Nicola Wenz, International News Producer, LGB 2015

Nicola Wenz

La Grande Boissière, 2015

International News Producer

USA

Learn more about me :

• Instagram: @nicocowenz and @whatthehillshow!

Today, I am an international news producer for ZDF German TV and I am stationed in Washington DC. I cover everything from North to Central America for Germany. This means that whatever happens in any of these places, I pack a bag, fly over, and do a story. On slower days, I have the privilege of going to the White House or the Capitol to interview politicians. On the weekends, I film mini political segments for my social media show called “What the HILL?” which breaks down complicated Capitol Hill politics.  

I truly loved the Kermesse. I still have a handful of tokens in the drawer next to my bed! It was the joy of getting to run around with my friends on a weekend, play games, and best of all – snack on candy from around the world. That felt like a goldmine to my younger self. Following this, my second favourite memory at LGB was getting to run the L’Escalade race and eat the marmite. To this day, I still haven’t gotten the opportunity to break the marmite as I was never the youngest or oldest, but I am on a mission to do so soon!

The most important thing I learned at Ecolint was languages. Being in an industry that requires me to communicate daily with a range of different people, languages are my top priority. Not only did Ecolint help me master my French, but it also pushed me beyond my barriers to learn fluent Spanish and German – something that is so valuable and can be done in perfection at a young age.

Ideally, if I could do it all over again, I would build the courage to kiss the boy I had a crush on for all seven years I was at LGB. Realistically, I wouldn’t change a thing. I learned how to stand up for myself, handle tough situations, and build friendships that I still have and cherish to this day. My grandfather always said, ‘whatever you did back then, you did knowing it was the right move at that given time.’ In retrospect, it’s always easier to pick out the thing you could have changed, but then I wouldn’t be the person I am today.

My words of wisdom for Ecolint students: it’s easy to feel pressured to achieve something big at a young age when in reality you still have so much time. I originally wanted to go into acting but my dad convinced me to go into journalism. Little did I know, I had to learn all the same skills in journalism that are also needed in acting for example being able to perform on-camera. That being said, you never know what comes your way and whatever does, just go with the flow and you’ll be surprised where life can take you if you are open to the chances.