ISM II
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Week of April 15th - 20th
Recap: On Monday, I signed up for the freshman orientation at UT. From July 15th - 17th, I will sign up for classes and get prepared to attend the university as a student.
Friday, I completed the last interview for my final product, Fostering Civil Discourse Around Local News on Reddit. For about half and hour, I talked with Director of Audience from Arizona Republic, Kim Bui. Working in the field of engagement since social media was born, Bui demonstrated a high level of understanding for what it takes to effectively meet digital audiences. Ms. Bui helped me understand what kind of news content Redditors want to see.
According to Bui it's the "weird stuff" that Redditors like: quirky stories, feel-good moments, and memes. Bui also gave me great advice for what common pitfalls newsrooms will want to avoid.
Goal: Continue working
Friday, I completed the last interview for my final product, Fostering Civil Discourse Around Local News on Reddit. For about half and hour, I talked with Director of Audience from Arizona Republic, Kim Bui. Working in the field of engagement since social media was born, Bui demonstrated a high level of understanding for what it takes to effectively meet digital audiences. Ms. Bui helped me understand what kind of news content Redditors want to see.
According to Bui it's the "weird stuff" that Redditors like: quirky stories, feel-good moments, and memes. Bui also gave me great advice for what common pitfalls newsrooms will want to avoid.
Goal: Continue working
Week of April 8th - 13th
Recap: Trying to wrap up my final product, a guide for local newsrooms looking to increase their presence on Reddit, I reached out to social media editor of the Texas Tribune, Bobby Blanchard. Blanchard, responsible for the Tribune's Reddit, was able to share some great advice with myself that I plan to utilize in the final product.
On Friday, I took a trip down to Austin to visit the Moody College of Communication at the University of Texas. Because I'll be a student here next year, I want to familiarize myself with the campus. Unfortunately, I was late to my tour due to a car accident, however, I was still able to tour the school and get additional resources from my guide. I spent the duration of that weekend staying with two old friends from Centennial who are now Moody students. From attending student events to living on campus, I got a true feel for what my life is going to be like next year. After this week, I am more excited than ever to become a longhorn!
Goal: Begin working on rough draft of final product.
On Friday, I took a trip down to Austin to visit the Moody College of Communication at the University of Texas. Because I'll be a student here next year, I want to familiarize myself with the campus. Unfortunately, I was late to my tour due to a car accident, however, I was still able to tour the school and get additional resources from my guide. I spent the duration of that weekend staying with two old friends from Centennial who are now Moody students. From attending student events to living on campus, I got a true feel for what my life is going to be like next year. After this week, I am more excited than ever to become a longhorn!
Goal: Begin working on rough draft of final product.
Week of April 1st - April 6th
Recap: This week, I wrote a ten-page research paper over the life and literary achievements of Zora Neale Hurston, America's premiere black, female author, during the Harlem Renaissance. While a project for my AP English Literature class, I greatly enjoyed working on this assignment. Completing such work reminded myself to continue developing my research and writing skills as I move on to university.
Thursday afternoon, Dom and I had the privilege to interview Cal Lundmark, Regional Growth Editor for McClatchy Carolinas. Leading a team of 4-5 growth editors who handle the engagement processes for McClatchy's eight North and South Carolina publications, Cal Lundmark has what seems to be a daunting but very rewarding job. Like Dom and I, Lundmark sees promise in Reddit, however, says the platform "won't drive subscriptions directly" but is "spectacular for audience and reader engagement". According to Lundmark, the McClatchy domain was at one point in time, banned from Reddit, as they had unknowingly gone against company policy by same posting their own articles.
While not working directly on Reddit, Lundmark has proved a remarkable, innovative engagement journalist who was able to answer many of Dom and I's questions. She expressed much interest in tracking reader pathways - to see if readers switch from Reddit engager to a website viewer and eventual subscriber.
Goals: Finish Reddit interviews: Kim Bui of the Arizona Republic and Bobby Blanchard of the Texas Tribune.
