MY STORIES:

• Nursing homes leave wrong impression on youth
• Independent living: a community of friends
• Senior drivers: an annoyance, safety concern or best drivers on the road?
• Athlete for life: staying healthy and active in later life

MY BLOG:

On the first day of class when it was announced that our focus for the semester would be aging I almost groaned out loud. On a regular basis I write about athletes and the great things they accomplish and was not looking forward to writing about the aging and elderly. As the class progressed, however, I gained a new appreciation for our subject matter and the issues that face the aging population. I was able to interview several amazing individuals and came to realize that most seniors have lived extraordinary lives, they only need someone to tell their stories.

Many of my classmates focused on issues like fraud, medicare, finances and many other issues that face seniors today. I, however, wanted to focus more on the people and chose two profile-like stories for my larger in-depth articles. I wanted to be able to bring to life the stories of the people I interviewed while still being able to talk about issues facing seniors. This was harder than I had imagined and took more research and work than I was prepared for. I learned that it sometimes takes out-of-the box thinking to overcome challenges and setbacks. The work was rewarding and in the end I was pleased with what I had accomplished.

This was definitely a new type of writing for me. I was writing about a subject I was unfamiliar with, to a target audience I wasn’t used too. I definitely grew as a writer and expanded my skills for both writing and interviewing. The experience taught me so much about my writing and the endless possibilities for stories there are in the world. I learned so much that will benefit me and my writing in the future.

ABOUT ME:

I am a 22-year-old senior studying Mass Communication and Psychology. I have loved writing since I was a little girl when I would write short stories about anything and everything. I didn’t consider making writing a career until I was a senior in high school and became the Editor-in-chief of my high school’s newspaper. I fell in love with the job of writing and putting together the paper for publication. When I began writing news for the Daily Utah Chronicle my freshman year I knew I had found my dream job. Three years later I have moved from news into the sports section and am currently working as the sports editor. Sports have always been a passion of mine and being able to write about them everyday is a dream come true.

I was born and raised in a little tiny town in Eastern Utah. Growing up with three sisters and parents that loved sports I got the best of both worlds; playing with Barbie dolls and watching football on TV. I have played a variety of sports my whole life, starting with basketball and volleyball when I was in fourth grade. Sports have taught me so many lessons about life. It’s those lessons that I hope to illuminate through writing about other athletes. I would love to write for Sports Illustrated or ESPN The Magazine someday but would be just as content covering high school sports for a small newspaper.

I moved to Salt Lake shortly after I graduated from high school to attend the U. I have loved living in Salt Lake but am looking forward to new experiences and places outside of Utah.

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MY STORIES:

I love camping, especially in Vernal.

• A Utah farmer who never tires
• Wiis are for the young at heart
• Diagnosing memory loss
• Sharing pets changes lives

MY BLOG:

When we were told we would be focusing on the elderly in Utah, I was excited. Though I am more by nature an editor than a journalist, I was interested in the stories available.

I love video games and the fact that many senior centers and seniors now have the Wii was very interesting to me. There are so many myths about the elderly that I wanted to delve into.

The story about Dell Walker was my favorite to write. To have gone through that much and still be independent at his age was encouraging to me. It changed the myth that I held about how weak old people are at his age. I don’t think I could do all the things he does in a day.

ABOUT ME:

I am a student at the University of Utah, studying News Editorial Mass Communication and animation. I will graduate with a B.A. in May 2010.

I love computers, games and consoles. I am fascinated by the gaming world and hope to one day bring a little more editing to the in-game text. I think it’s important for games to use correct grammar. So many children are playing games and reading the scrolling text. It needs to be accurate for their developing minds.

I graduated from Utah Valley University with an A.S. in technical writing and I was an editor for NetXNews for two years.

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MY STORIES:

• Joy in the golden years
• Families face difficult decisions when it comes to aging
• Seniors enjoy friendly world competition
• Home safety for the elderly

MY BLOG:

This course has allowed me to meet many interesting new people that I typically wouldn’t meet in my everyday life. I have found that the elderly are fascinating people filled with lifetimes of stories and experiences.

At first, I was nervous to find sources and interview them. I thought it would be hard to find people with interesting stories, but I soon found that I was wrong. The elderly people that I came in contact with were full of interesting experiences and were willing to tell me about these experiences. They seemed to thoroughly enjoy sharing their stories with me, which made the stories even more interesting to learn about.

