After graduating from Flagler, Bittner said her path was a bit unclear as she struggled to find any journalism-related positions on the market.
Following a brief stint working at the Disney World parks, Bittner landed her first journalistic position at The Daily Sun in The Villages, Fla.
“My role as a reporter sees me covering several beats, including pets, travel, and indoor recreation center activities,” Bittner said.
Bittner said that she writes around six stories a week in her new role and creates a pitch list for the next week.
The coursework she completed at Flagler prepared her well for the professional work at The Villages Daily Sun.
“I’ve used tons of skills I learned from Dr. Chapman, Professor Eaton, and many other communication instructors at Flagler.”
Bittner said she still uses her AP Stylebook daily and utilizes the interview skills she learned from her internship at Flagler with Narrow Magazine in summer 2020.
Her hard work and dedication to the process have paid off, especially on April 6, when she published her first cover story about Camp Villages and their Easter week events.
“It’s been a blast working alongside a phenomenal team of editors that really build each other up,” Bittner said.
Bittner said that her journey post-graduation has included overcoming a lot and learning more about herself step-by-step.
“Once I left St. Augustine and worked at Disney and now The Daily Sun, I started working on myself. I learned how to be independent, developed a freer mindset, and became focused on what I really wanted,” she said.
A piece of advice Bittner said she wants to leave with Flagler students and fellow alum is to be respectfully persistent.
“When I started at The Daily Sun, I was given a book called 212. It’s about how water is hot at 211 degrees but boils at 212 degrees. Taking the 212 concepts with you into every aspect of your work is something we frequently discuss in the office, but I think it’s equally important to anyone wanting to push themselves. So go that extra step, and you can do some really cool things.”