Thursday afternoon, Dom and I had the privilege to interview Cal Lundmark, Regional Growth Editor for McClatchy Carolinas. Leading a team of 4-5 growth editors who handle the engagement processes for McClatchy's eight North and South Carolina publications, Cal Lundmark has what seems to be a daunting but very rewarding job. Like Dom and I, Lundmark sees promise in Reddit, however, says the platform "won't drive subscriptions directly" but is "spectacular for audience and reader engagement". According to Lundmark, the McClatchy domain was at one point in time, banned from Reddit, as they had unknowingly gone against company policy by same posting their own articles.
While not working directly on Reddit, Lundmark has proved a remarkable, innovative engagement journalist who was able to answer many of Dom and I's questions. She expressed much interest in tracking reader pathways - to see if readers switch from Reddit engager to a website viewer and eventual subscriber.
Goals: Finish Reddit interviews: Kim Bui of the Arizona Republic and Bobby Blanchard of the Texas Tribune.
Week of March 25th - 30th
Recap: Sunday, the 24th, I left with my parents to visit UT Austin, my top choice school. This would be my first time being in Austin in the past two years. After arriving and eating dinner that night, I met up with my former Centennial friends, Jacey and Emma. It was so neat hearing about UT's student life directly from my friends, especially Emma, as she was a mentor to me as an ISM II student and journalist. The next morning, my parents and I went on a tour of campus, which was literally huge(forty acres, to be exact). Ultimately, I fell in love with the city and the campus and its facilities. In a couple weekends, I plan to visit Jacey and Emma and tour Moody, the College of Communication. After touring the campus, visiting the music school, checking out residence halls, meeting up with friends, and family, including my mom's cousin, Kristi Fisher, who just so happens to be a Provost at UT, I announced my decision to the world via Instagram photo in front of the famous UT tower.
Returning home, my focus to understand the target audience of my final product, engagement journalists in small, local newsrooms, I wanted to reach out to Siali Siaosi, the Digital News Web Editor at the Oklahoman. Through a direct Twitter message, I reached out to Siaosi and shared my project with him. Siaosi’s response was immediate, and he agreed to set up a phone call. This Thursday, at 3 p.m., I talked with Siali Siaosi about the reality of audience engagement for local newsrooms.
Goals: Secure all the scholarships to pay for UT!
Returning home, my focus to understand the target audience of my final product, engagement journalists in small, local newsrooms, I wanted to reach out to Siali Siaosi, the Digital News Web Editor at the Oklahoman. Through a direct Twitter message, I reached out to Siaosi and shared my project with him. Siaosi’s response was immediate, and he agreed to set up a phone call. This Thursday, at 3 p.m., I talked with Siali Siaosi about the reality of audience engagement for local newsrooms.
Goals: Secure all the scholarships to pay for UT!
Week of March 18th - 23rd
Recap: On Thursday, I visited Dom at the Dallas Morning News. The entire visit, Dom and I focused on the next step for my original work, interviewing professionals at local newsrooms without a Reddit presence and those looking to begin one. To acquire information that is representative of most local newsrooms, around the country, Dom encouraged that I reach out to journalists from three newsrooms: the Arizona Republic, the Sacramento Bee, and the Oklahoman. While both the Arizona Republic and Sacramento Bee are run by massive conglomerates, the Oklahoman is locally owned. In this age of mass digital media, many media corporations are trying to condense their staff by hiring one journalist to work for the company’s numerous publications. This represents a large shift in the industry and is a challenge I plan to address through my product.
