Senior Spotlight: Emily Balan
By Emily Green
News Editor
This semester, The Diplomatic Envoy sends off our invaluable layout editor, Emily Balan. Emily has dedicated the past year and a half to creating engaging spreads for the Envoy’s print publication, which has truly blossomed thanks to her hard work, careful eye, and creativity.
Emily, a senior diplomacy and philosophy double major and journalism and French minors, found her calling in journalism early in her college career. Emily splits her time between The Diplomatic Envoy and The Setonian, where she serves as news editor.
After a stint writing television show and movie reviews for The Setonian, Emily was offered an editorial position, a challenge she was “only too eager to meet.”
Emily was introduced to The Diplomatic Envoy during her junior year. While skimming a copy on campus, she noticed the blank space in the publication’s layout and decided to offer her eye for design.
Emily believed it was her obligation to make the Envoy the best it could be by revamping the paper’s look. Thanks to Emily’s creativity and expertise with Adobe InDesign, the publication has now exceeded her expectations.
When Emily is not working on an Envoy layout or a Setonian story, she can be found working the Digital Breaking News Desk at CNBC.
Prior to her CNBC internship, Emily was responsible for blogging, video production, and social media at Human Rights First. Her experience as a communications intern sparked her passion for video production and honed her Adobe Premier skills.
Over the course of her college career, journalism has presented Emily with many interesting opportunities.
When Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) spoke against the Iran nuclear deal at Seton Hall last summer, Emily was present at an exclusive, offthe-record question and answer session.
When news broke of Fr. Warren Hall’s contract termination, Emily received the first comments on the report, later lending her quotes to an article in the New York Times.
Additionally, Emily covered Pope Francis’s visit to Washington, D.C., and has accrued several bylines for her work at CNBC.
Through journalism, Emily has learned the importance of open communication: it is important to overcome any fears of talking to people when investigating a story, as “99 percent of the time” they want to speak about their connection to the subject, she says.
When writing a news article, Emily recommends writing a piece you yourself would want to read. Presenting a story in an interesting package will ensure your readers stay engaged.
In the fast-paced world of news, Emily keeps up by starting each day with the New York Times, pairing her morning briefing with NPR podcasts and, occasionally, an issue of the Economist.
As her last semester draws to a close, Emily is excited to pursue her passion for journalism abroad. After graduation, she plans to strengthen her foreign language skills in preparation for her dream position as a foreign field producer.
Emily hopes to combine her interest in human rights and humanitarian affairs to produce an international program akin to 60 Minutes. As she takes her talent abroad, Emily leaves behind a lasting legacy at Seton Hall.
