MY STORIES:

• Ugurt, a delicacy designed for U
• Swim Utah offers athletes opportunities to train and master elite skills 
• University of Utah professor and chef collaborate and create ways to spice up their nutrition class

MY BLOG:

I appreciate all of what Dr. Kim Mangun has taught me in the Voices of Utah this semester.

I learned so much from the small-business beat. I learned that business men and women can come from all walks of life. It is an interesting topic to cover because you can find so much within a story idea to expand on. Reporting about small local businesses has increased my understanding of not only the business community, but of the Salt Lake community as well. Being from a small rural town in Indiana, I was not exposed to small businesses that much growing up. It was hard for folks to keep small businesses open when the population is 3,000 people spread out among hundreds and thousands of acres of farmland. However, once I moved to Utah, not only did I notice how diverse of a city Salt Lake is, but I also noticed how business friendly it is. It is inspiring to see so many people pursuing their dreams and creating products that the public actually takes time to purchase.

I also learned that it is impossible to be perfect in the world of journalism. There are always going to be people out there criticizing my work. It is one of those things that constantly motivate me to improve my skills. Dr. Mangun is one of those persons who have always had a positive influence on my writing and given me constructive feedback on my assignments.

Voices of Utah was indeed not the easiest class I took this semester. Although it was fun, it was by far one of the most difficult classes I have ever taken so far, mainly because the structure of the class represents a real-life news publication and requires a lot of time and effort outside of class. I found myself prioritizing this class over others because journalism is something I am truly passionate about, so doing all the research and interviews didn’t bother me. At first I was annoyed because I felt overwhelmed with balancing 18 credits; however, the routine settled in and it became easier to balance all my work. This class has a very rewarding characteristic to it, because not only was I working hard for a good grade, but I got to physically see my published articles on a website viewed by people all over the world.

ABOUT ME: 

My name is Sydney Michele Bull, currently 21 years old, born on Nov. 15, 1993, in the small city of Fort Wayne, Ind. I am proud of where I come from, but I love living in the West. Salt Lake City has been a wonderful place so far for furthering my education and also learning more about myself. I am a third-year undergraduate student athlete at the University of Utah, double majoring in Mass  Communication with an emphasis in journalism and Parks Recreation and Tourism with an emphasis in Community Recreation and Sports Management.

As an athlete I have been surrounded by sports basically my whole life. I am currently a member of the University Swim and Dive team and plan to graduate in May 2017. I have been swimming since I was 9 years old and have been through quite a journey, if I say so myself. I have tried other sports and hobbies but nothing beats the feeling of the water and the chlorine-infested adventure that comes with it. Little did I know it was going to be the most challenging yet rewarding experience I would ever endure in my entire life.

Moving to Utah was a huge life-changing experience and every day I admire what God has me doing with my life. College has been a wild roller coaster for me these past three years. I have been blessed with so many opportunities and have had so much fun along the way. But I have also faced many challenges that have molded me into the brave, hardworking and persistent person I am today.

In spring 2014 I was blindsided by an almost career-ending injury. I broke my neck and upper back after landing on my head and crushing nine vertebrae in my spine (C4-T5) during a careless trampoline accident. In the hospital the doctors saw that my joints were shifted forward in my spine, which created a lot of potential problems with my stability. Later they found that I was only 2 millimeters away from damaging my spinal cord and becoming a quadriplegic. After all the doubt and denial I faced during the injury I bounced back and recovered a lot faster than the doctors expected. I had to redshirt a season of swimming and take a medical leave of absence during the fall semester, but I came back to Utah and never gave up on my sport or education. I think that is one of the qualities that I have that make me so cut out for journalism because it can be a difficult field to work in. It can be stressful and overwhelming, especially when people are constantly criticizing you on your pieces.

Writing for Voices of Utah has been a very challenging, fun and rewarding experience. I love sports, it is a huge part of my life, which is why I want to someday work as a reporter for ESPN, Fox Sports or NFL Network. I always admired sports broadcasters and I would love to interview and cover stories about other athletes just like me. Dr. Mangun is very passionate about this class and she’s taught me a lot of new things about the world of journalism that I will probably remember for the rest of my life. I appreciate what this class has taught me and even though I might not be an award-winning journalist yet, I will work as hard as I can to be the best I can be.

Filed under: Blogs & Bios, Student-Journalists |