The Sacramento Bee is hosted by a company of the name McClatchy, a media corporation that owns 30 local newspapers, across the nation. While Dom and I were unsuccessful in locating a digital focused staff member from the Sacramento Bee, we can across a young woman who is the Regional Growth Editor for McClatchy’s North and South Carolina papers, Cal Lundmark. Responsible for the engagement endeavors of eight different local newsrooms, Lundmark’s job appears to be a challenging one. Eager to learn more about Lundmark’s take on the business aspect of journalism and how this effects these newsrooms engagement practices, Dom reached out to her via Twitter and set up a phone interview with the two of us, next week. Also, apart of a media conglomerate, Gannett, is the Arizona Republic, the daily paper for Phoenix. Thanks to Dom’s network, I was connected to Kim Bui, the newsroom’s Director of Audience. I reached out to Ms. Bui by email and received an immediate response. Soon, I plan to set up a meeting with Ms. Bui.
Looking at the Oklahoman’s staff, I found Digital News Web Editor, Siali Siaosi. I reached out to Siaosi via Twitter message, and he was quite helpful. This afternoon, Mr. Siaosi and I will have a brief phone call. I look forward to learning of his set up at the Oklahoman and what he would need to run a successful engagement presence on a niche platform, such as Reddit.
Goal: Finish interviews for final product
The Sacramento Bee is hosted by a company of the name McClatchy, a media corporation that owns 30 local newspapers, across the nation. While Dom and I were unsuccessful in locating a digital focused staff member from the Sacramento Bee, we can across a young woman who is the Regional Growth Editor for McClatchy’s North and South Carolina papers, Cal Lundmark. Responsible for the engagement endeavors of eight different local newsrooms, Lundmark’s job appears to be a challenging one. Eager to learn more about Lundmark’s take on the business aspect of journalism and how this effects these newsrooms engagement practices, Dom reached out to her via Twitter and set up a phone interview with the two of us, next week. Also, apart of a media conglomerate, Gannett, is the Arizona Republic, the daily paper for Phoenix. Thanks to Dom’s network, I was connected to Kim Bui, the newsroom’s Director of Audience. I reached out to Ms. Bui by email and received an immediate response. Soon, I plan to set up a meeting with Ms. Bui.
Looking at the Oklahoman’s staff, I found Digital News Web Editor, Siali Siaosi. I reached out to Siaosi via Twitter message, and he was quite helpful. This afternoon, Mr. Siaosi and I will have a brief phone call. I look forward to learning of his set up at the Oklahoman and what he would need to run a successful engagement presence on a niche platform, such as Reddit.
Goal: Finish interviews for final product
Week of March 4th - 9th
Recap: Recently, I was contacted by, Centennial High School journalism teacher, Laura Kline. While I have never participated in Centennial's journalism program, Mrs. Kline reached out to my ISM teacher, Mr. Brandon Walters, in hopes of recruiting more writers for the 2019 Journalism UIL competition. Although unfamiliar with the process, I told Mrs. Kline that I would be highly interested in competing, as this would be my first and final opportunity to do so. I have decided to compete in the news writing, feature writing, and headline writing events. To prepare for success, Mrs. Kline has provided me with study and practice resources.
This week, I scheduled a visit to UT Austin, later this month. As of late, UT has become my first choice school, and I hope to confirm this decision through the visit. The Moody College of Communication is a nationally-renown journalism school and a place in which I believe I would receive an invaluable education.
Goals: Begin preparing for Journalism UIL, work out details for UT Austin visit, and begin discussing next steps for my final product with mentor.
This week, I scheduled a visit to UT Austin, later this month. As of late, UT has become my first choice school, and I hope to confirm this decision through the visit. The Moody College of Communication is a nationally-renown journalism school and a place in which I believe I would receive an invaluable education.
Goals: Begin preparing for Journalism UIL, work out details for UT Austin visit, and begin discussing next steps for my final product with mentor.
Week of February 25th - March 2nd
Recap: This past week, my primary focus was completing my final product proposal. The proposal plays a crucial role in the success of my project, as this is where I outline the execution process. After much discussion with my mentor, I have decided to create a step-by-step guide for small, local newsrooms looking to begin a presence on Reddit. Building off of a report summarizing the challenges that face newsrooms who want to engage deeper with their increasingly polarized audiences, we will build a best practices guide to assist local newsrooms with finite resources who want to engage on Reddit. Overall, I am satisfied with my proposal and feel confident in my ability to execute. I also completed a spreadsheet logging the time I have spent with Dom, this year. It was exciting to see all that I've accomplished, under Dom's leadership.
