work experience
Most of my journalistic experience comes from being on the staff of my undergraduate campus newspaper. I began writing for the paper as a freshman, and as a sophomore, became the student editor, a position that I held until graduation. My responsibilities and experiences were well-rounded, and included not only reporting stories and contributing other content, but also incorporated copy-editing, designing page layouts, and creating ads. I've been involved in all aspects of creating a newspaper, from story brainstorming sessions to sending a completed issue off to the printer.
Two years of professional experience derives from a position as an editor's assistant at The Milford Herald-News in Milford, Illinois. The Milford Herald-News is a small weekly paper published in East Central Illinois, and covers mostly community events and issues. As an editor's assistant, I authored a few stories covering community high school events. My main duties were design oriented, and required extensive work in Adobe desktop publishing software. I was predominantly in charge of page formatting and layout.
I also interned as an undergraduate with a local business, the Sawmill Museum, in Clinton, Iowa. This position was more public relations oriented, but nevertheless helped me develop my journalistic skills. My main responsibility in this position was to periodically update the museum's blog. My posts mostly covered the weekly educational programming the museum offered, and included historical background and context and procedural details about the events. I also authored a handful of press releases for distribution to local newspapers, and helped develop a boilerplate for the museum's future use. My last responsibility was to update the museum's website according to Search Engine Optimization standards.
My professional experience is small, but provides me with an advantageous launching point for the rest of my career.
Two years of professional experience derives from a position as an editor's assistant at The Milford Herald-News in Milford, Illinois. The Milford Herald-News is a small weekly paper published in East Central Illinois, and covers mostly community events and issues. As an editor's assistant, I authored a few stories covering community high school events. My main duties were design oriented, and required extensive work in Adobe desktop publishing software. I was predominantly in charge of page formatting and layout.
I also interned as an undergraduate with a local business, the Sawmill Museum, in Clinton, Iowa. This position was more public relations oriented, but nevertheless helped me develop my journalistic skills. My main responsibility in this position was to periodically update the museum's blog. My posts mostly covered the weekly educational programming the museum offered, and included historical background and context and procedural details about the events. I also authored a handful of press releases for distribution to local newspapers, and helped develop a boilerplate for the museum's future use. My last responsibility was to update the museum's website according to Search Engine Optimization standards.
My professional experience is small, but provides me with an advantageous launching point for the rest of my career.
Education
I received my Bachelor of Arts in English and Communication from Ashford University's Clinton, Iowa campus on May 3, 2015. My undergraduate degree also included minors in Computer Graphic Design and Political Science and Government. My coursework allowed me to master the fundamentals of reporting and producing news, and explore my interests and develop possible specializations in my journalistic skills.