MY STORIES: 

• Mestizo Arts and Activism Collective — 13 years later
• Mestizo youth make difference on Capitol Hill
• Mestizo high school senior shows resilience amid COVID-19

MY BLOG:

Beat reporting has helped my professional development in a number of ways. In order to successfully write about a beat, you have to be continuously engaged with your interactions. It was important for me to learn and re-learn not only how to communicate during interviews but also to be aware of my communication via email and over the phone. I feel like beat reporting has made me an overall better communicator and it’s become really satisfying to feel connected to those I interview, even if I’m different or may not fully understand the depth of what they are trying to explain to me. I found it somewhat difficult to express some of the strong messages shared from those I came in contact with. This allowed me to explore showing my readers more than just simply telling the audience.

Of course, this semester had its disappointments. COVID-19 put a strain on connecting and communicating with contacts that I had. It’s been hard for me to have more meaningful experiences. Some phone interviews have been great, but I know that had I met with these people in person, I would be able to show and express feelings a little more. It’s also been difficult because while I know that amplifying voices that are often unheard is important, my major concern is that the people around me are safe and healthy from this powerful virus.

In contrast, a major success for me was my first story. I felt so connected to the students and supervisors of the Mestizo Arts & Activism Collective. I was able to write a succinct piece about how the collective originated and one of the founders just happened to be visiting from New York City. It felt like the stars aligned and I was supposed to focus on these wonderful people for the piece.

In other courses, I’ve dabbled into a little bit of investigative journalism and hard news, but it never felt like that was where I needed to focus my skills. I definitely feel like this semester solidified my love for soft news and amplifying voices to create incredible stories. I don’t know what my future holds, especially with the uncertainty of the job market with COVID-19, but I do know that no matter what field of communications I am a part of, I’ll always love to write.

ABOUT ME:

Alison Tanner graduated from the University of Utah in Spring 2020, with a degree in communication and an emphasis in journalism. Throughout her undergraduate career, she completed several communications-focused internships with the Natural History Museum of Utah, JDRF International, SelectHealth, Virtualities/Facebook and Universal Media. She also volunteered as a Refugee Programs photographer for Utah Department of Workforce Services in Fall 2019. During her time at the U, she served on the Student Media Council, participated in Her Campus Utah chapter and the Crimson Transfer Honor Society. In her free time, she loves listening/dancing to music, trying new foods, and traveling to new places — preferably, all at once.

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MY STORIES:

• Ski programs molding better lives for those living in Salt Lake City’s west-side communities
• Food is as diverse as people in Salt Lake City’s west side
• Some businesses remain closed while others attempt to brave the COVID-19 storm in Salt Lake City’s west side

MY BLOG:

A few things that I can really take away from my community involvement this semester is the level of passion that I’ve discovered that members of the west-side community hold in regards for others, as well as my own developing passion for reporting. One of the people I interviewed and probably my favorite person I’ve ever interviewed was Juan Gilberto Rejon, also known as “Coach Juan.”

Coach Juan has a level of passion for children of the community like none I’ve ever seen. The man spends every waking minute of his life working to better the lives of the underserved on the west side of Salt Lake City. His programs aimed at getting children involved in the outdoors and ultimately graduating from high school and moving on to college are his life’s work. He’s even bankrupted himself several times giving resources to people who needed it most, always putting others before himself. I had a really fun time interviewing him and learned a lot about what he does. I also learned much about myself as a reporter.

I realized that I’m often better at talking to people than I give myself credit for, and I really enjoy doing so. I was also pleasantly surprised by how willing most people were to talk when I asked them for an interview. They loved to tell their story, like when I interviewed families who owned ethnic food restaurants. People often want to share with you their thoughts, experiences, and projects, and are very helpful especially when it comes to finding more people to interview. “Oh, you have to talk to so-and-so,” or “Oh, please go here and talk to this person,” are phrases I heard often when interviewing my sources because a lot of them really care about their community and want people’s voices to be heard. It was inspiring.

