Nadine El-Bawab is a Northeastern graduate who had a combined major in Journalism and Political Science. She graduated in August 2020 and began working as a full-time News Associate at CNBC in January 2021. Learn more about Nadine’s work and how her life at Northeastern led her down her current career path.

What is your day-to-day life like at CNBC?

My job is different every day, which is one of the most exciting things about it. I am always on the lookout for a new story.

As a News Associate in CNBC’s rotational program, I switch teams every four months, giving me the opportunity to try out different divisions of the company. My current rotation is with the consumer team for CNBC digital, where I write breaking news stories and longer-term feature stories. My team covers the retail, food and beverage, entertainment, and travel industries, so there has been a lot of room for me to report on different sectors.

What I work on every day depends on relevant issues in the business world. Because of this, I learned a lot about covering companies, their quarterly earnings, and what moves stocks.

What made you choose CNBC?

I did my first co-op at CNBC, and I loved every minute of it. I was able to learn so much from reporters and editors in such a positive work environment that always encouraged me to grow.

After working at NBC News for my second co-op, I really understood the value of rotating and being a part of different teams so early in my career. Seeing the ins and outs of the news industry has been incredibly helpful in guiding me through my job and allowing me to develop my skills.

My co-op experiences at CNBC and NBC News played a huge role in preparing me to work in journalism. I got first-hand experience writing and reporting in a digital newsroom as well as working with producers to generate breaking news pieces for TV in real-time.

Both co-ops were challenging and pushed me to always think fast on my feet to get news out as quickly as possible. Because of how different broadcast and digital news are, working in both kinds of newsrooms showed me how different day-to-day work is for each. This has made it easier for me to understand what I enjoy doing the most.

What is your most impactful Northeastern experience?

Studying abroad was really eye-opening both times I did it. My first time abroad I went on a Dialogue to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Kosovo which focused on international politics and foreign power influence in the region. The professor leading the dialogue was Professor Denis Sullivan. The trip focused on the impact that war has on communities. From this Dialogue, I learned so much about how differently two sides can see the same issue and how important it is to recognize the impact high-power decisions have on the public.

The second Dialogue I participated in was at the United Nations in Switzerland where I studied international law and global politics with Professor Denise Garcia. To hear from diplomats, lawyers, researchers, and humanitarians about their experience first-hand gave me a lot of insight into how inter-state politics work and how decisions are made at the government level. The lineup of speakers was truly diverse, and they were always so generous with their time, answering questions for hours. Overall, this Dialogue widened my understanding of the world in ways that no other experience could have.

I also met some of my closest friends on these trips which was the cherry on top of the cake.

Are there any professors who you really loved learning from? If so, why were they great?

Dan Kennedy’s ethics class was one of my last on-campus courses and it has really stuck with me. Our discussions pushed me to look at news more critically and always think about how I can become a better journalist.

Jim Ross’s classes hit a sweet spot for me because they always struck a balance between learning from other journalists’ work and thinking critically about how we could have made their work better. His class readings were very thoughtful and informative (and by far my favorite).

Where was your favorite place to hang out on the Boston campus?

My favorite place on campus was Matthews Arena. I was on the figure skating team throughout college and my time at Matthews was always a fun escape from whatever else was going on. Coach Julie and my teammates were always so fun to be around, and they always pushed me to work harder and try new things.

Despite how rare warm weather in Boston is during the school year, getting cozy with an enjoyable book in the West Village Commons was always relaxing after a long day.