MY STORIES:

• Our CASA brings academic opportunity to the west side of Salt Lake City
• Mosquito Abatement District helps prevent the West Nile Virus in Salt Lake City
• Family-owned taxi service brings success to Salt Lake City’s west side

MY BLOG:

This past year, I moved to Salt Lake City’s west side and I don’t believe I would appreciate it as much as I do now. This beat has given me the opportunity to learn about my new community and the curiosity to explore it. There is so much more to the west side than what is portrayed by others.   

I originally thought that this beat was going to be easier. It was difficult to find people to cooperate with interviews. I had people hang up on me or flat out tell me they didn’t have the time. I had to change the direction of my topics to people who were more agreeable. It was intimidating at times, but it pushed me. It pushed me to try again and again, until there was someone who was willing to give their time to a learning journalist. It was so rewarding in the end. The people who were open to talking to me were so kind and made the push worth it. The experience made me appreciate the amazing people in the west-side community. 

I have learned that I do enjoy talking and interviewing people who are passionate about something dear to them. I have the chance to feature them in my own writing and the ability to have it published. It gives a voice to the community. I have found that it is important to not only write an entertaining article, but also to write something meaningful and impactful. 

I found that being a professional communicator can be difficult at times, but also rewarding. I want to write the story as best as I can, for the sake of the community I am writing it for. It is challenging to get a piece the exact way that you would like. In the end, the time makes up for how a story might impact or change a community.

ABOUT ME:

My parents gave me a dune buggy when I was 6-years-old. I lived in this buggy and wanted to be just like my dad. He is a retired driver for Mickey Thompson Off-Road Racing and today watches his old off-road racing friends in NASCAR. We attended hundreds of races growing up. I learned quickly that the sport was expensive and my family didn’t have the time to keep up with my own competitive racing. During this time I became fascinated with the NASCAR pit reporters like Jamie Little and Kim Coon. I wanted to know how they became reporters and was informed that they were journalists. This is what sparked my writing career. 

I am an outdoors woman. Almost everyone in the racing world is involved in the outdoors and I wanted to follow the footsteps of the racing community. I found myself working for an outdoor television show in Nashville. I learned how to produce, film, edit, and be in front of the camera. I had the awesome experience to film legendary outdoor television stars like Jimmy Houston, Hank Parker, and Jimmy Sites. I also had my own episodes.

I am currently a student at the University of Utah studying Journalism. I hope to one day become a broadcaster/reporter in the racing industry or have the opportunity to start my own outdoor television show. I am looking forward to using my degree and entertaining many viewers.

Filed under: Blogs & Bios, Student-Journalists |