Sometimes, it is in fact hard to remain objective, like when you are reporting about something you are genuinely excited about. This often results in you starting to write or report in an overly enthusiastic way that can sometimes over-hype the truth in certain ways.

This occurred, for instance, when I was writing about delicious, family-owned ethnic food places on the west side. Of course, when I went to the restaurants I tried the food. Some of it I thought tasted so good (because it did) that I started writing my original draft of the piece with a biased tone of admiration. I had to take a step back and put my taste buds aside and revise with a little more heightened sense of objectivity!

ABOUT ME:

I’m Martin Kuprianowicz. I’m an editor for SnowBrains as well as its Alta Ski Area reporter for the 2019-20 ski season. I’m an undergraduate at the University of Utah pursuing a degree in communication with an emphasis in journalism. I’m from Midland, Texas, and grew up skiing at a humble hill called Ski Apache in Ruidoso, New Mexico.

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MY STORIES:

• Connecting people with education: the Glendale Community Learning Center is driven by community
• Mestizo Coffeehouse provides spaces for community projects
• Hip & Humble, keeping business and positivity during a shelter in place

MY BLOG:

I definitely felt like an outsider during this whole process. Normally I feel like an outsider to Salt Lake City as a whole because I live farther north and don’t have much time to explore. Not knowing the culture of the city as well as the places viewed as important. I can see the slight rift between east and west Salt Lake City, and not even being part of the city, I feel even more of an outsider. Despite this I kept going and working to understand life and motivations of those I was talking to.

This feeling didn’t affect my reporting at all because I was already accustomed to the feeling and was able to find ways to overcome it.

During one of my interviews I had a source ask me to keep things “off the record” though the information I was being told was a history of the business. I didn’t agree to keep anything off the record but did comply with his wish for me to not write anything down. The whole situation after he asked about things off the record made me nervous. I expected something a lot more serious than just the history. In the end, I didn’t end up using any of the major information given to me then in my story. I did use a few general facts that would appear to be common knowledge.

I did find it a little hard to remain objective when writing the Mestizo piece. The coffeehouse had so much character to it all I wanted to do was describe every inch of the place and how it made me feel. Especially the chai lattes, which I was not lied to when Prof. Mangun told me they were the best. Being there was an experience all on its own. It’s hard to effectively get across to readers and I encourage anyone who has the opportunity to visit Mestizo Coffeehouse for themselves.

ABOUT ME:

I will admit, I am a nerd. While I love anything to do with video games, I also enjoy Marvel superheroes and transformers. I believe my love for these things comes from the deep universes their originators have created. Creating these deep vast universes is why I started to write. When I found journalism in high school, I realized there was a universe around me ready to be explored and documented. After becoming a journalism major at the University of Utah, I needed to find a beat. I wanted to cover something positive and fascinating, and gaming was the perfect fit.

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MY STORIES:

• Planting a seed: how to grow your own educators in Salt Lake City
• Women from all walks of life: how the Glendale community came together to celebrate International Women’s Day
• A rite of passage gone: COVID-19 leaves high school seniors up in the air  

MY BLOG:

During my reporting for Voices of Utah, I spent most of my time covering the Glendale Community Learning Center. From one room to the next there was always something happening, whether English classes, cooking, learning lab or sewing. I was incredibly fortunate to cover this community, as it serves so many members within Glendale. It is a place for people to come to gather and learn. As I got further into my beat, I realized that the Glendale community functions like an ecosystem, every element steadily relies on one another to function.

When I attended International Women’s Day at Glendale Middle School, standing in the middle of the cafeteria I was reminded of why I chose journalism as my career path. At that moment, with women from all different walks of life circling, dancing and cheering around me — I remembered what a privilege it is to help tell someone’s story. To showcase the victories and the setbacks each individual faces in their lives and communities. To be granted access to write about individuals who aren’t typically seen in our local news media. As journalists, we have a responsibility to accurately represent our communities and that often includes showcasing the underrepresented, the people who don’t have voices.

