Saugus High student shadows Item reporter

SAUGUS – Figuring out a career choice is one of the most important life decisions.Alexandra Vasallo, a Saugus High School junior, had the opportunity to shadow a day in the life of reporter at The Daily Item last week.Funded by a grant from Saugus Business Educational Collaborative, the morning began with a breakfast at Prince Pizzeria at 7:30 a.m. before students headed to their respective offices until 2 p.m. Principal Michael Hashem briefly spoke at Prince and welcomed state Rep. Donald Wong, acting town manager Robert Palleschi and Saugus?s police and fire chiefs.Vasallo spent the morning at The Item?s office in downtown Lynn and the afternoon at Belmonte Middle School, where she did a joint interview with William “Bill” Donadoni, the new assistant principal.Other Saugus High students went to Town Hall, Saugus Animal Hospital, police and fire headquarters, Pearl Vision, Goldman Dentistry, attorney Chris Finn and other businesses in Saugus.?My father, Alberto Vasallo, is the president of El Mundo Boston, a Hispanic newspaper, and he appears on Channel 7 for Urban Update and every Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. and Friday at 6 p.m. for Revista Hispinica,” Vasallo said. “My grandfather, Alberto Vasallo Jr. was the founder.”Vasallo said she was exposed to the entire newspaper business growing up.?I would go with my grandfather and father to see how the newspaper came together in the production room, and I?d play around with the computers as a child,” Vasallo said. “As I got older, I understood what they?re doing during their interviews.”Vasallo said she has friends who take journalism classes at Saugus High School who have interviewed her for the school newspaper, for which she does not write. Although part of the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math honors program, she takes Advanced Placement Language and Composition.After Shadow Day, she doesn?t see herself as a newspaper reporter, but she?s more interested in filmmaking, acting and video – possibly broadcast journalism.?I like to be in front of the camera, either making videos or creating content – any way that I can have a character,” she said. “We had an assembly at school where everyone filled out a piece of paper with their top four career fields.”Vasallo plans to major in visual media at Boston University, Emerson College or Emmanuel College in Boston.According to coordinator Laurie Golan, math teacher at SHS, the program means the most when students do – or do not – go into the field they shadowed.?What makes this program so worthwhile to me is when I find out the effects students had on this program for the future,” Golan said. “For example, (another student) wanted to be an elementary school teacher so badly, but when she shadowed in the classroom, she realized she hated it. She was glad she knew that before she attended college.”On the other hand, another one of Golan?s students ended up working on the fire unit.?Not everyone gets to go behind the scenes and have a learning experience outside the four walls of the classroom,” Golan said. “I love it. I absolutely don?t want to give it up even when I retire within the few years.”Vasallo said print journalism did spark her interest, though.?It was interesting when you were interviewing people and how you just know what?s happening,” Vasallo said. “You (Vocino), me and Ms. Golan were the only people in Prince, and that was interesting. I feel like a fly on the wall sometimes.”