I began college during the Iraq War and initially wanted to be a foreign correspondent.
Kasie Hunt
I actually interned at NBC News with my wonderful colleague Mark Murray in the political unit back in 2005.
Being respected by people on both sides of the aisle is really important to me - even in an age when giving a hearing to 'both sides' is considered a smear in some corners.
The campaign trail can be super ephemeral in that you travel so long in a row that all the days kind of blur together, and it can be hard to lay down markers to remember where you were.
I hope I haven't spent more than $1,000 on mugs.
I never imagined I would have the opportunities that I've had at NBC. For me, the opportunities have been endless, which I really appreciate.
You may not be the best person in the room or the smartest or most experienced, but you can still control how hard you work on a project, and that's a quality that can really come through.
It takes more time and energy for women to get ready to go on camera than it does men, and that means there are fewer available minutes to focus on actually getting the job done. That's a disadvantage.
When you cover the White House, which I've done on and off, it's relatively straightforward - everything the president does is news.
For me, the biggest thing I've learned is how to be myself and the fact that viewers actually want to feel like they're getting to know you as a person. They value you because you're a reporter and you're bringing them new information, but they also want to feel like they get a sense of your sense of humor and what things you're interested in.
I joke that I'm in the market for a cabin in the woods, and, at some point, I won't be joking anymore.
I've been a news junkie as long as I can remember - and once you've covered a presidential campaign, it's nearly impossible to tear yourself away. There's so much at stake.
TV is really fun because there are so many different things you can play with; you can tell a story in a really, really rich way.
I'm obsessed - I couldn't even tell you how much coffee I drink in a day.
There are a lot of opportunities in journalism that are like that, where if you have good ideas and really care about something, and you persist, you can get them. Show up in person. Write that extra email. It goes much farther than people realize.
I'm trying to forget I ever saw 'Episode I,' but Yoda is forever.
Covering Capitol Hill was my first assignment in political journalism, and I still think it is the best beat in Washington.
I wear more eyeliner on TV, but otherwise, I pretty much look like my real life self.
One of the unique things about covering politics in America is that I've gotten to see a lot of corners of this country that I never would've gotten to see. It turns out that there are a lot of really beautiful places in corners of America you wouldn't necessarily expect.