I like to think that journalism and I chose each other. It wasn’t one-sided, it was a calling that I was always meant to be doing this work. As someone who once lived within the Glendale community as a child, returning to report on it as an adult it felt full circle. I always knew I was a storyteller. I’ve always been drawn to stories, people and voice. One of the most satisfying things about being a journalist is breaking barriers, talking to individuals I normally wouldn’t and understanding them on a deeper level. I had the honor of interviewing members within the Glendale community who work to help facilitate activities and events for the community. These women are the fabric of these institutions.

One of the disappointments that I had during the semester was having to change my final story because of the COVID-19 global pandemic. Due to public school shutting down, I wasn’t able to complete my final story on the implications busing has on students and families. However, it did allow me to talk to high school senior students about their experience during this time, which was refreshing.

I hope to continue to highlight and write about institutions, events, and issues that are as important as the Glendale community in the future. Service journalism has opened my eyes to all the different stories the news media are often missing out on. It is critical to listen for the stories with the quiet beginnings, the stories that are overlooked or are woven into issues surrounding underrepresented communities. It is important to keep writing.

ABOUT ME:

My first introduction to journalism came at a young age when my father worked at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Each day he’d come home with a paper fresh off the press. My eager fingers would reach out and skim the black and white pages until the ink stained my fingers. Looking back, I think I always knew that I would end up in a career involving storytelling. It’s in my blood, my roots, my ancestors. Story is who I am, it’s who I’ve always been. When I realized how powerful the work I did as a high school journalist was, I knew this was the career for me. It invited all elements I loved — writing, photography, and voice.

At the University of Utah, I am a communication major with an emphasis in journalism. I am heading into my senior year. After I graduate in Spring 2021, I plan on continuing my journey in the journalism field and looking to tell hidden, relevant and important stories around my community.

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MY STORIES:

• Do new high-rises address affordability on the west side of Salt Lake City?
• Even in good times: the west-side struggles
• West side versus east side: addressing the divide in Salt Lake City

MY BLOG:

Salt Lake City has always been home to me. I was born there, grew up there, and in the least have lived near it my entire life. Even though I don’t technically live in Salt Lake City, my life has been connected with it for as long as I can remember.

This is why when I first learned that the west side of Salt Lake City would be the beat for the semester, I felt a little nervous. Growing up in this area, the west side was always characterized as a sort of background space. Filler for the larger picture of the Salt Lake Valley. This made me nervous about writing about it because I didn’t think there was a lot to be “reported” on. I, like many Utahns, overlooked the west side.

However, soon after I started research for my stories, I found the area and the people who lived there not so far off from my own situation. I live in Magna, a smaller town, on the western edge of the Salt Lake Valley and like the west side of Salt Lake City, the residents there are often overlooked. Like the west side we’re known for being a thoroughfare, a part of town you don’t linger in and just make your way to somewhere else. I found that in many ways — culturally, demographically, and economically — my town of Magna and the west side share a lot of characteristics and many of the same issues.

This realization changed how I approached finding stories about the west side. Others in Voices of Utah have done so well to show and tell the unique culture of the west side. So I decided to focus on the economic and civic issues that the west side faces. And like my town, I found the west side often experiences the harsher consequences of broader economic and civic issues. Focusing on mutual issues gave me the benefit of seeing that we can often see our issues and space as the most important and unique, with issues that no one can really understand. Reporting on this beat, though, helped me see that many issues and problems are not unique to one place and that we can find mutual understanding and solutions when we can look outside our spheres.

Reporting on these mutual issues, I felt like I became more of an insider to the west side. I found the residents of the west side shared many of the same experiences I found in my town of being overlooked, and holding the brunt of larger societal issues like poverty, civic oversight, and representation. I felt like I shared much of the sentiment that I felt with those I spoke with on the west side.

