St. John’s University is the reason I have this dream job,” says
Danielle Monaro ’95SVC, Z100 radio disc jockey and St. John’s
University alumna.
While a student in St. John’s College of Professional Studies
studying
communications, Danielle says her interest in radio was
instantly sparked when she was asked to join the University’s radio
station, WSJU, and become a radio host: “I was in the elevator and
a girl asked me if I wanted to be on air. Ever since then radio has
been my passion.” It was Danielle’s vibrant personality and
dedication to whatever task she was assigned that helped this
self-proclaimed “tough chick from the Bronx” make it from student
to co-host.
Danielle got her big break in the media industry when she
received an internship at “New York’s Hit Music Station” Z100: “I
got my internship
at Z100 with the help of another student studying radio
at St. John's. I took radio courses and worked at WSJU and it
all helped me learn about the industry and what to expect once I
graduated.”
Danielle believes the key to success in the media industry is to
seek out internships while students are in college: “Interning
gives you hands on experience and insight into whether or not it's
something that you actually want to continue doing.”
There were two professors in the communications department that
Danielle says made a huge impact in her life, Lawrence Pitili and
Antoinette Durso: “I owe a lot of my success to my professors and
experiences at St. John’s. I learned so much from my professors
including how to speak and communicate effectively - two very
important aspects of this industry.”