Student Profile:
Adam Yosim, '10Published: Winter 2008
What Do Dreams of Anchoring for ESPN and Modern Hebrew Have in Common?
Adam Yosim Is Making the Connection
The Broadcast Journalism major has opted for a Modern Hebrew minor, and he plans to use both academic areas in his future endeavors.
Academically, Yosim loves all his Journalism courses. But one of his favorite classes so far was in Jewish Studies: German Culture Jewish Question with Jonathan Hess. “I never knew about the history of anti-Semitism before, I just knew about the Holocaust and everything that followed after that.”
Yosim has completed four of the six required semesters of Modern Hebrew. “I like that it’s a language I can relate to as a person of the Jewish faith. Although I don't have the luxury of practicing it daily in Israel or in another immersion environment, I can still use it to directly translate the prayers I say, the weekly parshah of the Torah and converse with my other friends that are also taking Hebrew.”
Yosim was drawn to Carolina’s prestigious journalism program, but has also found many other opportunities on campus, including his fraternity, AEPi, and singing with Carolina’s only Jewish a-capella group, Sababa. Last summer he held an internship at ABC 11, where he put all his classroom learning to use while gaining hands-on experience in the broadcast field. He previously worked at the UNC Phonathon for two years, calling up alumni, parents, and students for donations. In all, he says he raised more than $200,000 for UNC.
“My pipe dream is to end up at ESPN as an anchor for SportsCenter. If that doesn’t happen, I hope to work my way up to anchor at a news station in a top 15 news market. I’ve always wanted to go to Chicago!”
And how do Modern Hebrew and Jewish Studies fit into his future?
“I see myself using my Hebrew minor for my journalism career by translating interviews and documents whenever there is a story involving Israel and the Middle East. Personally, I’ll use my minor to converse with friends, teach Hebrew at Sunday school and with other activities at my synagogue.”