In my few experiences in the past with reporting, I always felt more like an outsider because though the topics and issues I wrote on were interesting to me, they weren’t necessarily directly affecting me. I think most reporters can feel this way. They often report on things they don’t know about in places they’ve never been. But the issues and topics I focused on in this beat were things that had always affected relatives and me living in a similar situation to those on the west side. So this motivated me and invoked my curiosity to speak with people whom I wouldn’t have for a similar journalism class.

But despite my curiosity and the newfound connection I felt to issues of the west side, I’m disappointed that I wasn’t able to incorporate more of residents’ perspectives and not just those of community leaders, government officials, and experts. Those in leadership and academic roles often have good intentions but seem to be spread mentally thin on a lot of issues. They focus on broad issues, they have constituencies to please, agendas to fulfill, and papers to write. So, I feel many of my pieces are more “overlooking” that personal connection.

I’m glad, though, that I was able to discover a new part of my home while working on this beat. I learned a lot about how communities view themselves and how it’s important to slow down a little bit and focus on the things around us. I, like many others, ignore many of the people and issues that are just down the road from us. I’m grateful that I was able to be a part of this beat. To slow down and see a part of Salt Lake City in a new but familiar light.

ABOUT ME:

I was born and raised in Salt Lake City. I grew up in stories, from films, television, books and tales from my parents and grandparents. Stories about real people always fascinated me the most. My love of history is what drove me to journalism.

A teacher of mine in high school once said, “News today is tomorrow’s history.”

I started reading old newspapers and unlike my history textbooks, they felt more connected with the people of the time, they showed people’s personalities and gave me a better understanding of the sentiments of the era. Seeing this I felt like I should be a part of recording the history that was being made instead of just reading the old.

This drove me to major in Strategic Communication and study journalism. I still love history and it’s my hope to incorporate this into my writing career.

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MY STORIES:

• Glendale-Mountainview’s Community Learning Center is a tool for academic success
• Utah’s Youth Resource Center is a goldmine for the youths experiencing homelessness
• The Green Urban Lunch Box brings creative ways to solve hunger

MY BLOG:

Prior to taking Voices of Utah, I had little idea what I would be getting myself into. To my pleasant surprise, the class pushed me to explore communities and write stories that were outside of my comfort zone.

Everyone thought I was crazy when I chose journalism as a career to pursue. I’m an introvert who would rather be alone than being at a party talking to people. Before journalism, I had dropped my pre-med status against the wishes of my parents. I had already written for a few school-related publications and taken creative writing classes, so writing wasn’t new to me. When I wedged myself into my new major, it became an eye-opening experience. The stories I had to cover meant stepping outside of my safe bubble and interviewing all kinds of people to learn more about their lives and culture.

When I first found out we were going to be covering the west-side neighborhoods this semester, I was quite indifferent to the beat. But as we started to come up with ideas for the first story, I found an interest in the cultures and local organizations in the neighborhoods. My interests only grew from there. It was enjoyable looking through the different things I could cover and hearing pitches from my classmates.

When I begin a story, I try to remove all bias that is initially planted. Sometimes it’s hard trying to gain a new perspective when there’s already one so deeply rooted. The story I wrote about the Youth Resource Center made me see the teens experiencing homelessness in a new light. I learned so much from the interview and being able to see the activity inside the center. It was amazing.

That story also made me realize how much of an outsider I was. Compared to the youths who have to use the resources at the center, I grew up in a completely different environment. This made me understand that with some stories, I will never be able to experience what the other party has been through. I can only get the “outsider” view and try to grasp the situation.

I have enjoyed my time with Voices of Utah, even if it was cut short because of COVID-19. This course made me realize the progress I have made and the long way I still have to go. I am so excited to keep discovering and sharing stories that need to be seen. The path to becoming a professional journalist is scary but I’ll only pause for a cup of tea before sharing my truth.

