MY STORIES:

• Pride Week at the University of Utah, a ‘top-25’ LGBT-friendly school
• 2012 election results give LGBT community hope
• ‘I am who I  am’: A profile of one man’s journey toward self-acceptance

MY BLOG:

Attending my first day at the University of Utah was intimidating in itself but walking into intermediate reporting with Dr. Mangun and hearing our beat for the semester was the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community, I felt way over my head.

Coming from a significantly sheltered home and community I was very uncomfortable knowing I was about to be shoved from my comfort zone and into the “real world.”

Well, that is exactly what it did. I was pulled from my sheltered box, educated on something I wasn’t sure I wanted to be educated on and learned for myself. I learned a lot about the community, the individuals and the trials they face.

Being from Utah I thought the only real battle the LGBT community was fighting was the legalization of gay marriage.

Yet, that is just the tip of the iceberg. While gay marriage is still important, gay and lesbian individuals just want to be equal. Equality is it. To be recognized as a couple to see their significant other in hospital without paperwork, to receive their partner’s benefits, things you and I may take for granted but will cost a same-sex couple thousands of dollars in lawyer fees to obtain.

There is a gap, there is too much hatred and there is not enough effort to understand. This is on both sides, might I add. Through education I’ve become more conscious of equality efforts or issues in Utah and around the country. I have become more comfortable with stepping outside of my “comfort zone” to educate myself on topics I may initially feel uncomfortable with. Frankly, it is part of life, it is part of the job, and at the end of the day I still know who I am, I still know and value my beliefs.

Education is key, if we take the time to put down our walls as a society, though we may not agree on everything, there would be a lot more harmony and a lot less hate.

ABOUT ME:

I am in my first year of my bachelor’s degree in communication at the University of Utah. I received my Associate of Science degree at USU-Eastern in Price, Utah.

I’ve been dancing since I was 3, so it’s safe to say it’s always been a passion of mine. The way I expressed myself had always been through dancing, until I discovered writing. My interest in writing was sparked during my junior year of high school when I took a creative-writing class. I loved the freedom to be creative and express myself in a way I’d never practiced before. This led me to journalism and through that desire I received a communication department scholarship at USU-Eastern.

I wrote for The Eagle newspaper my first semester. I realized I didn’t like the assigned structure and rules of news writing; it didn’t let me show my personality. I wanted to continue being me, showcasing my personality as an individual and expressing creativity.

I’ve always liked being on camera, and as a child I was referred to as the “ham” of the family. So, I have looked into the TV aspect of journalism. I researched multiple jobs in the field and finally I came to the lifestyles aspect and fell in love. I watched multiple talk shows, researched the field and knew that’s where I belonged. It would allow me to explore the things I was interested in, show my personality and be creative.

My goals in the future are to obtain my degree in broadcast journalism and continue my work at KSL-TV in Salt Lake City, where I want to earn a spot on Studio 5, the lifestyles program.

Filed under: Blogs & Bios, Student-Journalists |