Former N.A.H.S. student and graduate, Joe Pardavila, stopped in to talk to the Journalism and Virtual High School students on November 27th, 2012. Joe is known for his role as ‘Monkey Boy’, on WPLJ 95.5’s show Scott and Todd in the Morning. Joe is not just a voice on the show, but is also the executive producer of it. Joe came in to speak about the field of journalism and media, and claimed that “Media is one of the hardest fields to get a job in, and I wound up getting my job by accident.” He went on to say, “I really thought I would work at ‘PLJ for a few years, nothing too big, but time passed and they offered me a real job there.” He first started out at WPLJ as an unpaid intern and quickly climbed up the ladder. He indicated that hard work and determination is the key to being successful in any profession.
Joe, who graduated in 1992, was an editor of the Viking Saga, one of the few things he truly enjoyed during his time in high school. Students in the journalism class had a chance to ask Joe questions pertaining to his job, his life, and his time at N.A.H.S. Joe felt that a lot had changed at N.A.H.S., for the better, of course, and that the Viking Saga going online is a big improvement from the regular newspaper.
Joe is a real life advocate of what journalism can transform into, in his case an executive producer of a very popular show on the radio. When asked how he got the nickname ‘Monkey Boy’ or ‘Monk’, he said, “Well there were many nicknames for me and it seemed that the only one fit for radio was Monk or Monkey.” He remembers writing many articles for the Saga under the direction of the former advisor, Mrs. Singler. Joe makes students like us feel that we can achieve just as much as Joe, if not more.