Approaching various deadlines, I applied for 20 plus scholarships, this week. While I am unsure of where I will be attending college. by applying for scholarships. I hope to begin a debt free future! On Friday, I scheduled a visit to the University of Texas in Austin. One of my top schools, I very much so look forward to this visit.
Goal: Begin moving forward on final product
Approaching various deadlines, I applied for 20 plus scholarships, this week. While I am unsure of where I will be attending college. by applying for scholarships. I hope to begin a debt free future! On Friday, I scheduled a visit to the University of Texas in Austin. One of my top schools, I very much so look forward to this visit.
Goal: Begin moving forward on final product
Week of January 14th - 19th
Recap: Wednesday was the annual ISM Winter Showcase, an event in which all of Frisco's ISM students gather at the Star Stadium to display their work in the first semester of the program. One of my favorite events last year, I was greatly looking forward to the 2019 Winter Showcase. I feel that I was able to relax more this year and be truly present at the event. While last year, most of the people I interacted with were family and friends, this year I was able to meet and converse with new individuals. Overall, I am very happy with my performance at the showcase. Compared to last year, I am much better able to explain the specifics of my fields to those who are unaware of what new media is, which is the majority. People I conversed with seemed genuinely interested to learn about transformations currently taking place within the industry. As a future journalist who hopes to create transparency and trust between readers and newsrooms, being able to inform the public of the processes in which such coverage happens is vital. The showcase was ultimately, yet again, a wonderful experience. Being surrounded by all of the FISD ISM students, its inspiring to see how many bright kids there are in this district that are chasing after their passions. I hope to take the inspiration I gained from the showcase and place such enthusiasm into my work as I begin working on my final product for this school year.
This weekend, I was approached by a friend and student activist who told me about some breaking news concerning Collin Community College, located just five minutes from where I live. On December 11th, Collin College became the first school in Texas to pass the Marshall Program - 2015 legislation that permits trained staff to intercede a school shooting with armed weapons. The program is seen by my many community members and Collin College staff as controversial and barely passed with a 5-4 vote. I'd like to look into why Collin has chosen to take such measures and see how, if at all, these changes have affected the school thus far. This weekend, I pitched the idea to my editor at Lifestyle Frisco and am still waiting to hear back.
Goals: Begin final product
This weekend, I was approached by a friend and student activist who told me about some breaking news concerning Collin Community College, located just five minutes from where I live. On December 11th, Collin College became the first school in Texas to pass the Marshall Program - 2015 legislation that permits trained staff to intercede a school shooting with armed weapons. The program is seen by my many community members and Collin College staff as controversial and barely passed with a 5-4 vote. I'd like to look into why Collin has chosen to take such measures and see how, if at all, these changes have affected the school thus far. This weekend, I pitched the idea to my editor at Lifestyle Frisco and am still waiting to hear back.
Goals: Begin final product
Week of January 7th - 12th
Recap: On Thursday afternoon, I visited Dom for the first time this semester. For most of our meeting, Dominick and I discussed plans for my final product. As a continuation of my research paper on “Civil Discourse in a Time of Incivility”, Dominick had the idea for me to create a step-by-step guide, with his help, for small newsrooms on how to get started with Reddit. Dominick feels that this would be an extremely helpful tool for engagement journalists everywhere and something that is yet to successfully exist. Together, we created an outline for the project, defining our purpose as “building off of a report summarizing the challenges that face newsrooms who want to engage deeper with their increasingly polarized audiences, we will build a best practice guide to assist local newsrooms with finite resources who want to engage on Reddit”.
