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A lumni
P r o f il e
Top Activist Begins Media
Career with the Sean
Hannity Radio Show
By Yasmin Tadjdeh, National Journalism Center Alumnus
Imagine waking up before dawn and hopping on a train
from New York City to Washington, D.C., every Friday. It was
an arduous routine, but it was one that Lauren Scirocco never
regretted.
Scirocco, a National Journalism Center (NJC) intern in the
spring of 2009, was working at the Sean Hannity Radio Show
in New York City. She interned three days per week in New
York, and each Friday, Scirocco traveled from New York City’s
Penn Station to Union Station in Washington, D.C., where she
would spend the day listening to speakers and participating in
training seminars with fellow NJC interns.
Scirocco recalled listening to Hannity’s show as a child and
teenager with her siblings when her mother picked them up
from school, so when she was offered an internship with the
radio show, she was fulfilling a lifelong aspiration.
“It was a dream come true,” said Scirocco, “I grew up
listening to [Sean Hannity’s] show, and talk radio has always
been a big part of my life.”
Scirocco first heard of the National Journalism Center
after attending Young America’s Foundation 2008 National
Conservative Student Conference. She greatly enjoyed the
program and knew she would appreciate working at NJC—a
project of Young America’s Foundation.
In addition to her success with NJC, Scirocco was also
one of the Foundation’s top campus activists, participating
in campus initiatives, including the 9/11: Never Forget Project,
and hosting conservative speakers, including Ann Coulter,
on her campus. She also visited the Reagan Ranch during the
Foundation’s annual Club 100 retreat for top campus activists.
Through her internships, Scirocco continued to be a
voice for conservatism in the media where she says the liberal
minority has a disproportionally strong voice throughout the
country and through many different mediums.
“Every day, we are bombarded with a strong presence of
liberal ideology on television and in the news, in Hollywood
and in our education system. There is a terrible disconnect
between the media and real America. I hope to help lessen that
disparity,” said Scirocco.
After finishing her internship with NJC, Scirocco interned
at the Mark Levin Show during the summer of 2009. The next
summer she served as a Sarah T. Hermann Intern Scholar at
the Foundation’s national headquarters, and in 2011, Scirocco
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Young America’s Foundation | Libertas | Winter 2012
Young America’s Foundation and National Journalism Center alumna
Lauren Scirocco addresses students attending the Foundation’s 2010
National Conservative Student Conference in Washington, D.C.
Scirocco interviews Stephen Baldwin (left) and Kevin McCullough (right).
Lauren Scirocco visits Rancho del Cielo during the Foundation’s annual
Club 100 retreat for top campus activists.
interned at the G. Gordon Liddy Show at Radio America.
While her list of internships is impressive, Scirocco
admits it has not been all glitz and glamour. Her internships
required hard work and tasks that many might find
mundane, but Scirocco knows that is part of the job. She says
all interns would do well to remember it.
“Never act as though anything you’re asked to do is
beneath you….I think it’s important to have a good attitude
about it…” Scirocco noted.
Her dedication and work ethic have undoubtedly paid
off. Following her internship with G. Gordon Liddy, Scirocco
learned of an opening at the Sean Hannity Radio Show. She
quickly applied and was hired as the associate producer and
call screener for the program. She also works on prepping for
the show as well as booking guests.
“It’s great working for someone and something you
believe in….I also love being able to speak with [Hannity’s]
listeners. They are some of the most patriotic and passionate
people I’ve ever encountered,” said Scirocco.
Scirocco says her involvement with Young America’s
Foundation and the National Journalism Center has played
a tremendous role in her life. “If it weren’t for YAF and NJC,
my college experience would be very different, and I know
I would not be where I am today,” she explained. “I had
the opportunity to provide a voice for conservatism on my
campus, and I am forever grateful for that.” 
Lauren Scirocco interviews Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney as part of a
journalism class.
Scirocco (fourth from left) visits the Pentagon’s press briefing room during her National Journalism Center internship in 2009.
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