Katryna Perera loves visiting schools, attending Board of Education meetings, and reporting on test scores. That’s because she believes “education is the backbone of society.”

On December 6, Education Reporter for the Frederick News Post Katryna Perera visited Lancer Media to discuss her career in journalism.

The class of 22 journalists prepared questions about her education, career choices, and future plans.

A Damascus High School graduate, Perera attended Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. At first, she was planning to be a doctor. After discovering the taxing work load associated the career, she switched to communications and political science. Little did she know that the career was just as demanding.

“In that time I tried a bunch of different classes, and I took a journalism class. My first journalism professor was the best professor I’ve ever had. . .he was easy to talk to; he was a good platform for bouncing ideas off of; he made you feel really passionate about journalism. He really made you understand why it was such an important service.”

She gave advice to the young journalists. “You’re going to work harder than you’ve ever worked before. Juggling a full class load and being a college journalist is a heavy, heavy load.”

She moved to New York City, where she was accepted to Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.

After earning a master’s degree, she went to work for CBS. The entire class was curious as to why she didn’t stay in New York City. She said living in the Big Apple is very expensive.

After two years of working with CBS, Perera decided she no longer wanted to work in television. She missed writing. She discovered an opening at the Frederick News Post as an education reporter.

“I did political reporting, but it’s very draining. . . I love covering education. Without education you can’t have a functioning democracy,” she said.

Perera told the class what she does to handle her work load of four to five stories a week. “It’s a constant struggle. Everyone does it differently, but I tend to focus on what I need to get done first; that’s my priority. I need to meet that deadline. It’s all about timing out how much time I need to get something done.”

After she spoke with the class, Perera worked with Lancer Media editors about improving writing and content.

Lancer Media reporter Kendall Martin said, “She’s such an inspiration. Her positivity with the amount of work she has to do is something I wish I could have,.”