MY STORIES:

DACAS Dreamer’s share how the controversial policy has impacted their lives

Utah Highway Patrol Suffers Huge Loss in Numbers

Breaking the Football Mold

MY BLOG:

Given my status and experiences as an immigrant to the United States, I’ve seen different cultures and had unique experiences that have provided me with a broad lens through which to see the world and its varied issues. Because of this, I’ve developed strong passions on a wide range of topics, but particularly toward my experiences as an immigrant.

Many of my ideas for stories come from the aforementioned experiences and my views on the world. I tend to find my sources through personal relationships. Thus far, this has worked well for me and I’ve been able to get more detailed quotes because my sources feel comfortable sharing with me. This, however, has on occasion been problematic, particularly, when I need to ask harder follow-up questions.

I’ve always had a passion for writing, but through having to research and write these stories, I learned something very important about the type of writing that I enjoy. I’ve realized that creative writing is more where my strengths as a writer lie. Keeping bias out of a story is just too difficult for me, and writing within a set of parameters with such strict guidelines just feels very restrictive. I do, however, greatly admire those who can do it and do it well. It takes mad skills to be able to be so passionate about reporting newsworthy stories and tell them well. It’s funny how TV and movies glamorize news writing so much. They make it seem so easy and sleuthy when in reality it’s a crazy amount of work and staring at walls when you get stuck, which happens every 10 minutes or so.

ABOUT ME:

Allexis is currently studying Communication at the University of Utah and works as a Marketing Specialist by day. By night, she explores the great outdoors through trail runs and long drives up the canyon. She believes that the end of all exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place as home. In her spare time, you will find Allexis listening to music, eating baked goods like they’re going out of style, working out like there’s no tomorrow, and trying to do as much of all the above while sitting atop a mountain.

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MY STORIES:

Bank robbery disrupts University of Utah campus

Starting all four years

Benefits of shopping local

MY BLOG:

Writing is not my forte. I have known this from a young age. It has always been something I have to work at extra hard. Up until my junior year of college, I believed I could get away with not excelling in writing and still be successful. I was so quickly corrected as soon as I took an internship as a press intern in U.S. Senator Orrin Hatch’s Washington, D.C. Office. I now know being a strong writer is crucial. Don’t believe me? Check out any job listing and read under job requirements, you will always find the bullet point staying “Outstanding written and verbal communication skills.” During my internship, I was pushed and dragged into writing – and writing a lot.

I am so grateful I was mentored and now understand the importance of writing. This doesn’t mean writing comes easy to me, I still have to work at it each time, but I have learned the more you write and just get everything on a page, then edit and revise and edit some more, you can improve and surprise yourself more than you ever thought. I am living proof.

Now was a student in a news-writing class, I am continuing to build on the foundation I developed in Washington, D.C. The biggest challenge for me is not writing persuasive papers. Growing up, I have been working so hard on writing argumentative academic papers and now switching to reporting has been a challenge, but a rewarding one.

Each time I sit down to write, I feel more confident in what I am doing. I know I still have a long way to go and there is always going to be room for improvement, but I am glad that I am developing the skills that will help me be successful in my work life and personal life.

ABOUT ME:

If there is food and an adventure involved, I am there. I have grown up in Utah exploring nature’s playground and eating good, local food throughout my life. I could spend every day hiking, biking, running, boating, and skiing by day and eating my way through this great state by night or brunch. The adoration I have for the state of Utah has kept me here for college, and now, four years later, I love this state even more. I am a senior at the University of Utah graduating in May with a degree in Strategic Communications and a Business Minor. I look forward to pursuing a career where I can share my passions and love the work I do.

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My Stories:

Blog: A Creative Thinker

I have been very interested in the interviewing process for the projects that I have been participating in. Some have been more difficult than others for a variety of reasons. I work full-time job with typical banker’s hours that can make it difficult to speak with working professionals. I also go to school and try to maintain a shred of a social life, which means time becomes a real commodity for me.

I have been forced to learned that time management can be the difference between doing OK work and great work. I also have learned that people want to comment and share opinions, ideas and interests with others. When they find out they’ll be written about, they become excited that their beliefs and ideas might reach a broader audience that they would not normally be able to obtain by sharing with their friends, colleagues and acquaintances.

In addition, I feel I found another connection to my community as I search for people to interview about topics that I’ve chosen or been assigned. I love to talk, ask questions and participate, and this has only fueled the hunger I have to connect with people around me. The assignments I have received in my COMM 1610 class, Introduction to News Writing, have given me a broader understanding of how to interview, see the perspective of the media and apply new skills to the workplace in hopes to become a better employee and citizen of my community.

