by Molly Chapple
The CoJMC hosted a multicultural homecoming celebration the week of Sept. 23-29. Six women visited the CoJMC to speak to classes and answer students’ questions about life after graduation. Juanita Page, a 2004 broadcasting major, was one of the women celebrated.
Page grew up in Omaha and went to high school at Omaha Northwest, where she was part of the television broadcasting department. During that time, she learned to edit video, which she says landed her a job at HuskerVision in college.
Page was also a dedicated competitor on the UNL Speech & Debate team. Trying to balance both her job at HuskerVision and her duties as a teammate led to her being let go from HuskerVision.
“I was disappointed, but relieved. I didn’t want to quit, but I also didn’t want to give up speech and debate,” she said.
After taking time to focus on speech, Juanita won her first championship in 2003 at the American Forensic Association National Individual Events Tournament in a program of oral interpretation.
As an African-American competitor, Page embraced her heritage and chose pieces that highlighted black culture.
“One of the best things I could do to embrace diversity and showcase diversity was to make sure I was picking topics that broadened fellow competitors’ views of the world from a multicultural background,” she said.
Page won another championship in Informative Speaking in 2004, making her the first person to win championships at the American Forensic Association National Individual Events Tournament in both informative speaking and program of oral interpretation categories.
Page now works as the programming and operations manager at Discovery, Inc., in Washington, D.C., where she handles international programming matters for Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, Science Channel, Motor Trend and American Heroes Channel.
Page is in charge of programming and scheduling, as well as bringing multiple teams together in post production to collaborate to get engaging content onto viewers’ television screens. One of her most memorable experiences in her current position was being flown to Chicago in 2014 to witness Nik Wallenda complete a tightrope walk 600 feet above Chicago’s skyline.
Juanita said her experiences at the CoJMC set her apart from others in her field. When she started as an intern at Discovery Inc., she was the only intern who knew how to edit video
“Nebraska had so much access to everything,” she said. “At any hour of the night, I could come in and edit. I could practice. I had access to all the equipment.”
Page’s advice to students is to stay focused and pursue opportunities outside of their majors that inspire them.
“Always be focused on continually learning,” she said. “And always take advantage of all the avenues that are available to you to learn, explore and be inspired.”
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