MY STORIES:

• Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program: bringing art back into the classroom
• Open mic night at Alchemy Coffee in Salt Lake City
• Salt Lake City’s farmers markets draw loyal consumers

MY BLOG:

At the start of this semester I could easily have pointed out my two greatest weaknesses when it came to reporting and writing. First, punctuation, and second, interviewing sources.

Through this class I feel that I have grown greatly in both of these two areas of my craft. Although I am still working on punctuation, I feel that I have learned how to properly use it better this semester, through both in-class exercises and the out-of class stories.

Where I have had the most growth in my eyes, however, is learning how to ask better questions when interviewing sources. Through this class, the discussions, readings and assignments, I feel that I have been able to ask better, more meaningful questions to get the information I need from a source.

For me, one of the most difficult parts of being a professional storyteller is remembering to keep your voice and opinion out of a story, but still be able to influence that piece with your style. I have learned this semester that this is a difficult but very rewarding challenge. On the other hand, the most satisfying part of being a storyteller, is when you complete and publish a story and see that you gave someone, or something, a voice that it did not have before.

 My reporting increased my understanding of our “Arts and Culture” beat tremendously. It is funny to think how we struggled to describe what “Arts and Culture” meant to us in the beginning of the semester. One way that my reporting increased my understanding of our beat is by getting the stories and opinions of the arts and culture here in Salt Lake City through interviewing my sources.

I think that the biggest benefit of covering this beat was getting to know and become fairly connected to the culture here in Salt Lake City. Being a transfer student who spent the last two years in Florida, I knew very little about the arts and culture here in Salt Lake City. Because of our out-of class stories, I feel that I became more connected with the city that I live in.

As a result of my reporting this semester, I have improved in multiple, if not all areas of my writing/reporting. I am no longer nervous when preparing to interview a source, and have learned how to paraphrase, and paraphrase well.

ABOUT ME:

I am currently 21 and a junior at the University of Utah. I spent the first two years of my college education at the University of Tampa in Florida. I will graduate with a degree in communication with a sequence in journalism. I am interested in both sports and advocacy journalism. I love to meet new people, which is why I moved to Florida alone when I had the opportunity. It is also is why I am passionate about journalism. I like to hear people’s stories, get their viewpoint and see something through someone else’s eyes.

I have a love for all sports, especially soccer. You will never see me miss a Manchester United game. I am a hard worker, go to school and work full time, and enjoy nature even if the mountains are second best to the beaches in Florida.

My passion for advocacy journalism comes from my parents and family background. I am the oldest of eight kids, four of whom are adopted, including one boy and one girl from Ethiopia, Africa. My Mom, who is finishing up her master’s degree in social work, and my Dad, who is a dentist, help lead mission/free dentistry trips for the Ordinary Hero Foundation. My parents have preached equality and human rights in my house for as long as I can remember and I want to use journalism to give a voice to those who are otherwise voiceless.

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