Junior Ken Ward took his career in journalism to the next level when he received the opportunity to interview Gov. Kay Ivey for Eagle Eye, Auburn’s student-run television station.
Ward, a Montgomery native, is double majoring in journalism and political science and has worked for Eagle Eye since his second semester of sophomore year. Within less than a year he was made digital content manager on the executive board where he manages all web operations.
Ward said before beginning over a year and a half ago, he had little prior experience in the field. He said he went to a very small high school where the opportunity was never there.
“I really didn’t do that much journalism work in high school," Ward said. "I’ve always been a big fan of current events, the news and especially political news, so when I got to college I was really drawn to journalism."
Along with holding his current position, Ward hosts his own show called Plain Talk, where he gets the opportunity to talk with the “movers and shakers” of our state and local community. Some of these prominent people include Walt Maddox, Jim Ziegler and, recently, Ivey.
Ward mentioned how he had been emailing with Ivey’s press secretary for a few weeks and was able to find a time to conduct an interview. Several members of the Eagle Eye staff and Ward went down to Montgomery one day and were able to spend about 20 minutes with the governor.
The interview covered several topics, ranging from major bills going to the legislature to key topics in Alabama politics.
“Getting to interview Governor Ivey was our second ever edition of Plain Talk,” Ward said. “It was a great honor and even a better experience given the fact that I’m just a college student."
Ward said the interview was a great learning experience for him.
"It was a great learning experience on how to effectively conduct a one-on-one, sit-down interview with a major political figure," Ward said. "To really try to get as much information out for the general public and to ask questions that might not always be easy for a political figure.”
Ward offered advice for anyone who believes they might wish to pursue the same path he is on. In addition to his involvement in student media, Ward is a part of Auburn’s SGA, and the main point he pushed is getting plugged into a passion as soon as possible.
“I’d advise them to get involved as quickly as possible and really reach out to some of the older leaders," Ward said. "Most of them, if not all of them, are going to be very willing to help you because somebody early on helped them out in their career. I had some really great mentors who helped me get plugged in my freshman year."
Ward said he had great mentors who helped him get plugged in his freshman year.
“I would advise anybody that really wants to do journalism to make sure that they practice their skills outside of the classroom," Ward said.
Ward said Auburn's journalism program is amazing and praised it for pushing students outside of their comfort zone.
“A big part of that is being an active part of student media whether that be The Plainsman or Eagle Eye or WEGL because you learn as much from those experiences as you learn from sitting in a lecture hall,” Ward said.
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