Michael DeLaRosa – Making a Change

Michael DeLaRosa shares his journey and passion for radio. Growing up in Chicago, WLS was a big top 40 station that everyone listened to. He would listen to the station overnight with a little transistor radio and a 9-volt battery, and would even cut class in high school to watch the radio show live from the Stone Container Building.

After a career change he enrolled in the Connecticut School of Broadcasting to pursue a career in radio. He was able to get an internship at a big rock station in Chicago and eventually landed his first paid job in Champaign. After spending 16 years in radio, he left for a while to explore other opportunities, but found himself overqualified and undereducated for every job. He eventually returned to radio sales, which led me to attend a meeting of the Society of Broadcast Engineers and pursue a career in broadcast engineering. John Wood Community College helped DeLaRosa by getting him a degree and allowing him to pursue his passion.