MY STORIES:

• Legal aid attorneys ride emotional roller coaster
• “…And Justice For All” serves rights on a silver platter
• Divorce education building bridges of friendship
• Courts help children cope with the trials of divorce

MY BLOG:

Belinda Hartranft was my client for two of my articles, and she is amazing. She is a loving and productive mother who really seems to care for everyone around her. You can tell she is a passionate and wonderful person because although her ex-husband cheated on her, she still stands tall enough to accept that he moved on. She didn’t criticize him at all.  She continues to be good friends with him, and talks to him each day. I was so impressed, and I feel so lucky that I got to meet such an amazing person.

I interviewed other people who have divorced, and each woman was a strong and mature person. They really helped me understand how divorce can be such a positive experience rather than a negative one. Of course, separation will always be painful, but it can also give you a chance to see the situation at a different angle. Edye Wagstaff, a strong family woman and member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, divorced and began to understand how stubborn she was being. She remarried her ex-husband and unified her family. Shannon Cheney is an old neighbor and friend of mine. Her ex-husband has been a painful person to maintain a friendship with, yet she is constantly positive about her situation, and hopeful for the happiness of her daughters. Every one of these women are filled with sense, passion, gumption, and love.

This experience has been an extraordinary one, and I cannot wait to pursue my dream of being a journalist. I know there is an unlimited amount people and stories out there, just waiting to be revealed.

ABOUT ME:

After meeting me people will often say I am news broadcast material. Although I try not to succumb to the opinions of others, these comments are what have driven me to become a journalist. In high school I was an anchor for our broadcast team. I developed a friendship with a celebrity attending my high school, and lucky for me, he attracted broadcast stations from across the nation. I was able to meet and interview members from Good Morning America, MTV, and Big Buddha from Fox News. I won regional competitions with my news stories, and competed with students across the nation. Now, only a year later, I am a student majoring in journalism at the University of Utah.

Because the completion of my associate’s degree was in sync with receiving my high school diploma, I have been able to jump right into my BA major at the age of 18. Although this has been an adventure, the time I saved is time I could have well spent by gaining experience in journalism. The majority of my classmates already  work in newsrooms including the University of Utah’s Daily Utah Chronicle. Currently I have been working on covering the Utah State Court System and legal aid services through my college courses. I have written articles about the Ouelessebougou-Utah Alliance concerning doctors and nurses who fly to Mali to give aid, as well as the cynical views of pop artist Steve Stones. And yet, these stories are just the beginning of my career as a journalist. More experiences still await me.

Filed under: Blogs & Bios, Student-Journalists |