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Being involved with Mystic Media has allowed her benefits that she otherwise would not have had, better preparing her for her current and future roles in TV news.

Students get to work with studio lighting, set up the camera for the shots they want to capture, and other technical details.

“You can be creative and at the same time really learn,” Aasen said. “I think that’s important, because I’m just not a book learner. With a lot of your four-year universities, you have to learn about the equipment before you even get to touch it, whereas here you’re right in it, right away, and that’s really helped me in my career so far and at KX for sure.”

Dustin Anderson, production coordinator and MystiCast advisor at BSC, said Aasen caught on quickly when she first started at the college.

“Taylor didn’t have much video experience coming into that first semester and you could tell she was worried she wouldn’t get it figured out right away, but she did,” Anderson said. “She took off and never looked back. I would say that every video that she turned in was better than the last, which as an advisor/instructor is what we can only hope for.

“Taylor has produced a wide variety of video content in her short time at BSC and shows confidence in doing so. She has been a big help getting other students engaged and her confidence has spread to others.”

Hands-on learning is important to Aasen, but so is continual learning – another reason she enjoys journalism: Every day is different

TAYLOR AASEN, A SECOND-YEAR MASS COMMUNICATIONS STUDENT AT BISMARCK STATE COLLEGE AND WHO WORKS AT THE SAME STATION, KX NEWS IN BISMARCK, THAT HER MOM WORKED AT FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS BEFORE HER PASSING IN 2015, SAYS SHE ENJOYS MEETING PEOPLE AND TELLING THEIR STORIES.

IMAGE: COURTESY OF TAYLOR AASEN and there is always something new to experience. It does have its challenging moments, however, including the bane of every journalist’s career – deadlines.

“I think the hardest thing for me to adjust to was the deadlines,” Aasen said, noting that in school she can spend time learning programs and being more creative. “Whereas once I got into my career, I was thrown right into it.

“People are there to help, but when you have to do two stories a day, and put care into something that you have to in by 4 p.m., it’s definitely tough to send that care along with the rush of a deadline, I think, and so that was a big surprise to me.”

As for being in front of a camera, “The first time we saw Taylor read from a teleprompter, we knew she had chosen the right field,” Anderson said. “It’s not always easy for everyone to do that, and she nailed it. She is a natural on camera and it just seems easy for her.”

“I’ve been told I’m a natural,” Aasen said. “However, I don’t feel like that.” But she likens it to other aspects of life. “When that red light goes on in your life, you can’t do anything else, so you just do it, otherwise you’re going to look like an idiot. You just have to go with the flow. It is definitely nerve-wracking. My nerves have come down a lot now, since I’ve been in front of the cameras often, but you definitely get sweaty palms. … But once that light goes on, you just do it. You don’t think about it.”

A combination of life experiences, schooling and people have helped Aasen to get where she is today. It is her mom, however, whom she feels closest to when in the studio, whether at school or at work, knowing she is following in her footsteps, building upon that legacy as the family’s next broadcast journalist.

The sky’s the limit for young Aasen, who said she’s always enjoyed writing and telling other people’s stories.

“That,” she said, “was a way that I connected with my mom too, and so I finally just decided to follow in her footsteps. And here I am.”

Working at the same station as her mom did years ago is a bit “weird” for her, Aasen said, noting at least two people still work there who once worked with her mom. “It’s much different than the newsroom I grew up in. However, it makes me respect her even more that I know the hardships of the job. But I also now know why she enjoyed it so much because you get to meet interesting people who are passionate about their stories being told. I am recognized often as her daughter because the viewers remember and loved her so much, so it makes me feel connected to her in a way I never thought possible.”

She also said, “Reporting is what I’ve always wanted to do and I understand my mom’s love for it now. I think it’s all about meeting new people. That has been the best experience for me – really, just meeting interesting people who want their story to be told.” continued from page 29 debt repayment, cash flow continued to invest in bigger and different property based on market demand.

Kilbourne Group, as most people knew them, was, and still is, a driving force behind the redevelopment of Downtown Fargo. Downtown Fargo had languished for years. The folks at Kilbourne Group saw an opportunity and went to work at full speed. At the time, this was a big risk and took vision. How sophisticated their analysis was is hard to know, but they succeeded. Today there are lots of people trying to copy Kilbourne. Some will have some success, but more will fail.

When thinking of getting involved with real estate development, remember the saying, “When a person with money and no experience meets a person with no money, but experience, soon the person with money will have experience and the person who only had experience has both money and experience.”