Centre County Report in Rio: The 2016 Paralympic Games
Penn State University had more reporters covering the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro than any other news organization in the United States. This special brings you behind the scenes of one of the largest sporting events in the world.
The reporting team included Shannon Ryan, Nicole Barros, Anna Pitingolo, Allison Gasparetti, Cameron Hart, Antonella Crescimbeni, Garrett Ross, Brett Gravatt and Emily Peacock.
About the Contributors
Dara Cooper
Senior / Broadcast Journalism
Dara serves as the News Director for ComRadio, along with being a part of Penn State’s Centre County Report. Throughout her time at Penn State, Dara has interned at various television production companies: Line by Line Productions/ Alex Coletti Productions, Park Slope Productions, ITV Studios, and Lucky Duck Productions. She also currently works at Penn State Athletics as an Assistant Director. After graduation, Dara hopes to work in the broadcast industry as a Director or Producer.
Dara can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Nicole Barros
Junior / Broadcast Journalism
Nicole is a senior majoring in broadcast journalism with a sports concentration through the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism certificate program. Throughout her time at Penn State, she has interned with the Big Ten Network, CBS, and most recently ESPN. Nicole will be interning in Los Angeles during her last semester through the Penn State Hollywood Program. To contact Nicole, email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Shannon Ryan
Senior / Broadcast Journalism and Political Science
Shannon Ryan is a mutimedia journalist and passionate storyteller who plans to pursue a career in television news. She is graduating in December, a semester early. As a student reporter she traveled to Greece to cover the refugee crisis and to Brazil to cover the 2016 Paralympic Games.
Shannon has interned for the New York State Broadcasters Association, NBC WNYT-NewsChannel 13 in Albany, N.Y., ESPNU as a campus correspondent, and as a sideline reporter for the Big Ten Network StudentU’s; which stream live on BTN2go.com and air on the Big Ten Network. She also works for Penn State Athletics, in production and as a reporter. She has also freelanced for CBS This Morning. This summer she will be the daytime news intern for FOX29 Philadelphia.
Allison Gasparetti
Senior / Broadcast Journalism
Allison Gasparetti is a New Jersey native and currently a senior at Penn State University. In December of 2016, she will be graduating a semester early with a degree in Broadcast Journalism, a minor in French/Francophone Studies, and a certificate from the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism. Allison recently traveled to Rio de Janeiro in September to provide coverage of the Paralympic Games for the Associated Press. She is currently on staff with Big Ten Network’s Student U, where she has gained valuable live production experience, and is also a producer of In The Game, an Emmy Award-winning production that dives deep into sports stories with local and national impact to create a magazine-style show. She takes great pride in being a reporter and past producer for Penn State Sports Night, a student network-affiliated show centered around Penn State athletics. She has enjoyed being a member of several student organizations on campus, in addition to her part-time job and various other activities at Penn State. You can visit her personal portfolio at allisongasparetti.weebly.com or follow her on Twitter @a_gasparetti.
Anna Pitingolo
Senior / Broadcast Journalism
Anna Pitingolo is a senior majoring in broadcast journalism. A member of the John Curley Center for Sports Journalism, Anna was recently a part of a reporting trip to Rio de Janeiro to cover the 2016 Paralympic Games for the Associated Press. On campus, Anna is involved with ComRadio, where she co-hosts a talk show, the Association for Women in Sports Media and writes for GoPSUsports.com. Anna has interned at Fox Business Network and Penn State Intercollegiate Athletics. Anna’s ultimate career goal is to be a writer at Sports Illustrated. You can follow her on Twitter @piting21 or email her at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).