"Athenian, the teaching style, the types of classes, and the small classes, teach you to go your own route, even if it's a little out there. It helped me stand out in a good way.”
While his dream of playing high-level college baseball may not have come to fruition for Nathan Ackerman ’18, his time at Athenian–in the classroom, on the field and court, and rallying the spirited “Nest,” helped him land a dream job soon after college as Digital News Editor for NBC Sports.
The journalism route surfaced towards the end of Nathan’s time at Athenian. He didn’t write for the school paper, but had enjoyed writing from a very young age. Athenian’s Middle School then Upper School humanities classes and teachers helped him keep that interest alive. When asked about some of his classes, Nathan’s face lit up, listing a number of standout classes including Alex Mattraw’s Poetry and Radical Love seminars.
When it was time to apply to college, Nathan remembers thinking, “I knew I loved sports and I loved to write and I asked myself how do I combine these things?” Nathan found out he got into the USC School of Journalism on April Fools Day–a day he won’t forget. Not only was it his first choice journalism program, but he was drawn to the school and its spirited sports culture. He wondered how he’d adjust to such a large school and remembers being surprised by how well Athenian had prepared him, noting that by design, “Athenian forces you to build deeper relationships with people, and I found that to be a good way of making a huge school feel smaller and closer.”
While at USC Nathan got a taste of all forms of media/communications, even broadcast journalism. He spent time at the Annenberg Media Center and one of his favorite college experiences was working for The Daily Trojan, USC’s student paper, first published in 1912. He worked his way up from a staff writer to managing editor. Nathan did not waver from his sports writing interest, pursuing a minor in Sports Media Studies in addition to his journalism major and landing an internship with Fox Sports the summer before he graduated. While much of the internship was supporting other production departments, he learned a lot and must have impressed someone, as he was offered a job there upon graduating.
When asked how Athenian most prepared him for college and his current career, he quickly listed the usual things we hear from alumni–writing and time management–before pausing as he searched for the right words to describe something else, something less concrete. “Athenian showed me that being unconventional can totally fly,” he said. “Athenian, the teaching style, types of classes, and the small classes, teach you to go your own route, even if it's a little out there. It helped me stand out in a good way.” In the college environment he was often the first to go up to his professors after a large lecture hall class to talk to his professors and even question some of what he’d just learned. He noted, “my professors welcomed this, but other students just didn't know that.” In the work setting Nathan still relies on those skills though his approach may be different. He doesn’t hesitate to suggest a new idea or modification to how things are being done.
Now in his 20s, Nathan has some advice for those just starting their Athenian high school journey. “Dive right in…there can be a desire to plan it all out, focus on your studies first before trying things…don’t wait or your time at Athenian will be over–throw everything at the wall and see what sticks.” Nathan regrets not going on Round Square and encourages every student to try a sport. He also cautions against spending time comparing your Athenian experience to a standard high school experience. ‘“It has to be hard to be a 9th or 10th grader and to see the big picture…but know you are surrounded by amazing and talented students and teachers, and while there may be a little more homework, take advantage of all of the opportunities and develop relationship with your teachers, it will make your experience more fulfilling and give you those skills that help you in college and life.”
See some of Nathan’s reporting at: Nathan @ NBC Sports and here.