Our first step will be reaching out to local newsrooms of varying sizes who are not currently using Reddit. I will contact editors from the Arizona Republic or Phoenix, the Sacramento Bee, and the Oklahoman and ask if they feel they are effectively engaging with consumers on social media, how their newsroom works, the size and range of positions within their staff, and other factors that play a role in the newsrooms ability to reach audiences online. From there, I will look to newsrooms who have already begun to establish success on Reddit, such as the Dallas Morning News and Austin’s Texas Tribune. Keeping such newsrooms in mind, I will begin to create my step-by-step guide, covering a variety of issues that Dominick and I feel small local newsrooms could possibly run into when trying to get started with Reddit. Thanks to Dominick’s connections, I hope to interview Reddit’s News Partnerships team on what they are looking for, conduct wise, when it comes to beginning newsrooms on the platform.
Once the project is completed, we plan to publish the results on medium and share the guide with various engagement communities we are apart of, as young journalists. The planning has only just begun, however, I’m already eager to get started on such research.
Goals: Apply for scholarships at ASU and UT
Our first step will be reaching out to local newsrooms of varying sizes who are not currently using Reddit. I will contact editors from the Arizona Republic or Phoenix, the Sacramento Bee, and the Oklahoman and ask if they feel they are effectively engaging with consumers on social media, how their newsroom works, the size and range of positions within their staff, and other factors that play a role in the newsrooms ability to reach audiences online. From there, I will look to newsrooms who have already begun to establish success on Reddit, such as the Dallas Morning News and Austin’s Texas Tribune. Keeping such newsrooms in mind, I will begin to create my step-by-step guide, covering a variety of issues that Dominick and I feel small local newsrooms could possibly run into when trying to get started with Reddit. Thanks to Dominick’s connections, I hope to interview Reddit’s News Partnerships team on what they are looking for, conduct wise, when it comes to beginning newsrooms on the platform.
Once the project is completed, we plan to publish the results on medium and share the guide with various engagement communities we are apart of, as young journalists. The planning has only just begun, however, I’m already eager to get started on such research.
Goals: Apply for scholarships at ASU and UT
Week of December 31st - January 5th
Recap: Over winter break, I made an effort to take some time off and enjoy time with my friends and family. This period of relaxation was much needed after finally completing my original work, "Civil Discourse in a Time of Incivility". The paper was an analysis of the American virtual climate, the state of online discourse and how this came to be, and what incivility and polarization online will effect the future of journalism. Although grueling, my research took me on an unforeseen, exciting journey. As I enter into college, I would like to learn more about how to conduct research so that I may continue to explore advancements in media engagement.
Now in my last semester of high school, I must begin to narrow down where I will be attending college in the fall. I am currently stuck between the University of Texas and Arizona State University. Although UT is closer to home and a nationally respected school, I feel that I may have greater opportunities, financially and educationally, at ASU. Ultimately, where the money goes, I will follow. I'm currently busy applying for as many scholarships as I possibly can.
Recently, my mentor, Dom, announced that he would be accepting a new position at the Dallas Morning News in 2019 as a breaking news reporter for the business/finance team. This is obviously a huge transition from Dominick's current position as web producer. Although he will no longer be working in my desired field, I will continue to work under Dom this school year as he holds great experience and connections within the Dallas Morning News.
Goals: Decide between ASU and UT by March
Now in my last semester of high school, I must begin to narrow down where I will be attending college in the fall. I am currently stuck between the University of Texas and Arizona State University. Although UT is closer to home and a nationally respected school, I feel that I may have greater opportunities, financially and educationally, at ASU. Ultimately, where the money goes, I will follow. I'm currently busy applying for as many scholarships as I possibly can.
Recently, my mentor, Dom, announced that he would be accepting a new position at the Dallas Morning News in 2019 as a breaking news reporter for the business/finance team. This is obviously a huge transition from Dominick's current position as web producer. Although he will no longer be working in my desired field, I will continue to work under Dom this school year as he holds great experience and connections within the Dallas Morning News.
