MY STORIES:

• Why Pacific Islanders in Utah have trouble connecting with mental health care
• LoL Hawaiian Grill: Lots of love and laughs in this Sandy restaurant
• University of Utah Pacific Islander Medical Student Association

MY BLOG:

I had no idea what to expect when I started this class. I have some experience interviewing people, but before this class, it has usually been over email or by phone. After transcribing a lot of my own interviews, I’ve realized that people speak differently than they write, and it’s important to get the right kind of interview.

I’ve realized that being a “nag” goes against every fiber of my being, but I’m learning to quash that. I think a lot of that is being socialized as a woman since I was a kid to be polite and quiet, and to not bother people. I’ve realized that not only do I have to get over that, but also that the catastrophizing I do in my head about people being mad at me is just that, in my head.

We live in an interesting time for community-based journalism. I think that many people, myself included, tend to think that politics are most important and one can only truly make any change on the federal level, not the local level. That’s not true, though. All politics start with local communities. I want to make a change and I want to help people, and I also have fallen into this trap. Learning about small charities and organizations this semester made me realize that change can only happen on a large level if a few committed, caring people are willing to engage on a local level.

There was a meeting I went to where there were only two white people in the room, me being one. The other person seemed extremely uncomfortable, and although it may have been for other reasons, it seemed to me that she wasn’t used to being in the racial minority. When I noticed this, I also felt mostly surprised, because I am very rarely in the minority. It made me realize how much privilege I have as a white girl in Utah.

ABOUT ME:

Alexandra Ogilvie is a science journalist who graduated from the University of Utah in May 2018. She started on her long path as an engineer, but after three years of studying and working in various labs she discovered that she liked talking about science more than actually doing it.

She made the switch in 2016, right in time for the presidential election. That outcome urged her to become meticulous about fact-checking and constantly be up-to-date with policy and governmental goings-on.

She has worked for Student Media during her entire tenure as a communication student, and among other things has:

• produced a podcast where she interviewed STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) grad students about their research;
• written and published an article every week that explained scientific concepts to a lay audience;
• dived into an investigative reporting piece that is still in progress about the possible exploitation of renewable tax credits in Utah;
• written op-eds about the importance of science literacy among policymakers and average citizens.

Filed under: Blogs & Bios, Student-Journalists |