I especially enjoyed my interview with Elouise Jensen. She is so full of life and excitement that it was rejuvenating to talk to her. She was incredibly helpful in giving me information and making sure I had everything I needed for my story. It was a pleasure to be able to get to know her as well as my other sources. Each source I interviewed was extremely helpful and it was fun getting to know them.

ABOUT ME:

I am a senior at the University of Utah studying mass communication. Before attending the U, I went to Salt Lake Community College where I earned an associate degree in graphic design.

Some of my interests include visual arts and music. I currently work as a freelance graphic designer, which allows me to use my creativity to produce visual designs. I find it rewarding to take a concept and make it into a tangible visual design.

My favorite hobby is playing the piano. I have been playing for 17 years. I love to sit down at the piano and compose my own music. Music provides a way for me to clear my mind and relax after a busy day of school and work.

I recently got married and I love every minute of it. It’s been a great adventure so far and I look forward to the future adventures I will undertake.

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MY STORIES:

• “We have our health, why not?”
• Aging with flair
• The technological age
• She won’t let arthritis slow her down

MY BLOG:

When I learned that we would be writing about aging for the semester, I was excited. Immediately, I thought fondly of the octogenarians I know. They are wonderful sources of knowledge, experience and history. So, that’s where I would start.

I knew I wanted to focus my writing on the positive aspects of aging. My hope was to write stories that would uplift and inspire my readers. I found myself researching a new field of study called gerontechnology; tracking down fun-loving members of the Red Hat Society; chatting with a travel-loving couple in their 80s and soaking in the inspiring story of a fiercely independent, Finnish immigrant battling rheumatoid arthritis.

I learned how important it is as a writer to care about my subject and the people whose messages I was trying to convey. I learned to move past the rigid question-and-answer style of interviewing and leaned more heavily on friendly, genuine conversation.

My experience this semester has been one of inspiration. The people I’ve met have inspired me to live life with more humor, happiness and determination in the face of any obstacle. Life can be fun at any age. I’m grateful for this opportunity and I hope others can be as inspired as I have been by the lives of those I’ve come in contact with this semester.

ABOUT ME:

I’m a 24-year-old newlywed planning to graduate in May 2010 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communication: News Editorial. I’m so excited to graduate! The last couple of years have been full of once-in-a-lifetime experiences. During the summer of 2008, I spent six weeks in Kiev, Ukraine, as a volunteer English teacher. After the six weeks, some of the other teachers and I decided to take a week-long trip to Egypt. I saw the pyramids of Giza, visited the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and snorkeled in the Red Sea. I could never have imagined such amazing opportunities! Then, on April 3, 2009, I married my best friend, Mike.

As a student, tutor and volunteer teacher, I value the special role of books in our society to entertain, teach and communicate values and history. I hope to use my degree to edit books and contribute to an industry I can’t get enough of and love immensely. I’m so grateful for the endless support from my awesome husband, family, friends and teachers. Thank you all!

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MY STORIES:

• Legal help for low-income Utahns is in danger of losing funding
• Legal help brings new hope
• Low-income legal help turns lives around
• Domestic violence is devasting to children

MY BLOG:

When I first learned about our beat of covering legal assistance for low-income Utahns, I was excited and nervous. I was excited that we were covering something so important and life changing for a lot of people. I wanted to take these people, that had been through so much life trauma, and help them by telling their stories in a way that could help them get their message out and help others. But I was also nervous about telling stories that were so personal. I didn’t want to make anyone that had been through so much already, relive some of the worst parts of their lives for me. And I didn’t want anyone to feel like I was prying into intimate details that were none of my business. I was never more nervous for an interview.

However the interviews were all pleasantly surprising. My main source was obliging and willing to talk to me about all of her life experiences. She was open and willing to share, and always answered any questions that I had. Through this experience, I felt a deep connection to my source and could not help but get caught up in her story.

This beat has made me more aware and compassionate to the legal needs of low-income Utahns. It is a larger problem than I had ever realized. I hope that through my reporting I could share some of my newfound awareness with other people.

MY BIO:

I was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. This is my junior year at the University of Utah, majoring in Mass Communication. I am aspiring to be a news writer.  I am specifically interested in politics and national and world news. I have worked at Clear Channel Radio, and done writing for various Web sites.