ABOUT ME:

I am a journalism major graduating in the fall of 2020. Writing has always been a passion and I will continue to tell stories throughout my career. I have written for The Globe, The Daily Utah Chronicle, and Her Campus Utah.

Writing for Voices of Utah has been an enriching experience and one I will remember for a long time. Asian American issues have always been a topic of interest and I will strive to be a professional voice for the Asian American community after graduation. When I’m not writing, I enjoy cooking, dancing, petting my dog, and traveling.

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MY STORIES:

• Keith Lopati, West High School’s outstanding softball coach
• Cory Norton, West High School’s exceptional golf coach
• Olosaa Solovi, West High School’s motivational football coach

MY BLOG:

For this beat, I chose to write profiles about three coaches at West High School. This topic was important to me because I’ve had a positive connection with every coach I’ve interacted with, and I believe that they play an important role when it comes to the development of character and values in student-athletes.

While reporting on this beat, I actually did feel like an outsider while conducting my interviews at West High. I am not much older than the students there, and I feel like I look almost the same as I did in high school. However, the students and staff at the school somehow managed to identify me as someone who didn’t belong there. I got a lot of looks despite thinking that I was blending in. I had used a specific analogy when telling Professor Mangun about my experience in the school that I personally think is spot on.

Imagine if you took your dog to the same dog park every day. Your dog spends the whole time interacting with other dogs, running free without a worry in the world, and then goes home. But one day, someone brings a wolf to the dog park. Your dog doesn’t watch Planet Earth. Your dog has never seen a wolf before. But somehow your dog knows that there’s a wolf there. As a result, your dog starts acting really nervous around the wolf. That’s what it was like being a college student interviewing students and staff at West High School.

I would say that it was difficult to remain objective while writing these stories to an extent. Discovering the various styles of these coaches made me want to compare them to my personal experiences. However, the most difficult part of remaining objective was containing how impressed I was with these coaches. For example, when I interviewed the head football coach, I was amazed when I found out that West High’s football coaching staff conducts home visits to make sure the students’ needs are met.

My biggest success with covering the beat was getting in contact with West High’s Athletic Director, Rachel Townsend. She was massively helpful throughout the entire semester. She made sure that all my questions were answered and played a crucial role in connecting me with coaches and student athletes for each of my stories. I can’t imagine how the whole interview and writing process could have been smoother.

ABOUT ME:

I was born in North Ogden, Utah, on Jan. 17, 2000. My dad was in the Air Force, so we moved a couple of times before I graduated high school. At age 9, my family moved to Italy. We lived there for three years before moving to Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho. In 2018, I graduated from Mountain Home High School, but I was completely unsure what I wanted to do with my future. Part of me thought about enlisting into the Air Force, but another part of me felt that wasn’t what I truly wanted.

I began my attendance at the University of Utah in Fall 2018, but started out majoring in political science with a minor in Air Force ROTC. After one semester, I decided I wasn’t really wanting to join the military at all. So, I sat down and thought about what I was truly interested in. My mom used to always say that she could see me being a sportscaster. I always thought that it was just a little too far out of reach, so I never bothered to give it a shot. But I have since changed my major to communication with an emphasis in journalism, and I am pursuing a career in the sports journalism field, a field I’ve always dreamed of getting into.

Following my college graduation in May 2022, I am hoping to become a sideline analyst for college football. Wearing flashy suits on TV, traveling weekly to the biggest games, seeing the beautiful stadiums, etc.  That’s the goal. I am excited to see what the future brings.

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MY STORIES: 

• Arts education empowers Salt Lake City
• Ballet Folklórico de las Américas: a home away from home 
• Santo Taco: a pillar of community in crisis

MY BLOG:

When I first learned that our beat would be the “west side,” I was immediately excited. In my career as a journalist so far, I’ve learned that the best way to learn about a community is to immerse yourself in it entirely and find the stories that reflect the heart of the areas. The west side, unfortunately, is one of those communities in Salt Lake City that is often forgotten about. I’m happy to reflect and say that through my reporting for Voices of Utah, I’ve not only learned about this community, but have also had the opportunity to share what I learned with others through my writing. This is my favorite part of being a journalist.