Goals: Decide between ASU and UT by March
Week of December 10th - 15th
Recap: Thursday, I visited Dom at the Dallas Morning News to observe yet another AMA, ask me anything, on the r/politics subreddit. For this special AMA. the Dallas Morning News hosted University of Dallas professor, Ruth May, to answer questions regarding Russian influence in U.S. politics - a scholar on the subject. For Dr. May, the AMA was her first experience on Reddit, one that was at first, somewhat overwhelming, but an experience she appeared to genuinely enjoy. I loved observing the unique interaction between Dominick and Dr. May, both learning from each other, despite being generations apart. While Ruth May has spoken to audiences around the world, she lacks connection to the digital world. Showing Dr. May how to use Reddit and even setting her up with a personal account, Dom helped enrich someone's life by introducing new innovatice methods of communication.
Week of November 26th - December 1st
Recap: This Tuesday, I visited Dom at the Dallas Morning News. Besides discussing the appearance on trolls on the Dallas Morning News' Reddit, I attended a news vertical meeting with Dom. In the newsroom, a vertical is referred to as the category or coverage area i.e. breaking news, crime, etc. This meeting is held by the managing editor and a representative from all departments must attend. Each representative shared what their team would be covering during the holiday season, what journalists call "evergreen" season. Evergreen is a term used by journalists to refer to content that is not time sensitive and always relevant. Pushing out evergreen content during the holiday season is especially important, as most people loose interest in hard-core breaking news during this time of year. For Dom and the engagement team, it was important to attend this meeting so that they may best prepare for how to push out and market the content that the Dallas Morning News is creating. Managing editor, Beth, collaborated with Dom and the interactives team representative on new ways to engage readers such as figuring out which articles would need interactive maps or illustrations.
Goal: Finish original work
Goal: Finish original work
Week of November 12th - 17th
Recap: Wednesday, I visited Dom at the Dallas Morning News. Much of our visit included me interviewing Dom on Reddit for my original work research paper. The rest of the week I was busy working on finishing my mascot article for Lifestyle Frisco. I'd never done such a large feature piece before, and it was a lot of work but worth it. I was very happy with the final product. "A Day in the Life of Frisco's 2018-19 High School Mascots" was published on Thanksgiving.
Goal: Continue progress on original work
Goal: Continue progress on original work
Week of November 5th - 10th
Recap: Monday moring, I published "4 Takeaways from the Blasey Ford Kavanaugh Hearing" on my blog, Party For ONE. After following the controversy closely for months, I felt strongly about creating a post that shared my takeaways as a feminist and a journalist but that also included the optimistic outlook of celebration that Party For ONE was made to encourage. My goal through the blog is creating positive,. impactful media. During class, I presented my first research speech of the year. Overall, I feel positively about my presentation.
On Tuesday, I visited Lauren Smart, associate professor of journalism at Southern Methodist University, at the Meadows journalism school. I first met Lauren last year as a student in her Storytellers Without Borders program. She’s served as a mentor to me ever since, and I had been very eager to reconnect with her. After Lauren gave me a tour of the journalism department, I sat in on her intro to reporting class. Students were pitching their story idea to the editor of the SMU digital only publication, the Daily Campus., From 5-7 p.m. I sat in the student newsroom and watched the polls. Students were working effortlessly to send out regular updates on the Daily website and social media. Later that night, I walked over to a performance hall to sit in on a SMU Tate Talk with New York Times foreign correspondent, Thomas Friedman. Listening to Friedman's presentation on what he calls "the age of acceleration" was incredibly interesting, as he discussed how the rate of change in technology is affecting humankind. According to Friedman, "learning faster and governing smarter" is the only way to get human adaptability to the same speed as changing technology.
