A financial reporter who represented Bermuda in the luge at the 1998 and 2002 Winter Olympics, Patrick Singleton '97 shared his advice with students in the School of Communications April 11. Details...
Singleton, who works for Bloomberg Television in Tokyo, told students to take advantage of the opportunities they have at Elon and to learn as much as they can about the world.
“I would tell you to travel to other countries, see the world, see Mount Kilimanjaro, see the Himalayas. But also see the millions of people in Africa dying of AIDS, and the other places where people are not as fortunate. When you see it, and then you return home, you will be stronger for the experience,” Singleton said.
Singleton showed the audience several videos, including an IBM television commercial he did in Bermuda with his grandmother before the Nagano Olympics in 1998. He also showed footage of his collision with a Japanese cameraman who was too close to the luge track during a qualifying run. The accident resulted in a shoulder injury for Singleton which required surgery.
Singleton was highlighted during the telecast of the Opening Ceremonies by NBC host Katie Couric, who noted that Singleton was carrying his country’s flag in the cold stadium wearing walking shorts.
He told students planning a career in media to view the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks as a wakeup call. “Too often, we in the media focus on the glamour and the glitz and what sells. We need to see what else is going on and that there are other people, other nations who don’t like the U.S. I encourage you to dig deep and find out why, and then you can be part of the solution.”