Amanda Brennan knew she wanted to be a journalist since photographing her brother’s sporting events in middle school. That passion grew into joining the high school yearbook, and ultimately studying journalism. Amanda joined the WCIA 3 team in June 2022 and is excited to be in Illinois. She was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs, and is a proud Illini, graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in May 2022. While at U of I, she graduated with a degree in journalism, a minor in public relations and an emphasis on areas in both art and design, and recreation, sports and tourism. She was also a member of the Marching Illini Color Guard, the Society of Professional Journalists president, a photographer at the Illini Union and extremely active as a producer, reporter and anchor in many student broadcasts. Through her journalistic work, she has earned honors as a Board of Governors’ scholarship recipient through the NATAS Chicago foundation. In college, she earned the Bill Geist Broadcasting Journalism Writing Prize, which is awarded to a senior studying journalism. In Oct. 2024, she earned a Silver Dome Award for “best feature story” in a medium market for her story taking the audience into a “day in the life of a Marching Illini member.” Amanda enjoys traveling, watching both Illini Athletics and the Chicago Cubs, and exploring Central Illinois. She hopes to visit all 50 states one day!