Bio

Samuel is a creative thinker who has managerial experience in the professional office environment and is currently working as an assistant learning and development manager for a department inside one of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ organization. He is an instructional designer by trade and an expert presenter/instructor in the corporate field. Samuel believes in professionalism. This is where his roots lie, with strengths in being an interpersonal communicator and being able to stand out or speak up even when others may not. One of his weaknesses is over-participating in different activities and projects where others might want their own space. He is a focused person who believes in delivering results and is not afraid of feedback nor failing, but he welcomes the opportunity to improve.

Samuel has participated in many projects that have influenced his workplace and community. He is a board member of his Home Owners Association, volunteers at the homeless shelter and is actively involved with his extended family. In the workplace, Samuel feels a positive sense of camaraderie and is passionate about helping his colleagues succeed. Even in his position he tries to understand and peruse different projects that will enhance employee engagement and participation. Samuel has developed tools and processes that have increased productivity, enhanced work flows and improved communications. He has managed a Learning Management System with more than 500 active courses with more than 200 monthly individual enrollments, developed a tool for a department that reduced improper behavior in a call center office setting by 75% and has co-facilitated a leadership development training series for more than 500 employees.

In addition to his developing career, Samuel is currently a student at the University of Utah and believes he has been developing a deeper understanding of what it means to capture the media and hopes that his newly acquired interviewing and writing skills will take his career to the next level. He believes the skill of developing questions for a specific person can help him better understand who people are and what they are about. Samuel continues to find new avenues to apply these new skills to his professional career to aid in his enthusiastic endeavor of helping people in the workplace succeed.

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MY STORIES:

Mystery Escape Room gunman sends 20 cops to The Gateway Mall

Sex education: How much is too much?

Digital media: Have humans been dumbed down to goldfish?

Mackay finds her balance through a love of tennis

MY BLOG: What I’ve learned in Introduction to News Writing so far

So far in my Introduction to News Writing course, I have learned a lot about journalistic writing and how different it can be from academic writing. I now understand how much work goes into news writing and how you need to voice news writing differently from academic writing. I have always felt that I am a strong writer, but I quickly learned that I am a strong academic writer, and news writing takes more effort for me to work through.

The police ride-along story taught me a lot about news writing, and I was far outside of my comfort zone when writing it. News stories tend to be much shorter than academic writing, and it took some time to figure out how to consolidate what I wanted to say. Additionally, I became aware how much work it takes to find sources and include that information properly. However, I learned that people are usually fairly willing to help be a source and give information for articles, which surprised me. I anticipated that it would take much more time to get a hold of people and get information back, but for the police ride-along and other stories I have written, most people have gotten back to me in a timely manner and have provided a great amount of information. In regards to news writing and sources, I have learned that it’s better to reach out to more people than you need in the event that some don’t respond because it’s better to have too much information than too little information.

Overall, I’ve learned many useful ideas in this class that are helping me to become a better writer, and I look forward to learning even more as the semester comes to a close.

ABOUT ME:

My name is Rosemary Roller, and I am a student at the University of Utah. I received an Associate’s Degree in General Studies from Salt Lake Community College in 2012, and I am currently working on a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications.

I’ve lived in Salt Lake City my entire life and love exploring the city. While I enjoy trying new restaurants and visiting new places in my hometown, I have a massive love for traveling as well. I try to travel as often as I can and hope to incorporate travel into my career after I finish my education.

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MY STORIES:

The secrets of patrolling the Taylorsville community

Delta Gamma Reputations 

He shoots, he scores 
MY BLOG:

Through Comm 1610 Intro to News Writing, I have developed skills that I haven’t been taught until now. The different writing styles and formats of writing a story have taught me to go out of my way and try new things. The Associated Press Stylebook is one of my favorite books I have ever been interested in, and it has taught me the correct way of using words. Having quizzes weekly about using correct grammar has improved my writing and spelling. I have valued the way we have used The Associated Press Stylebook through Intro to News Writing.

I have had to get out of my comfort zone to ask strangers about their experiences on campus, patrolling Taylorsville, Halloween plans and many more. These experiences have taught me to understand people’s views and values. I have never been a decent writer, but through story after story, I have had more practice to become better.

I have never been consistent on reading the newspaper. Taking Intro to News Writing gave me the opportunity to appreciate The Salt Lake Tribune and be familiar with occurring events that may not be shown in other newspapers. Reading the newspaper also gave me the opportunity to read journalist’s articles and get familiar with formats, leads and kickers for my news-writing style. This course was definitely worth my time and money even when I had doubts about my writing.