On a more personal note, I like to read, hike, jog and travel. I especially enjoy Utah for its variety of close and beautiful hiking trails. Last year, I ran in the Utah’s Wasatch 100 race for 15 miles. I also enjoy river running and kayaking throughout Utah and Idaho. I enjoy reading, too. I love reading the literary classics, and of course reading the news. My favorite news mediums include the New York Times, Newsweek and NPR.  I also just got back from traveling in Europe and would love to do more traveling to experience other cultures.

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MY STORIES:

• Legal group seeks to help abuse victims
• Safety available for abuse victims
• Abuse victim gets out, rebuilds life
• Rates decline, but domestic abuse still a crisis

MY BLOG:
Working with “…And Justice For All” and Legal Aid Society of Salt Lake has been an incredible experience. I’ve learned so much about the services and resources available to victims of domestic violence, and it’s an education that has become very meaningful to me. To know there is an organization within our community that is so focused on getting victims of abuse out of dangerous situations gives me so much hope. Domestic violence is something no woman, man or child should ever have to deal with, and it’s great to know that there are people out there that help victims get relief from that type of situation.

While researching and writing about domestic violence, I had the chance to interview a woman who had lived through years of abuse from her husband. Her story is an incredible story and it truly touched me. Hearing how she got out of such a horrible situation and restarted her life was very inspiring, to say the least. I spoke with her for two hours and got to see just a small side of what an incredible person she is. Her optimistic attitude and hopeful outlook for her future was amazing to hear, and I feel very blessed to have been able to speak with her. My hopes in retelling her story are that it will be a source of strength for women in similar situations, and help victims of abuse learn about the different services that are available to them, no matter their income.

It’s been an amazing experience learning and writing about domestic violence issues, and I’m very appreciative to have had this opportunity. I hope the articles I’ve written will help and educate someone who is or has been a victim of abuse.

MY BIO:

I am a 21-year-old student at the University of Utah studying Mass Communication. I first got interested in journalism when I accidentally signed up for my high school’s newspaper class. I had a great teacher and an incredible, positive experience, and I’ve been set on making writing my career ever since. I plan to someday work for a successful, reputable newspaper or magazine, and write about sports and anything else that comes my way.

With five older brothers, I grew up completely surrounded by sports. I’ve played basketball my entire life, and would love to write about sports someday, but I’m open to writing about anything.

I loved writing from the very first news story I was assigned in high school, but it wasn’t until college that I learned more about the importance of providing the public with accurate, ethical, unbiased news. With so much going on in our world today, it’s important that everybody gets the most accurate information available about every issue.

I’ve lived in Utah my entire life, and I love Salt Lake City, but I’m excited to move when I graduate and experience a new place. I’m thinking about moving to Southern California when I’m done with school in the spring of 2010, and I look forward to the change and year-round warm weather.

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MY STORIES:

• Mediation: Making the best out of a bad situation
• Utah legal aid: Money matters
• Communication difficulties at court disappoint woman
• Disabilities can create courtroom confusion

MY BLOG:

Interviewing Lana McKinsey was a new experience for me in two significant ways that influenced me.  First, the location was different for me.  In the years that I have spent as a journalist I have interviewed people in a myriad of places:  airports, assembly halls, thunderstorms, mosh pits, bathrooms, offices, churches, mountain tops, grocery stores and many other places.  But until I met Lana I had never interviewed someone in a home. Lana is partially blind and mostly deaf. Communicating with her was difficult at times, but it was a good experience for me.  It helped me learn more about her and her personality.  I learned from looking around her apartment that she loved her family.  Picture frames dominated her walls, desks and shelves.  I learned how difficult it is for her to see.  Papers on her coffee table had 60-point, bold text.  Her computer screen was huge with huge icons and words to help her see.  And I could see that from letters, poems and projects that she had a loving heart.

These insights helped me see Lana not just as another person I was interviewing.  But instead I saw her as an important, unique person with a story to tell.  I realized it was my responsibility to find a way to tell her story in way that would show who she was.

