Episode 7-- Elaina D. Smith

Where Ya At? SDSU's Journalism and Media Studies podcast

Elaina D. Smith (Class of 2011) interviews the biggest stars in country music and shares the inside scoop on what’s happening in Nashville on "Nights with Elaina," which is syndicated on over 150 radio stations internationally. It's a wild journey for a proud Mexican-American girl from Southern California who admittedly knew very little about country music before moving to Nashville.
Elaina details her start in morning radio in San Diego, embracing the "Mexican Leprechaun" nickname that she initially disliked, her fears when moving to Florida, ascending to Nashville, preparing to host the ACM Awards show from the Red Carpet, telling the stories of female country musicians, and what it was like playing herself on the TV show "Nashville."
She also shares treasured memories from SDSU, including the professor who told her at the end of the semester, "now go become famous!" and how encouragement like that can inspire others.

"Where Ya At?" is a podcast focused on the School of Journalism and Media Studies at San Diego State University. Each week, during the Fall and Spring semesters, host Josh Suchon (Class of 1996) interviews alumni to learn about their experiences as college students, entering the workforce, key steps in their professional development, advice they'd give to current students, and details about how they covered a specific story.