Name: Daphne Seberich
Age: 23 years old
Country: Italy
Dream Career: F1 Sports Journalist
PLEASE INTRODUCE YOURSELF:
Dear readers of Formula Careers, My name is Daphne Seberich. I am 23 years old, from Italy, and am an aspiring top sports journalist for F1. I’m currently pursuing a Master’s Degree in Communication and Sports Journalism at the Escuela Universitaria Real Madrid Universidad Europea, where I will be graduating at the end of June.
Tell us about your journey so far:
My journey so far is a little unconventional. I didn‘t have a normal childhood or a conventional education path. My dream was always to become a professional dancer, and I made it my profession. At the age of 15, I left my family to pursue a professional dance education in Germany and graduated in 2017 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. After my studies, my passion brought me to Chicago, and there I started my professional career as a dancer. Unfortunately, not always things go as planned.
Motorsport articles on Ready Set Sport
My back started acting up in 2019, and I had to put my dance career on hold. In 2020 I found out that I had a severe injury: a herniated disc. It was uncertain if I could ever go back to dancing.
Instead of seeing the glass half empty and hoping for a miracle to go back to dancing, I decided to be proactive and go back to university to do my Master‘s Degree in Communication and Sports Journalism in Madrid. I‘ve taken a chance on myself by attempting to build a new career from scratch, which is never easy.
This Master’s Degree program has taught me many things. I had to start from zero, as I didn’t pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in journalism. That is why I did many different extracurricular activities to gain more experience in the field.
F1 Podcast with Masters Degree colleagues
I have attended relevant sports events in Spain and Italy and interviewed famous athletes. On my website called Ready Set Sport, you can find articles, photos, videos, and interviews that I have published regarding many different sports.
Together with two other colleagues of my Master’s Degree program, I have started an F1 podcast, covering what happened during every race weekend.
What are your career aspirations?
My personal goal is to work as a journalist in the Formula One world as a presenter/ correspondent in radio or television. It is a dream of mine to be able to cover news stories in the F1 world. While still being objective, truthful and honest. Nowadays, it is easy to spread fake rumors, especially on social media.
How did your passion for F1 begin?
The passion for Formula One began since I was a little kid. Every race weekend, my dad and I would watch our favorite driver Michael Schumacher win every race of the F1 calendar with Ferrari. Being half German-half Italian, it couldn’t get better than that. Years went by, my love for F1 grew tremendously. I couldn’t miss one race, one qualifying session, or even free practice. I had to be as well informed as I could on everything that was going on in the sport’s world. By 2020 I realized that my passion for F1 was so big that I had to pursue a career in the sports journalism field.
What kind of experience have you had along the way?
Intern at Real Madrid Television
Right now, I am the top of the class student in my course and got offered an intern position at Real Madrid Television in April. It has been a great experience so far. I am learning many things, such as how a newsroom works, the procedures of broadcasting a live TV show, etc.
While working part-time for Real Madrid, I have had opportunities within the F1 world that I am very grateful for. I’ve had the pleasure to interview famous Spanish F1 journalists like Manuel Franco and Javier Rubio. Italian F1 commentator Carlo Vanzini also contributed towards the documentary I am preparing for my final Master thesis on Formula One.
There are many challenges in the path of an aspiring sports journalist. The industry is been hit pretty hard by the popularity of social media. It ended the need for a journalist to communicate thoughts and occurrences of famous personalities with their audiences.
Internships are now very tricky to obtain due to the current pandemic situation. I’ve had internships offered to me – starting only after the pandemic was over. Who knows when that could be? The current situation in the world certainly does not help to build a career in an environment that is so competitive such as journalism.
What inspiration would you like to share?
If I could say something to the future generation of aspiring F1 employees, it would be to work hard towards your dreams, never give up and believe in yourself. Whichever aspiration you have, you need to be fully invested in it to achieve it. Five years ago, I would have never thought my dance career would come to an end so prematurely, but I am proud of what I have achieved now in my time as a journalism student. Hard work pays off!
Don’t hesitate to contact me on LinkedIn for whichever question you might have! I hope to meet you in the future in the Paddock of an F1 race. Never stop dreaming big!
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/daphneseberich/
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