By Henry Smardo
Editor’s note: This story is part of a series of profiles of notable fall 2024 graduates.
When schools shut down during the pandemic, Pratham Dalal was working on his high school newspaper in Dublin, California. He had the chance to cover the local school board and inform the public about its decisions.
That’s when he found a passion for media.
He began to understand the good that journalists can do. He fell in love with the process of reporting and saw his work truly benefit the people in his community.
During his time as an undergraduate student at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, Dalal’s interests evolved. He completed capstone experiences in both journalism and strategic communication: Cronkite News and the Cronkite Agency.
Now, Dalal has found his footing in the public relations world. He will receive his bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communication this month, and he will accept an Outstanding Undergraduate Student award for the Cronkite School.
He shared some highlights of his Cronkite experience.
Note: This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
Question: Why did you choose ASU?
Answer: I wanted to do broadcast (journalism) in some way, and I think a lot of people want to do that. So ASU was the very top program for that. They're very nice with financial aid and all of the other cool incentives. They let you start early from a sense of other top rivals of Cronkite making you wait till your junior year. Cronkite allows you to get involved right away.
Q: Which professor taught you the most important lesson while at ASU?
A: There are so many to choose from. I think it ends up being my videography (instructor) Juan Magaña. He’s a videographer for Arizona’s Family, and he taught me a bunch of new things about the camera that I’d never really known before. He also taught me a lot about planning, sourcing and how to truly be a human in your stories. That's something that I think a lot of journalists forget about; they're just there for the story, and then they move on. But I think my professor did a really good job of showcasing what it's like to be a journalist both in front of whatever you're doing, but also behind the whole process of everything.
Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to those still in school?
A: Truly learn how to utilize others, and how to work together. Journalism is a real team effort, and it's very easy to do everything for yourself because I feel like, generally, journalists are very type A people or perfectionists, and whatever gets looped into that, so sometimes they struggle in asking for help. So (I advise) learning how to ask for help, because that can lead to an overall better product of whatever you're putting out there. I learned that in Cronkite News.
Q: What are your plans after graduation?
A: I'm going to a technology PR agency in San Francisco. It's called Method Communications. I made the switch from journalism to PR to tell the human story even more. I really loved journalism and all that it could do, but it felt like I was rushing my stories sometimes, and I wanted to find a better way to spread good news. That's ultimately why I became a journalist. That's how I started, the school board at the high school newspaper level, and I found that public relations is a way to do the same, so I made the pivot. I did the Cronkite Agency, and I really enjoyed it, so I ultimately decided I wanted to be in public relations. My end goal in PR is to work for the government or a government-adjacent industry to truly ensure I would be doing good.
Q: If someone gave you $40 million to solve one problem on our planet, what would you tackle?
A: Something that really fascinates me is balance and mental health. Journalism faces a lot, but truly any workplace people are just always overworking themselves, over-burdening themselves. So I don't know what I would do with the money, but institute some program that would help people learn to truly appreciate the world we’re in, not just work and go home. So I think some extra money that every company can use to give even more (paid time off), so people can truly enjoy the world we’re in and not just live to work.
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