My biggest takeaway from this experience is an epiphany of going back to the basics of journalism. The outlining, the process of getting to know someone, the ability to get hands-on with a community or person. Journalism, and more so writing in general, is my passion. Through this passion, I’m able to help highlight and share the passions others have. This was my favorite part of this experience. I love seeing the light in people’s eyes, the way they talk proudly about their passions and art. My second piece with Ballet Folklórico de las Américas reminded me to focus on the basics of journalism — how interviewing someone in person is so different from a phone or email interview. I learned to fall in love with my passion again, or at least remember the curiosity that made me fall in love with it originally. 

Working so closely with the members of the dance group was eye-opening for me. The story wrote itself just from the interactions I had with these kind people. Even if I was only able to be with them for one practice session, I felt like I was a part of the group. The passion I have for writing is the same they have for dancing, for sharing the cultures and traditions of Latin America. It resulted not only in a wonderful piece, one of my favorites throughout my career, but a newfound respect for the interviewing process. 

I’m not sure where life will take me after this class, after my time at the University of Utah. But I do know I will always be writing and I do know I hope to continue my focus on arts journalism. It’s not necessary for me to point out how drastically our world has changed this spring, but as always, the one thing that has kept me grounded is my writing. No matter where the stories take me, I will remember this beat, what it did for me, and how it reminded me of what is most important. 

Utah will always be home for me and when I’m here, I will do my best to support the arts across the state. I’ll continue to seek and share the stories of passionate artists like me. Voices of Utah reminded me of why I decided to pursue journalism.

ABOUT ME:

Palak Jayswal was the arts editor at The Daily Utah Chronicle from 2019-20. She has been a writer for the desk for three years. She’ll graduate with a B.A. in Communication and a minor in creative writing in May 2020. Palak is a big fan of the arts, but especially music and all things One Direction. She aspires to be a music journalist and to one day write for a publication like The New York Times, Rolling Stone, or Billboard.

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MY STORIES: 

• Residents of Salt Lake’s west side say new dog park will benefit all
• Derby girl proves being Deaf won’t slow her down
• Utah’s old Greek Town is about to start something new

MY BLOG:

When I signed up for Voices of Utah, I was so excited to see what our beat would be for the semester. Friends who took the class in previous semesters said how fun it was to write about a certain group of Utahns. They also said how much their writing had progressed throughout the semester. On the first day of class, I was excited to learn that my beat was the west side of Salt Lake City. Not knowing much about the area, I was interested to learn more but scared that it might be difficult. Now, nearing the end of the semester, I have had so much fun navigating the area and finding unique places to visit and people to talk with. For some reason, I thought it was going to be a drastic difference on the west side. There are differences, but for the most part, we are the same. The greatest thing I learned from this beat was to not expect people to live a certain way. Even though many negative things are going on in the beat area, most people were positive and wanted to tell stories about the improvement of their cities and their neighborhoods.

This class helped me realize how much I miss writing. I haven’t written in a journalistic way for quite a while because I have been focusing on design courses for the last year and a half. This class made me see how much I enjoy talking to people about their life and learning about others. It made me see how fun it was to dive into a story and to become more knowledgeable about the world around me. One big thing that I learned about myself was that I not only love to write but I also love to listen. I have never really liked interviewing others in the past, but this semester has been an absolute blast. I don’t think I have ever bonded with other interviewees like I have for this beat. The west side of Salt Lake City offers the most interesting people who have such unique and diverse lives.

