Reporting & Writing
For Petez's Sake
This story was my first, but I'm still very proud of it. As my only opinion piece so far, I was able to let out my true writing voice and opine about my somewhat eccentric passion for foreign snacks. Although the review is overall only slightly positive, it's filled with ups and downs that I think make for an entertaining read. It taught me about the editing process, and was a victory for me in being able to quickly release an article that was a hit among my editors.
This story was my first, but I'm still very proud of it. As my only opinion piece so far, I was able to let out my true writing voice and opine about my somewhat eccentric passion for foreign snacks. Although the review is overall only slightly positive, it's filled with ups and downs that I think make for an entertaining read. It taught me about the editing process, and was a victory for me in being able to quickly release an article that was a hit among my editors.
Parental Rights Lead to Student Responsibilities
I had the amazing opportunity to write about the issue of parental consent that is so prevalent and damaging in Florida. This article is short, but it contains quite a few varying perspectives on the issue, as well as some of the more intensive research I've done. However, looking back on the writing process, it has taught me to get my interview subjects quickly and not procrastinate on other people's time... a lesson that I still admittedly struggle with.
I had the amazing opportunity to write about the issue of parental consent that is so prevalent and damaging in Florida. This article is short, but it contains quite a few varying perspectives on the issue, as well as some of the more intensive research I've done. However, looking back on the writing process, it has taught me to get my interview subjects quickly and not procrastinate on other people's time... a lesson that I still admittedly struggle with.
Burning Rubber
Is four months too short of a time to already have a magnum opus? Probably, yes. But if it weren't, Burning Rubber would be my magnum opus.
I learned so much during the creation of this article, from the print process to time management and interviewing skills. It was filled with trials and tribulations. It's a racing article that we couldn't attend a race for. Its featured interviewee is too humble to list her own achievements. (And I nearly signed up for a $30 per month subscription to record a phone call interview.)
It was all worth it, of course.
Is four months too short of a time to already have a magnum opus? Probably, yes. But if it weren't, Burning Rubber would be my magnum opus.
I learned so much during the creation of this article, from the print process to time management and interviewing skills. It was filled with trials and tribulations. It's a racing article that we couldn't attend a race for. Its featured interviewee is too humble to list her own achievements. (And I nearly signed up for a $30 per month subscription to record a phone call interview.)
It was all worth it, of course.
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Reshaping the Square
Months later, this is probably the story I'm the most happy with. It was an absolute honor to write the cover story for Issue 2, and although the road was rocky to find interviewees, it came together into a news story that the Sun Sentinel essentially said they were jealous of in their judge's comments on my award for Best News Story. I love how this story captures a window in time as The Square's future seemed uncertain - since then, many of the renovations have quieted down and it has been renamed back to Cityplace. Some things never change. |
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Lip Sync or Swim
This collaboration with Gavin Murray was a great opportunity to flex my "investigative journalism" muscles and figure out what was happening with the Lip Dub, because no one knew at the time. I got the amazing opportunity to interview some previous Dreyfoos graduates and, although the story is now very outdated by the Lip Dub being taken in a different direction, I think Gavin and I did a great job at a long, multifaceted story and it's the headline I'm the most proud of (in contention with Reshaping the Square). |
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The Great Indoors
This story was probably the most fun for me to write this year - I went in knowing absolutely nothing about taxidermy and left knowing the amazing teacher Ryan Toth's life story. I think the fact that our school has taxidermy is amazing enough, but I was instantly captivated by Mr. Toth's reasons for creating and maintaining the lab in our interviews. I'm very proud of the direction it took, including the photo and design direction which is very National Geographic. A lesson I learned along the way, however: my troubles in trying to contact Mr. Toth's taxidermist colleagues who could speak more to the technical nature of the lab taught me to give more time and patience to outside sources. Students and teachers are captive audiences who have plenty of time to interview; other people have their own lives to live. |
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Tuning Up SunFest
My most recent story at the time I write this, I was very proud of this sendoff to my first year on The Muse. I had trepidation about approaching a live story after an unsuccessful first story which covered the Freshman Invasion event, but although it was a few days of stress and hassle I'm proud of the finished product. The most important thing with live coverage is to make it timely, and I failed at my initial goal of getting the story posted within 24 hours, but it stood as a learning opportunity and a goal for the future as I mentor other writers in my role as coverage editor. |