Garrett Haake spends his time shadowing Mitt Romney for NBC. (Photo Courtesy of NBC)

It is hard to imagine that just five years ago Garrett Haake was a college student who studied and attended football games.

Today, he is a four-time Emmy nominee who works for NBC News.

Haake graduated from SMU in 2007 with a degree in journalism.

He is currently working for NBC News as a campaign embed, covering the 2012 presidential election.

Haake mostly focuses on the Romney campaign, traveling the country to report on Romney’s events and other political stories.

Haake not only has to report the major events, but also is responsible for acting as the cameraman, producer, editor and blogger.

Although Haake has always had an interest in journalism, there was a time when he questioned if being a journalist was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life, Haake told MSNBC.

In the summer of 2006, Haake was accepted to intern for “NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams.” Haake saw this as his opportunity to decide if being a broadcast journalist was really what he wanted to do.

After Haake accepted the internship, he flew off to New York City for a 12-week journey where he would learn the ins and outs of television journalism.

Haake enjoyed his internship and realized that his passion for journalism was still present. This was, in fact, what the soon-to-be college senior wanted to do with his life.

Haake said just doing an internship is not enough.

“You have to excel and then stay in contact with the people who know your work and who you were close with to really maximize the value of any internship,” he said. “As in life, showing up alone is not enough.”

As Haake’s senior year at SMU came to an end, something happened that would change his life forever.

“About a month before graduation, I got a call from my old boss asking me if I wanted to come back for an entry-level job at the network,” he said. “I said yes, and never looked back.”

Haake said his most memorable experience from his job so far was when he did his first live shot on MSNBC.

“Romney had made some pretty major news, saying, ‘corporations are people,’ and shouting down some protestors. I ended up booked on Al Sharpton’s show having never done a live shot anywhere except on SMU TV. I got emails of encouragement and caution, and I was terrified to step in front of the lights and do the actual hit. But once it was done, I felt incredibly exhilarated. This was why I got into television in the first place,” Haake said.

Another reason for Haake to feel exhilarated came when he realized that all of his hard work had paid off. He has been nominated for an Emmy four times, twice in 2010 and twice in 2011, for his work helping produce NBC news specials, such as “The Funeral of Ted Kennedy,” “Perfect Storm: Climate Change and Conflict and Earthquake in Haiti.”

“Garrett has always been charismatic and very assertive. I think these traits serve him well in his job; they give him kind of natural credibility to viewers,” Jack Haake, Garrett’s youngest brother and SMU senior, said.

Something that is affecting Haake’s work, however, is the progression of new media outlets.

According to the American Journalism Review, now, more than ever, presidential candidates are avoiding middle men and reporting straight to new media, such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

By avoiding journalists directly and using new media, candidates can have almost immediate access to everything that is written or that involves their campaigns.

Haake agrees with the American Journalism review.

“Twitter has really changed how campaign reporting works,” he said. “It raises the stakes and the pace of campaign reporting immensely.”

The new challenges brought forth by the progression of media outlets should be no challenge for Haake, however.

Haake’s former teacher Michele Houston said, Garrett “was diligent and hardworking, and he wanted to learn. He wanted to be pushed.”

His yearn for a challenge will only help Haake in all aspects of his career.

Through Haake’s ambition and love for the field of journalism, he has already accomplished much and plans to continue to do even more.

Jack says, because of Garrett, a higher standard has been set for him as a student and for his own future.

“As my older brother, I’ve looked up to him my entire life. His successes have challenged me, and I credit the high standard he set for inspiring a strong work ethic in me,” Jack said.

Garrett has set high standards for a successful career in journalism, not only for himself, but also for others pursuing journalism careers.