I plan to continue my adventure around the west side. It is so close to where I live, but I never really went there. The west side has many hidden gems that will take your breath away. This class has made me want to explore other areas of town that I don’t visit often to experience this feeling again. Taking a walk or a drive can show you everything you are missing. One of my favorite places I discovered on the west side was Ruby Snap, a bakery. Supposedly this is a huge Utah company, but I had never heard of it. I popped in one day after an interview and they have the most delicious cookies. I go there very often now. It is so rewarding to find a community filled with great places and people. Exploring more of the west side will be on my to-do list for the summer.

ABOUT ME:

Applying for the University of Utah, I didn’t know what I wanted to major in. I decided to try out the Communication degree because it was so broad and I would have the opportunity to connect it to anything. Once I started taking classes, I was able to write with more passion that I ever had before. I never knew that I would enjoy being so creative and open with my writing.

Focusing on journalism for my first two years at the U, I took beginner and intermediate classes where I was able to get to know my peers and professors. Once I hit my third year, everything changed. I had a sudden passion for learning graphic design. I loved being creative but I wasn’t good enough to draw on paper. This is where computer graphics came in handy.  I took classes online to help me with my knowledge in Adobe. I fell in love with designing. Being knowledgable on this subject helped me land my current job in fashion marketing for a local clothing store, where I handle all graphics and social media for the company.

Halfway into my third year, I decided to finally take action for my love of sports. I applied to be a sports marketing intern for the University of Utah Athletics Department. After interviewing, I was immediately put onto the team of hard-working interns. Once I understood how everything worked, I wished that I had started the sports internship earlier in my school career. Being involved with the sporting events and being able to be close with the sporting teams was great. It helped me see what I could possibly do for a job in the future with sports.

After I graduate in Spring 2020, I plan on starting my own fashion company that is already in the works. I’m very excited to see where my degree in Communication will take me, because after all, it has endless possibilities and I am ready to take on those challenges.

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MY STORIES:

• Hartland Partnership Center has kids dancing into their future
• Bad Dog Arts: Bringing an array of color to west Salt Lake City
• Be yourself, dance with PRIDE

MY BLOG:

My greatest lesson learned over the past semester is not to be fearful of the unfamiliar. I had never been prompted to wander so far outside of my comfort zone when it came to building personal connections within the community. However, in my time writing for Voices of Utah, I found truth in taking perceived risks to promote personal growth.

When I learned of our beat, the west side of Salt Lake City, I was unsure of what to expect! I had no established roots in any of our assigned neighborhoods. Therefore, I had difficulty envisioning my place, telling the story of those living on the west side. Would I be able to genuinely connect with strangers in this journalistic setting?

As the semester comes to an end, I am happy to report that my original uncertainty could not have been further from my actual experience.

What roots I lacked on the west side prior to taking this class, have now grown. I found that journalism allowed me to build connections with strangers through observation and great conversation. I learned that my place as a journalist was not to rewrite someone’s story. Rather, listen and learn. And only once I’d developed an understanding of the narrative they wanted to share, did I go on to use the platform I’d been given to help let their voices be heard.

I realized the importance of building a community with those who travel outside of my circle. Because through these efforts to gain an understanding of others, I gained a better understanding of myself.

I found a new way to further my own confidence when in new and unfamiliar professional settings. I learned how to add boldness to my life. I discovered that one can be bold while still managing to be polite and professional. While I learned about it through my time in journalism, I look forward to adding this newfound boldness to other aspects of my life.

ABOUT ME:

I am a strategic communication major heading into my senior year at the University of Utah. Whether on the stage or through a painted canvas, storytelling has always been a part of my life. The opportunity to write for Voices of Utah and expand my storytelling ability has been an exciting one.

After graduation, I plan on pursuing a career in public affairs. However, I do have a love for all things Disney. And if I never want to work a day in my life, perhaps that’s a career path worth exploring!

Looking to the future, I see a lot of possibilities. But no matter what happens, I know that my time spent writing for Voices of Utah helped me grow as a writer and as an individual.

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