It all started on a family trip to New York City. That’s when Abbey O’Brien, Chapter President at South Carolina Alpha, first realized her dream of becoming a news anchor. The family visited the set of Good Morning America and she was lucky enough to meet Diane Sawyer. Abbey was even invited to join Diane at the end of the broadcast and close out the show. That was it for Abbey; she was hooked. Fast forward, 10 years later, Abbey is enrolled in the Honors College and school of journalism at the University of South Carolina. And did we forget to mention … she spent her summer vacation as a production intern at the TODAY Show in New York?

“I worked for producers (going on local shoots/shadowing interviews, transcribing interviews, choosing music for the shows) and wrote a few articles for TODAY.com,” Abbey said. “On the weekends we had our Saturday and Sunday show and on those days I helped with anything behind the scenes. I ran scripts to the control room, helped come up with Orange Room topics, greeted fans on the Plaza and took pictures for social media (and definitely went on several coffee/donut runs — typical intern stuff)! It was totally a dream come true.”

Abbey took a short break from her internship to attend convention in Chicago. “I was seated next to South Carolina Alpha RUTH WALSH MCINTYRE at Dinner by Chapter,” Abbey said. “She’s a retired news anchor so we had a lot to talk about. I’ve continued to email with her for career advice.”

Being Chapter President has helped her prepare for her dream job, too. “I have to roll with the punches so to speak,” Abbey said. “As Chapter President, I often have to think on my feet and figure out the solution to a problem. I’ve found the same with happens in the journalism world.”