Passion for writing leads Auburn alumna to career with CNN

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For Auburn alumna Eva Wohiren, writing and storytelling have always been passions. Her teachers and parents recognized her talent for it, too, and often pointed out that she excelled in writing. That’s why a journalism degree seemed like a natural fit for Wohiren when she enrolled at Auburn.

“I saw writing as my way to explore and meet new people,” she said. “There is so much potential in journalism—whether it’s print, digital or broadcast—so I am so glad I pursued it.”

Since graduating from Auburn in 2014, Wohiren’s journalism career has skyrocketed to the national stage, taking her to Connecticut and back home to Georgia, with a quick stop in between. It all started for Wohiren when she landed a job at WSFA in Montgomery, Alabama, where she was training to be a producer. But, she had always dreamed about working at ESPN, so when the opportunity came, she took it. She headed to Bristol, Connecticut, to work as a production assistant at ESPN and started on the TV side cutting highlights for SportsCenter and working behind the scenes.

Within her first year at ESPN, she made the switch to the digital team which put her on the career path she’s on now. After a year in Bristol, Wohiren transferred to the ESPN-owned SEC Network in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Soon thereafter, her career further catapulted when she received an offer to work at CNN Digital. And it was the perfect chance to move back to her home state of Georgia. At CNN, she is an associate producer on the video programming team, where she crafts engaging headlines; programs videos on the CNN.com domestic and international pages and on the CNN app; and pitches and produces video content on topics ranging from breaking news to politics and trending stories.

“One of my favorite experiences was being a part of the 2016 election season,” she said. “It was such a unique election period for CNN and America—I feel like I'm a part of history.”

She’s entrenched in her role as an associate producer—every day is different and she thrives on the variety that her work brings. As a member of the overnight team, she works to keep viewer numbers strong, even in the wee hours of the night. The team also focuses on CNN’s international homepage and looks for trends and stories that may pick up in the morning.

“There is always something to do, which I love,” she said.

As she continues to grow in her career, she has her sights set on becoming a producer.

“I want to continue to move up the ladder here at CNN and continue to develop my growth as a journalist,” she said. “I hope to get more experience in the field shooting, interviewing and editing.”

She credits her time at Auburn—and two classes in particular—with her success in the field so far. One of the classes was journalism fundamentals—learning Associated Press style and how to edit writing and correct mistakes.

“In any role, digital journalism or not, I think understanding how to craft and punctuate a proper sentence is vital,” she said.

The other course that helped prepare her for the future was broadcast newswriting, which she took with Ric Smith, a lecturer in the School of Communication and Journalism in Auburn’s College of Liberal Arts.

“We learned that writing for air and writing for digital are very different and it is important to know how to do both—which only adds to your market value when you are leaving school,” she said.

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