The second aspect of the interview that was different was her response to me.  Again in my time as a journalist I have received diverse reactions from those I interviewed, or attempted to interview.  I have been struck, saluted, lied to, praised, cussed, threatened, ignored, thanked, envied, accused and been a target for food.  But I had never before been hugged.  At the end of my interview with Lana I stood to leave and informed her that I was impressed with her and her story.  I hoped that we could keep in touch.  She also stood and thanked me and gave me a surprising, warm hug because of my willingness to listen and tell her story.  It left me in a great mood and I have reflected upon it again and again.  It helped me understand the positive influence journalists can have if they use their power correctly.  But I was also alerted to how easily journalists can hurt and destroy those they could and should be helping

MY BIO:

Jed Layton has been writing since the fourth grade.  His teacher started a class newsletter and encouraged the young students to give writing a try.  Jed tried it and immediately felt comfortable with a pen and pad in hand.  He continued writing through high school and was made the editor-in-chief of his high school newspaper, The Viewmont High Danegeld.  From there he continued to the University of Utah, working for the Daily Utah Chronicle as the diversity and administration beats writer.  He took a two-year break for an LDS mission to Toronto that gave him a better perspective about other people, cultures and ideas.

He returned and two months later was again writing.  This time he was working for a student web publication covering the 2008 election.  He was able to travel to both the Democratic National Convention in Denver and the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis/St. Paul.  He and his group continued to cities like Chicago, Indianapolis, Phoenix, Annapolis, Philadelphia, Dayton and New York City to follow the campaign trails of John McCain and Barack Obama.  They established their base in Washington, D.C. where Jed was able to report on economic and political news during the beginning of the national recession.

After the election, Jed returned to work for the Daily Utah Chronicle for a few months.  He has now decided to focus his future on medicine but plans to continue writing both for his own sanity and also for the education and improvement of others.

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MY STORIES:

• Economy hurting low-income legal help
• Mediation saves families money
• Attorney strives to help families adopt
• For one mother, biology doesn’t matter

MY BLOG:

Covering this beat in class was harder than I would have ever thought. I have worked at The Daily Utah Chronicle as a photographer and photo editor for more than two years. I have worked with people and have worked on getting access in a number of different situations, but never relating to the law.

The problems started when the family in the case I was assigned were out of the country and could not be reached by an adoption attorney for the law firm MacArthur, Heder and Metler Paul MacArthur. This was the first time I had worked with the legal system and it was a rough start, but luckily for me MacArthur was a great guy and allowed me to do a profile on him and gave me a long interview and contacts for a coworker, a client and his wife. After all the horror stories you hear about attorneys, it was great to work with someone who was easy to work with and gave me so much of his time.

The interview process was the worst for me. Like I said, I have worked as a photographer for years and taken notes during interviews but my notes usually involve a two-sentence cutline under a photo. As I found out, there is a big difference in note taking for cutlines and notet aking for a 500- or 1200-word story.

It took hours to listen to recorded interviews and type up my notes. Often, I couldn’t understand what people said or forgot to ask detail-orientated questions, which forced me to call or e-mail the source again to find out what I had missed. It’s difficult to ask the right questions when you don’t know what the end result will be. Reporting and writing stories is a good skill, but if possible, I’d rather stick with photography as much as possible.

MY BIO:

I was born and raised in Utah. I have lived on the west side of Salt Lake City in Rose Park my whole life.

I have been a sports fan for as long as I can remember and hockey is by far my favorite sport to play and watch. I used to spend hours in the street playing hockey with my brother, Travis, and my neighbors, Derek and Justin Goudie, when I was growing up.

Now I’m a student at the University of Utah working toward becoming a photojournalist. I work at The Daily Utah Chronicle, the student newspaper at the University of Utah. I enjoy taking pictures at sporting events, especially hockey, basketball and football. With photography I have room to experiment, including playing with lighting and different angles that hopefully no one else has thought of.

I have won multiple awards from the Society of Professional Journalists for illustrations and sports photographs I have done in the past two years. This year I took second place in Sports Photography for the Utah Press Association, a contest that The Daily Utah Chronicle competes against the Salt Lake Tribune and Desert News, two professional newspapers in Salt Lake City.

It’s a tough job making sure art and photographs on the paper look good every day and one that keeps me working late. But it’s good experience for the work I hope to do after graduating. Someday I want to be a photographer for Sports Illustrated.

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MY STORIES:

• Organization tackles legal issues for underprivileged
• One-stop shop for domestic violence victims
• Overcoming: The story of a middle-aged divorcee
• Midlife divorces bring unique challenges

MY BLOG:

Even though I am in my senior year as a Mass Communications student at the University of Utah, something about calling sources and writing stories scared me. Especially when I found out our clients would be low-income individuals with legal problems.

