Born in Jamaica Plain, and a proud graduate of Belmont Hill’s class of 1991, Michael Rosenfield now works for NBC Boston, an up-and-coming news station under the umbrella of the established NBC. After high school Rosenfield attended the University of Pennsylvania and Northwestern’s prestigious Medill School of Journalism. Rosenfield attributes his success as a journalist to the education he received at these institutions (along with the unrelenting support of his parents). A career in journalism or media can sometimes feel like a long and arduous road and, as Mr. Rosenfield informed those assembled during his visit this past Monday, he encountered many obstacles and put in countless hours of hard work to keep ascending and striving for success.
Rosenfield’s time at Belmont Hill resembled that of many students today. He took similar classes, had some of the same hobbies, and even shared of the same teachers. Looking back on his time here, he named Dr. Wachtmeister, Mr. Sherman, and Mr. Brownell as some of his most impactful teachers. Rosenfield enjoyed playing sports, especially tennis, and participated in the theater department. Twenty-six years later, Rosenfield’s top three memories from his time at Belmont Hill are playing the lead role in the Neil Simon play Brighton Beach Memoirs (a role Henry Vettel played masterfully in last year’s production), earning a spot on the varsity tennis team, and soundly defeating a Dr. Wachtmeister biology test. However, as many of us students know all too well, the Belmont Hill experience is a constant up and down, and despite his successes, Rosenfield began to feel like somewhat of a wallflower. As he progressed through the school, Michael began to work harder and harder to break out of his shell, as seen through his getting involved in theater. Seeing as his current job requires his speaking to thousands of people over live television, it appears his efforts were quite fruitful.
Rosenfield’s career in journalism really began at Belmont Hill, though as he noted: “I just didn’t know it at the time.” Michael was a copy editor and wrote several articles for The Panel. In college at U Penn, he joined the campus television station and even hosted his own entertainment show. Upon graduation, Michael found himself with a good degree, but also filled with a good degree of uncertainty; in the end, he followed his gut yearning to head for California. Rosenfield interned at Inside Edition and kept a close watch on the day-to-day practices of the reporters and journalists. It was there that Michael began to realize that journalism and media might be the career path he had been searching for. From Inside Edition, Rosenfield decided to pursue a graduate degree in journalism at Northwestern University, where he got the opportunity to do live broadcasting. The program opened doors for Michael, and he went on to Sioux Falls, South Dakota where, as Rosenfield put it, a young journalist and reporter, could “pay your dues” before taking on the big news markets. From the NBC affiliate in Sioux Falls, Rosenfield began to move into larger and larger television markets. Before reaching Boston, where he works today, Rosenfield had to face hard deadlines and tough pay in Flint and Detroit, Michigan. These challenging conditions intimidated many of his early co-workers away from the field, but Rosenfield was unfazed.
Today, Michael Rosenfield is just as hardworking as ever, and works for NBC Boston, a relatively new, but nonetheless very successful, news station. Michael covers all kinds of stories, but his favorites are those of action, chaos, and drama. During his visit, all those in attendance got the opportunity to watch some of Michael’s work. Michael emphasized that although some stories may be tragic and difficult to cover, each story deserves to be told. Rosenfield added, “it’s an honor to tell these stories.” Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to both Mr. Hegarty and Mr. Sherman for coordinating Mr. Rosenfield’s visit, as this past Monday was a truly special experience for all of the students and faculty who showed up.
