Dan Harris ’93 was named the new co-anchor of “Good Morning America Weekend Edition” on October 8. 

During his senior year on the Hill, Harris faced the dilemma of finding a job. “I had no idea what I was going to do for the rest of my life,” Harris said. However, using contacts he had made during his college internships in the news industry, Harris was able to secure a part-time position as a camera operator for a Bangor news station. He was making $5.50 an hour and living the “mac ‘n’ cheese for dinner” lifestyle, he said. 

A few months later, Harris began doing some reporting work for the Bangor station; during this time, he acted as his own cameraman and crew. Shortly thereafter, he accepted a position with news channel WCSH in Portland and held the job for two and a half years. He then worked for New England Cable News (NECN) in Boston before joining ABC News in March 2000.

During his time at the College, Harris, who grew up in Newton, MA, was a DJ and a member of the debate team. “I was a totally typical Colby student,” he said. “I spent a lot of time on homework. I spent a reasonable amount of time going to parties,” he added.  

Harris said that the College’s liberal arts approach to education helped him learn to enjoy his schoolwork. “In high school it was always that I [had] to do my work. [At Colby] I was really focusing on things I was truly interested in. I opened up a whole wellspring of genuine curiosity,” which is the source of quality journalism, he said. “[A liberal arts education] helps you learn how to learn.” 

Harris urged students who are interested in a career in broadcast journalism to “learn how to use the equipment.  [You] need to know how to do it all,” he said. Students who are already know how to find stories, shoot and edit will have a great advantage in the job market, he said.

However, every student looking for a job after graduation should “figure out what [they] really love. Think big. Go for it,” Harris said. “When you’re 20 or 21 years old, you can afford to take risks. Use your youth to your advantage. Think of some awesome thing you want to do, and try it.” 

Harris now lives in New York City. According to his profile on ABC’s website, “He received a Murrow Award for his reporting on a young Iraqi man who received the necessary help to move to America, and in 2009 won an Emmy Award for his ‘Nightline’ report ‘How to Buy a Child in Ten Hours.’”