swimming & diving team and editor-in-chief of the Augustana Edda yearbook. I volunteer on Wednesday nights as a lifegroup leader at Central Church, and (I'm part of) a Bible study with my swimming team.

Q: What are your career goals/aspirations?

A: I honestly don't know, and I'm pretty comfortable with that answer. I just want to make a positive impact and difference on those around me - whether that is through teaching, coaching, writing or even politics. As long as I am helping others, I'll feel pretty fulfilled.

Q: Where or how did you hear about Augustana?

A: I heard about Augustana from my teammate, Makoa Montgomery ('25). She is from the same club swimming team as I am from home. She committed to Augustana, and the then-head coach, Lindsie Micko, asked Makoa about any guys she knew who would fit well on the team and I got connected to Augie from there.

Q: What is/are the reason(s) you chose to come to Augustana?

A: Augustana has a really cool campus, in that it's small enough to feel homey and closely connected, but in a big enough city like Sioux Falls to not be completely barren of activities. I'm from a small town where there isn't a whole lot to do, so Sioux Falls gave me the best of both worlds. The main reason I actually decided to choose Augustana over other schools is because I'm a pretty faithful individual and I listen to a lot of Christian podcasts to keep me in the Bible. I was randomly flipping through podcasts and came across a podcast episode from Adam Weber, a pastor at Embrace Church in Sioux Falls, and heard him mention Sioux Falls. I felt that was a sign from God to come to Augustana and I answered the call.

Q: What do your job duties include?

A: I have a lot of duties at the internship. I capture audio and edit it. I write stories everyday and the scripts that are read on broadcast. I know that I will eventually get the opportunity to actually record some scripts/stories myself to be aired on the radio and broadcast across the state. Ideally, I will learn a little bit about videography and such. I know that opportunities to produce some episodes of radio shows exist as well.

Q: How did you get the internship? Did anyone help you?

A: I applied online and then went through an interview process. My professor (of journalism), Dr. Janet Blank-Libra, helped me out a bit and so did Veda Tonneson ('24). Veda was my classmate and fellow journalism major. She worked at SDPB before I went through the internship program.

Q: What do you like most about your internship?

A: I think what I like the most is how fast news works. I'm always kept on my toes by what is happening that day and what stories I get the opportunity to cover. A lot of jobs are pretty mundane and monotonous, but radio news is the opposite. One day I could be covering (Gov.) Kristi Noem and the next I get to talk about how well the roads in Sioux Falls are doing. The pace makes sure I'm never bored and always informed about the world around me.

Q: What do you hope to learn/gain from the internship?

A: I hope to just become the best journalist I can. Sadly, today, a lot of people have lost faith in the media and news stations. Most people don't really look past headlines, but on radio, people are forced to listen. I want to learn how to instill trust back in democracy, the first amendment and unbiased journalism. I think SDPB has done a great job of that in the publication's history so I think I'll learn that everyday.

Q: Why is experiential learning so important to you in your future endeavors?

A: I think experiential learning is important because it keeps you humble. When you are learning through the process of actually experiencing how to do something, you have to fail. And, that's honestly okay. You're not going to be the best; I'm not going to be the best. But, by actually learning and failing through doing, you get so much more insight than what a textbook or lecture can teach you. Not that those things aren't important, because they are, but experiences are extremely valuable to mastering any skill.

Q: How important is building relationships/connections?

A: Building relationships is so important in any career. People always say you need to network your way to a career and that's true. But, in my opinion, it's even more important to live as a human being. Stories and other people fuel us. We all only know our own experiences because that is what we have lived through. But, connecting with others and building those relationships shows us empathy and teaches us how to love others. And, that's so important to making a positive impact anywhere.

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