ABOUT ME:

My name is Elizabeth Nielson; I attend the University of Utah and am striving to graduate with a communication degree. College is fun, but I am ready to graduate. I have a passion for being outdoors and trying new things. One thing I love about living and studying in Utah is the mountains that surround this beautiful state. No matter what season it is in Utah, the mountains have a special place in my heart.

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Story and photo by RYAN CARRILLO

Sweet Cake Bake Shops, located in Salt Lake City and Kaysville, offer customers something that few other places can: a completely gluten-free experience.

Sweet Cake Bake Shop in Salt Lake gives people with gluten intolerance the ability to feel like anyone else.

“We are committed to providing the tastiest, freshest gluten-free treats that anyone with Celiac or gluten intolerance deserves, just as much as anyone else [does],” said Amber Camelli, the shop manager. Camelli oversees day-to-day operations at Sweet Cake Bake Shop’s Salt Lake location at 457 E. 300 South.

Every single thing on the shop’s 150-item menu is gluten-free.

Why so much emphasis on gluten? For people with extreme cases of gluten sensitivity, this particular ingredient must be completely avoided. The Celiac Disease Foundation reports that for these individuals, consuming even crumbs of gluten is enough to make them sick. The organization believes that one out of 100 people are affected with the illness.

The foundation defines gluten as the protein found most commonly in wheat, barley and rye. It is also in a variety of other common food ingredients.

Currently, the only treatment for Celiac Disease and other gluten intolerance is to avoid gluten entirely. Celiac Disease, untreated, can cause infertility, gall bladder malfunction, dementia, regular migraines, epileptic seizures and cancer in the gastric tract.

A diagnosis of Celiac Disease or similar intolerance often leads to overwhelming feelings and requires a complete lifestyle change that isn’t easy to make.

“I hated having to give up my favorite foods, [even though] eating gluten made me feel so sick and so weak,” Dana Shumway said via Facebook.

Shumway was diagnosed with Celiac Disease 12 years ago. At the time she was only 10 years old. This was long before the gluten-free product availability offered today.

“Although [it] was very difficult to miss out on my favorites, I think the biggest challenge for me was having to be different,” she continued. “I got to be the odd girl who had to pack special lunches for field trips, miss out on a class treat and bring a special, nasty mind you, piece of pizza for a birthday party.”

For Shumway and others like her, this transition can make social situations extremely hard to navigate. Picture Thanksgiving without its warm, buttery rolls or Christmas without sampling the frosted sugar cookies left out for Santa. Imagine how awkward it would be to show up at a work potluck, only to find you couldn’t eat anything there.

These very situations can leave someone feeling like an outcast. That’s been one of the driving forces behind Sweet Cake Bake Shop’s success. The shop is most busy during the holidays, providing customers with the traditional rolls, pies and other sweets that have become staples of family dinners during the festive season.

“Thanksgiving is crazy,” Amber Camelli said. “We start taking special orders for it at least a month early, and then about a week before [Thanksgiving] we have to cut it off because we have reached our production limit.”

Camelli said that during this busy time the staff arrive at 5 a.m. and typically work 16-hour days. Even with all the chaos involved, she realizes that their sacrifice makes a big difference in the lives of the shop’s customers.

That same commitment is felt in the shop’s day-to-day operations, which creates a strong sense of loyalty from customers.

Before having a baby in 2014, Alisha McIntosh would make a weekly trek from Orem to Sweet Cake Bake Shop in Salt Lake. Why travel so far? For her specifically, it was because of the bakery’s soft red velvet cupcakes with fluffy white frosting and fresh-from-the-oven sugar cookies.

Amber McIntosh is an active member of the Facebook group Gluten Free Utah, a group that connects state residents who suffer from gluten intolerance. Even after being gluten-free for eight years, she still has some difficulties maintaining a gluten-free lifestyle.

In a Facebook conversation she said, “The hardest thing is missing some foods that are very difficult to find gluten free. [Also] different social functions where there might be a pot luck and not knowing what I can eat [is difficult].”

Few bakeries can match Sweet Cake Bake Shop’s dedication to be gluten-free. The combination of the shop’s large menu and reputation for quality gluten-free products is enough to tempt people from far away to visit the Salt Lake location. Amber Camelli said some customers make the drive from St. George to Salt Lake just to visit the bakery.

“So many things have changed for us since going gluten free,” said Alison Richman via Facebook. She was diagnosed with Celiac Disease during the spring of 2014. “The hardest [change] is the inability to walk into a restaurant, bakery or café and order whatever we’re in the mood for.”

Richman said, “We don’t eat sweets on a regular basis, but anytime a bakery treat is called for, [Sweet Cake Bake Shop] is our go-to spot.”

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