Writing on behalf of his generation

PBS recently called on Wheaton senior Ted Nesi '07 to serve as a spokesperson for his generation.

The public broadcasting network's news program, News Hour with Jim Lehrer, asked Nesi to write an essay for a companion Web site created as part of its documentary, Gen Next. The program's producers found Nesi through the columns he writes for the college's student newspaper, The Wire. (He serves as the paper's news editor.)

The political science major's essay is titled, ''The Year-round Lessons of Christmas Spirit.''

''My dream is to become a political columnist for a newspaper or magazine,'' Nesi said, ''So getting the chance to write for as prestigious an organization as PBS is a great honor for me, and a nice accomplishment.''

A resident of North Attleboro, Mass., Nesi has had his work published by other mainstream media. He has worked for his hometown newspaper, The Sun Chronicle. Another of his essays was recently published by the Providence Journal.

During the winter break, Nesi interned in Washington, D.C., for his congressman, U.S. Rep. James McGovern (D-Mass.) ''It's fascinating to see Capitol Hill up close, particularly with the transition of power and the great debate going on over the war at the moment,'' he said. ''Before I left for Washington I also worked at the newspaper.''

''I'm still not sure what I want to be doing after graduation -- it's fast approaching, which is a little scary. But I'm pretty sure I'll do something in either the political or journalistic fields,'' he said. ''I might like to get a job working on one of the 2008 presidential campaigns. But for now I just want to enjoy my last semester at Wheaton, and finish my Honors thesis on the career of Sen. Edward Kennedy.''

To read the complete article, visit the GenNext web site.