Throughout history, the astrological signs have been thought to predestine personality traits, love lives and success in future.

Sagittarius Claire Ballard, a December 2010 USI graduate and nighttime radio personality for HOT96, is good-humored, optimistic and known for being a bit on the restless side, like many who share her sign.

Staying true to her restless nature, it took a few years, a couple of significant moves and more than one change in majors before deciding to declare radio and television as her major her senior year at USI.

“It’s funny looking back now, because I was in no way interested in radio at the time at all,” Ballard said.

Realizing the demands and experience that was necessary to ensure a job in radio, she quickly got her start in radio at USI’s The Edge, participating in the morning sports broadcast.

“When I started, I really knew very little about radio and I had little interest in being a radio personality,” she said. “By the end of my internship in May, I had really developed a passion for radio.”

Over the summer, Ballard started a job as a remote technician in promotions, and before long, on-air positions began to open up.

She put together an aircheck, sent it in and started doing a few shifts on the weekends, filling in whenever people were unable to come in.

By early November, she had been offered the chance to do the night show.

“On the outside, a job in radio seems like one of the easiest jobs in the world,” Ballard said. “While it’s a lot of fun, it’s also incredibly challenging.”

Ballard thanks USI for a kick-start in her career.

“My classes and time at The Edge prepared me for real world experiences and gave me a good idea of what to expect after graduation,” she said.

Looking forward to the future, Ballard doesn’t forget her roots and sets high goals for herself.

“I hope to do all kinds of things in the future,” she said. “Maybe I’ll move around, work in some different cities, be the next Ryan Seacrest, I don’t know.

“I’m happy that I’ve found what it is I’m meant to be doing at this moment, and I think as long as I’m always working hard and moving forward, I’ll have achieved some kind of personal success.”