Goals: Finish Lifestyle Frisco article
On Tuesday, I visited Lauren Smart, associate professor of journalism at Southern Methodist University, at the Meadows journalism school. I first met Lauren last year as a student in her Storytellers Without Borders program. She’s served as a mentor to me ever since, and I had been very eager to reconnect with her. After Lauren gave me a tour of the journalism department, I sat in on her intro to reporting class. Students were pitching their story idea to the editor of the SMU digital only publication, the Daily Campus., From 5-7 p.m. I sat in the student newsroom and watched the polls. Students were working effortlessly to send out regular updates on the Daily website and social media. Later that night, I walked over to a performance hall to sit in on a SMU Tate Talk with New York Times foreign correspondent, Thomas Friedman. Listening to Friedman's presentation on what he calls "the age of acceleration" was incredibly interesting, as he discussed how the rate of change in technology is affecting humankind. According to Friedman, "learning faster and governing smarter" is the only way to get human adaptability to the same speed as changing technology.
Goals: Finish Lifestyle Frisco article
Week of October 29th - November 2nd
Recap: To continue hosting meaningful conversation with Dallas Morning News audience members, Dominick decided to administer a live AMA with five Texas reporters covering the Beto v. Cruz race gaining national attention. The AMA was to take place on the r/politics subreddit, a platform with over 4 million subscribers. Reporters included Gromer Jeffers of the Dallas Morning News, Bud Kennedy of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Abby Livingston of the Texas Tribune, Madlin Mekelburg of the El Paso Times, and Jeremy Wallace of the Houston Chronicle. On Tuesday at 1 p.m., I met Dominick at the Dallas Morning News to observe the live AMA. Gromer Jeffers, two other political Dallas Morning News reporters, and their white house correspondent joined us in a conference room to help answer questions and guide discussion. Dominick livestreamed the hour-long event on a streaming service for Twitter called Perescope, as he said it was important to provide consumers with more than one medium to observe the AMA on. While Reddit is used around the world, the average person often opts to skip long pieces of text. Watching a narrated version of the AMA might be more appealing to some audience members.
Overall, the AMA was highly successful. Redditers from around the world tuned in with meaningful, thought-provoking questions about the globally covered race between Beto and Cruz. Reporters answered questions to the best of their ability, including questions over where to find the best barbeque in Texas and what reporters order at Whataburger. With users chiming in from Sweden and Norway, it was amazing to see the extensive reach that journalism can have through a platform such as Reddit.
Goal: Continue progress on original work
Overall, the AMA was highly successful. Redditers from around the world tuned in with meaningful, thought-provoking questions about the globally covered race between Beto and Cruz. Reporters answered questions to the best of their ability, including questions over where to find the best barbeque in Texas and what reporters order at Whataburger. With users chiming in from Sweden and Norway, it was amazing to see the extensive reach that journalism can have through a platform such as Reddit.
Goal: Continue progress on original work
Week of October 15th - 20th
Recap: Tuesday, the 16th, I visited Dom at the Dallas Morning News. Dom was preparing for a talk he was going to be giving the following day on Reddit for a group of engagement journalists called Gather. The community is stationed in newsroom's across the country and features journalists who deal with audience engagement and new media. They share advice, research, and work through a slack chat board and their website. Dom encouraged me to reach out to the platform's founder, Joy Mayor, and see about becoming a member of the group. After completing a form on the Gather website, I was granted access to the Gather community. The next day, I tuned in to a group video chat where journalists including Dom, Bobby Blanchard from the Texas Tribune, and Gene Park from the Washington Post were discussing how journalists could begin to incorporate Reddit into their newsrooms. I am very thankful for the opportunity to learn from the amazing journalists that makeup Gather, especially as I take on my research over Reddit.
Goals: Begin research and prepare questions to ask Dom on October 30th.
Goals: Begin research and prepare questions to ask Dom on October 30th.
