Jenna Parsio Rewrote Her Story and Found Her Purpose

When Jenna Parsio arrived at Pepperdine, she had her story all mapped out: break school track and field records, pursue a career in sports broadcasting, and make her mark. But life, she has learned, does not always follow a script.

“I had to rewrite what I thought was going to happen to me,” she says. “And that’s okay.”

Now a senior journalism major with a sport administration emphasis, Parsio has turned challenges, like a major surgery that sidelined her track career for a year-and-a-half, into unexpected purpose. The student-athlete has built an impressive portfolio through Pepperdine’s NewsWaves program, a 30-minute live newscast that is broadcast and streamed online once a week on Tuesdays, and her role with Pepperdine Athletics, where she conducts pre- and post-game interviews across sports for the Pepperdine Waves YouTube channel.

“I want to know about athletes' lives and tell those types of stories to show that people are more than just their athletic ability,” she says.

With that mission in mind, Parsio seeks out unconventional stories such as athletes’ mental health struggles, dietary challenges for student-athletes, or personal relationships formed through sports. Parsio’s passion and persistence recently earned her an internship with KCAL News in Los Angeles, a position she pursued with support from professor Ned Colletti, the former general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and cultivated through two years of proactive communication with CBS reporter Jamie Maggio.

“Pepperdine gave me the tools, the confidence, and the connections,” she says. “I feel ready.”

Parsio shares that attending an undergraduate university with a fully functioning news station that allows students to broadcast live, produce packages, and rent out camera equipment is rare. This March, Pepperdine’s unique hands-on environment helped Parsio earn second place in the Broadcast: News Story category at the Associated Collegiate Press Best of Show awards held at the conclusion of the Spring National College Media Conference in Long Beach. Ten Pepperdine student journalists also earned award-winning recognition at the event, and NewsWaves 32 came in second overall in the Broadcast News Program category.

“Pepperdine has completely changed my path,” she says. “I’ve had the chance to do everything I need to set myself up for a job.”

Beyond giving her the skills, the experience has built her confidence. She credits not just the resources, but also the mentorship from journalism advisors Elizabeth Smith (MA ’03, EdD ’16), Theresa de los Santos (’01, MA ’08), and Christina Littlefield (’02, MA ’03), whose guidance has been invaluable in preparing her for the professional world.

"I know I have a lot left to learn and plenty of practice ahead,” she says, “but I’m ready to take what I’ve learned at Pepperdine and put it into action in a professional news environment."

As she looks ahead, Parsio is still rewriting her story—one that is centered less on personal records and more on helping others achieve theirs. “Just because it didn’t turn out how I planned doesn’t mean it can’t be great,” she says. “I want to be the person who helps others hold on to their stories—even when they have to rewrite them.”