Ally Nicholson

Alison Boggs
ComJour333 Section 2
11/4/2019

Student’s Life Flipped In Four Months

It is June 2019, in Paris, France. The women’s World Cup was in full swing. It was

Carmen Dittoe’s turn to ask questions. She approached the press conference with her microphone

in her right hand, and her note pad in her left. No one knew she was a student as she began her

interview with famous soccer player, Tobin Heath.

There Dittoe was. She stood among other professional reporters from all over the world.

She gripped her microphone, as she was captivated from every word that came from Heath’s

mouth. This is a moment Dittoe will never forget. She knew this was the industry she wanted to

be in for the rest of her life. She finally felt that this is what she was born to do and was destined

to be on that study abroad trip. Those four and a half minutes changed Carmen Dittoe’s life.

Little did anyone know, Carmen’s father, her best friend in the entire world, will never

get to see or hear about her experiences in France. He died four months before one of the best

moments of her life.

Who is Carmen?

Carmen Dittoe is a senior at Washington State University. She will graduate in the

summer of 2020 with a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism. Between her communication

and journalism classes, Dittoe can be spotted on the sidelines of any WSU sport event.

Dittoe is an intern for the WSU creative services department. She takes pictures of

different sport teams games and practices such as basketball and football. Several folders on her

laptop are full of adobe photo and video edits. She live tweeted during all home football games

as well. She is passionate about sports and the cougar spirit.

roommates said over the phone. “When my momma can’t be at my games, I look for Carmen for

sure,”.

Junior Year Did Not Exist

The beginning of 2018, Carmen and her family received devastating news. Her father

was diagnosed with Leukemia. Between Thanksgiving break and winter break, Dittoe stayed

home with her family. She was able to finish some coursework but decided to stay home. She

returned back for spring semester in 2019, since her father’s health seemed stable. Her father

always told her to work toward a degree, something he was not able to achieve she said.

In February, Carmen’s father’s health declined. She flew home to be with him. He

unfortunately passed away February 28th, 2019. Carmen took the rest of the semester off from

classes.

Nine days after her father passed, Carmen needed to feel something again. She felt numb

after her father died and needed to find something to do, she said. She returned back to her

previous internship with the Everett Silvertipps. She asked her supervisor if she could come

back, he agreed with some hesitation.

Dittoe was the only female within the entire Everett Silvertipps’s team. No one knew

what to do or what to say to her about the tragedy that had just occurred.

“She’s done everything she can no matter how much she had to go through,” Emily

Dittoe, Carmen’s older sister said over the phone.

Carmen knew she had to complete her degree and follow her passion for journalism and

sport media.
France 2019

Dittoe decided to travel with the Edward. R. Murrow College of Communication at WSU

to their global expedition to cover the Tour De France and World Cup summer 2019. She knew

she was capable but was scared to leave her family.

“My mom had to physically push me onto the plane,” she said.

With a six-hour difference between her and her family, she set out on an adventure of a

lifetime. Dittoe worked for over 72 hours straight on the Tour De France profile. She interviewed

racers, friend and family of those in the race, and spectators who watched. However, her favorite

part from the trip was when she met Tobin Health. Tobin Health was on the United States

Women’s Soccer team. Dittoe got to interview her at a press conference, which she has featured

all over her social media accounts.

In that moment, Dittoe knew this is what she meant to do for the rest of her life. It did not

matter the trauma she had faced when she lost her father. It did not matter that she had to drop

majority of her classes her junior year. Nothing else mattered in that moment. Dittoe’s resilience

and determination was what pushed her to step outside her comfort zone.

The Future

Dittoe pulled out her notebook and her laptop. She logged into her student account and

reviewed which classes she needed to take for spring semester. Even though school is not one of

Dittoe’s favorite topics, she can see the end of the road. She hopes to make her father proud and

graduate. She realized how precious her time is on earth and wants to make every second count.

She knew it will not be easy, but Dittoe’s life for the past nine months has been anything but.

Quickly, she flipped back to her adobe folder of her snapshot from the WSU Women’s

soccer team. Glasses on, and Dittoe was back to work.

Carmen Dittoe: carmen.dittoe@wsu.edu ; 425-367-8167

Emily Dittoe (Older Sister): emily.dittoe@gmail.com ; 425-210-1080

Dezmon Patmon: 619-655-1790 ; dezmon.patmon@wsu.edu