Getting a client that was specific to me, who had a story I was responsible to tell, was both exciting and horrifying. I delayed the first call to her for days, not knowing exactly how to conduct the interview. As time crept by, I felt more and more weight on my shoulders. So, I made the call. She answered on the fifth ring. The hardest part was over. We set up a time to talk on the phone, because between two jobs and nine grandchildren, her schedule was too busy to meet me in person.

We spoke for around 45 minutes. At the end of the conversation I felt so good. It was a huge stress relief and after 45 minutes on the phone, I genuinely liked my client and felt sympathetic toward her situation.

Monica’s situation was my first time writing a feature story. I loved being able to relate the details of someone’s life to a larger audience. It forced me to stretch my imagination and attempt a new writing style.

I am glad I got the chance to know Monica and help tell her story. I hope it will reach someone in a similar situation that can benefit from her experience.

ABOUT ME:

At the time of this posting, I am in my last semester before earning my bachelor’s degree at the University of Utah. My major is mass communication with an emphasis on news editorial; my minor is business.

I grew up in Orem, Utah, and completed the first half of my education at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. While there, I participated in a fine arts study abroad program in London and Paris. After starting an internship at the Utah Governor’s Office, I was offered a full-time job. So, I moved to Salt Lake and transferred to the University of Utah.

At the Governor’s Office I worked under Lieutenant Governor Gary R. Herbert on the Native American Summit, the Commission on Civic and Character Education and the End Cervical Cancer in our Lifetime campaign, as well as State Seal regulation and municipal boundary certification.

I worked in the Office of the Lieutenant Governor for more than two years before moving to New York for a semester-long internship. In New York, I worked as a fashion intern at W magazine. I returned from New York this past December and miss it terribly.

I currently work as an independent contractor doing marketing for a local greeting card company and consulting for a political action committee.

Upon graduation, I plan on exploring entry-level jobs at various magazines. I hope to end up as a magazine editor for a lifestyle/pop culture publication. I love fashion, politics, photography, reading, dance and film.

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MY STORIES:

• Getting affordable legal help
• Domestic violence: If you won’t get help for yourself, get it for your child
• Finding her way out
• Mental illness affects more than the diagnosed

MY BLOG:

During our class interview with Stewart Ralphs, executive director of Legal Aid Society of Salt Lake, he emphasized how Legal Aid’s services can help those in need.  He also said that domestic violence cases are a high priority.

Domestic violence isn’t something that I have experience with firsthand but I know how prevalent it is these days. I also know how important it is for people who are being abused to know they aren’t alone.  That is why I chose to do my second news story about domestic violence and where people can go for help.

Our third news story, we were paired with a client who got help from the organizations working with “…And Justice for All.” We were to tell what organization they worked with and how they got help. All of our clients consented for us to interview and publish their stories. The client who I worked with is an amazing woman. Her case involved immigration, divorce and domestic abuse.

While writing her story, I felt empowered to tell it.  My fingers were flying over the keyboard. I couldn’t stop writing. I wanted my article to reach others. I tried to convey the emotions she had in her voice in order to put the reader in my shoes, having her tell the facts directly to them.

I’m glad that I had the chance to get my articles published, not just because it is important to me, but also because it is important for others to hear.

ABOUT ME:

Growing up, I never would have guessed that I would major in mass communication with an emphasis in public relations. I was extremely shy and wouldn’t ever talk to people who I didn’t know. That all changed in high school when I became head cheerleader. Yes, the quiet one was now the one who yelled the loudest!

I am currently a senior at the University of Utah. I will walk in May 2009 and officially graduate in August 2009. It has been a long and sometimes rough journey getting to this point. I spent time at four different local colleges but the U has been my favorite. I’m not going to lie, I was a little nervous my parents wouldn’t help me with tuition after I transferred to the U from their alma mater, BYU. However, my parents are amazing and have helped me throughout college.  I’m extremely grateful for that, especially since some of my amazing opportunities have been unpaid internships. I have earned the title “super intern” for completing four internships.

This May I will begin my fifth internship. The first two internships were with the Utah Senate and the third and fourth were with local sports teams. For the fifth, I will be working in the creative department at the local ABC/CW30 affiliate.

I’m excited to start the new internship and ecstatic to graduate. It was fun while it lasted but it has lasted too long and I’m ready to see what the future has in store!

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