I often say in #loweclass and elsewhere that there are two kinds of college students: those who want a grade and those who want a career. I'm so pleased that three of my students recently used key elements of their coursework – blogging and personal websites – to showcase their storytelling gifts after experiencing monumental circumstances. It's important to note that in each case the student did so without the work being assigned or garnering extra credit.

Unable to get back to Milwaukee from New York, where he had covered the Big East cross-country championship for the Marquette Tribune, sophomore Christopher Chavez posted "Stranded in New York: The Hurricane Sandy Story" on the website he created for my Digital Journalism II course this semester. "Yesterday afternoon," Chavez wrote, referring to Monday, "the streets in my neighborhood of Jackson Heights were dark and the wind was picking up. I did not step outside my home at all the entire day. I stayed in my room and had my laptop and phone plugged in at all times, so that when I lost power I would be ready to tackle the storm and stay connected."

On October 22, his classmate, Caitlin Miller, also a sophomore, posted "How My Typical Day at Work Changed in an Instant." Miller described how she and her co-workers in The Children's Place in the Brookfield Square Mall coped as authorities responded to the tragic shooting at the Azana Salon and Spa the day before. "I would have never imagined – and still cannot believe – (that) incidents like this could happen in the small suburban city I grew up in," she wrote. "It is still hard for me to grasp the fact that I was outside, right across the street, with the spa in plain view, when Radcliffe Haughton opened fire inside. Nothing prepares you for a situation like that."

On a happier note, Tess Quinlan, a junior who was in #loweclass #digital last semester, on October 14 posted "My Summer Turned Golden in London at 2012 Olympics." In a blog post that cannot help but inspire other aspiring journalists, Quinlan recalled the "incredible production experience" she gained while interning for NBC in the International Broadcast Centre during the Summer Games in England. "Whenever I talk about something that I accomplished while over there, I realize that it was not just my accomplishment, but one of a group of dedicated people that gave everything they had every day," she wrote. "Everyone I met at NBC genuinely cared about each other, but (also) wanted to create great television, a balance that can be very difficult to find."

Please take the time to read all three blog posts. Chavez, Miller and Quinlan won't get a grade for their efforts. But it's easy to see that they are serious about earning something much more lasting: a career. Warms my heart.