Rose Schmidt

Hometown: Streamwood, IL

High School: Elgin High School

College: University of Missouri

Other Journalism Experience: I interned for CNN’s Social Discovery team in Atlanta; I was a reporter, anchor and producer for KOMU-TV in Columbia, Missouri; I was a collegiate correspondent for USA Today College; and I interned for FOX 32 in Chicago.

Started at News 3 Now on: Nov. 6, 2017

What is your favorite part about living in Madison? I love driving back downtown at the end of the day. The Capitol always looks so pretty all lit up at night, and I just love looking out across the water. I can’t wait for summer weather around here. I’ve heard the farmer’s market is amazing.

What is the biggest news story that you’ve covered? I covered the Concerned Student 1950 protests on the University of Missouri’s campus, which was a one-of-a-kind experience. While I was at CNN, my team helped identify victims in the Grenfell Tower fire in London and worked on the Congressional baseball shooting in Virginia.

What is your favorite kind of ice cream? Chocolate chip cookie dough

Who is your hero and why? Without a doubt, it’s my mom. She somehow always managed to work nights and drive me to school early in the morning. She always made sure dinner was on the table, even when she wasn’t home to eat it. Now, she’s the sole caregiver for my 95-year-old grandma. And I think her compassion is overwhelming. She definitely raised me to believe that you get more by being nice to people than the alternative.

What is your favorite sport to play or watch? I’m not coordinated at all, so I’d say you’ll have a hard time getting me to play any sport. But my family is big on all Chicago teams. I’ve seen the Cubs play a million times, and I’ve been to Blackhawks and Bulls games.

What are you really bad at that you’d love to be great at? Both my brother and my sister can roll their tongues, and they’ve always teased me because I just cannot. I’m pretty sure it’s genetic. The four-leaf clover thing people can do with their tongues is pretty cool, too. I’m also hopeless when it comes to whistling.

Who would you most like to interview alive or dead, and why? Lisa Ling. I have followed her career since I used to watch her on Oprah, and I think she’s utterly fascinating. She’s seen it all, and she’s always so poised and full of grace.

What is the best piece of advice you have ever received? I’m a perfectionist to the extreme, and I’ve always been harder on myself than anyone else is on me. So I think hearing my parents tell me just to do my best was really meaningful. I felt like everything always had to be perfect, but they said doing my best was all I could ever ask of myself.

Where were you when September 11, 2001 occurred? I was at home eating breakfast when my mom turned on the TV. My first grade teacher turned on the news coverage in our classroom when we got to school.