Week of October 8th - 13th
Recap: Much of this week was spent preparing for my original work and executing its proposal. As this is my first time creating a first semester original work, I was uncertain of what to pursue through this project. By working with my mentor Dom, recently, I've been introduced to Reddit and how this social platform is becoming a hot spot for news media content. My conversations with Dom about Reddit led to discussions about the niche, often strange online communities formed through subreddits. In the past year, one specific subreddit, r/incels, made national news headlines. Incels are men who identify as virgins, but strongly resent and blame women for this as they regard them as evil. Thanks to the concept of subreddits, this terrifying online cult-like community was able to form. Although I will not be conducting research on incels, I will be conducting research on how Reddit is contributing to innovations within the digital news space, how online communities form, and why these communities should be important to journalists. My research will be conducted in the form of a paper. I hope to get this paper published.
Goals: Begin working on original work and Lifestyle Frisco article.
Goals: Begin working on original work and Lifestyle Frisco article.
Week of October 1st - 6th
Recap: On Friday, I attended the 2018 Business Symposium with my ISM classmates. This annual event is a giant conference for the FISD independent study and mentorship students, where they can work on skills such as networking, interviewing, resumes, and more, as the year is gets started. My second year at the symposium, I was asked to answer the questions of all ISM 1 students. It was neat getting to learn about all the unique topics these students are exploring. I hope I was able to contribute meaningful advice.
This Thursday, I met with my new mentor, Dom. He was currently working on an engagement plan for a long feature, interactive piece about the police shooting of an innocent 15-year-old boy, Jordan Edwards. The piece, 9 Seconds, gives meaningful insightful into the shooting from all points of view, including Jordan himself, his brother who was driving when Jordan was shot, the police officer who mistakenly shot him, the prosecution, and the defense. A beautiful piece of journalism, the story also includes many interactive features including footage when the shooting took place, audio of Jordan's brother praying with a police officer, and a detailed set of illustrations that explains the order of events. Dom let me take a sneak peak at the story, as it was published this Sunday, and showed me how he makes engagement plans for articles that are about to be released. The engagement plan's purpose is to make sure that the article is made visible to many different audiences on all types of platforms, from Reddit, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and the weekly Dallas Morning News e-mail newsletters. Audience engagement in the newsroom is the exact kind of work I am interested in pursuing. as it is so important for the sustainability of good journalism.
Although I use almost every social platform, I am quite unfamiliar with Reddit. Dom explained to me that Reddit is a rising platform that is a great outlet for news media, as things are posted in specific sub-reddits that certain groups of people are subscribed to and identify with. Sub-reddits can become quite niche and even exclusive. For my original work, I am interested in conducting research on these internet communities.
Goals: Complete original work proposal by October 10th
This Thursday, I met with my new mentor, Dom. He was currently working on an engagement plan for a long feature, interactive piece about the police shooting of an innocent 15-year-old boy, Jordan Edwards. The piece, 9 Seconds, gives meaningful insightful into the shooting from all points of view, including Jordan himself, his brother who was driving when Jordan was shot, the police officer who mistakenly shot him, the prosecution, and the defense. A beautiful piece of journalism, the story also includes many interactive features including footage when the shooting took place, audio of Jordan's brother praying with a police officer, and a detailed set of illustrations that explains the order of events. Dom let me take a sneak peak at the story, as it was published this Sunday, and showed me how he makes engagement plans for articles that are about to be released. The engagement plan's purpose is to make sure that the article is made visible to many different audiences on all types of platforms, from Reddit, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and the weekly Dallas Morning News e-mail newsletters. Audience engagement in the newsroom is the exact kind of work I am interested in pursuing. as it is so important for the sustainability of good journalism.
Although I use almost every social platform, I am quite unfamiliar with Reddit. Dom explained to me that Reddit is a rising platform that is a great outlet for news media, as things are posted in specific sub-reddits that certain groups of people are subscribed to and identify with. Sub-reddits can become quite niche and even exclusive. For my original work, I am interested in conducting research on these internet communities.
Goals: Complete original work proposal by October 10th
Week of September 24th - 29th
Recap: In preparation for the annual FISD Business Symposium, happening next week, I sat in as a student moderator for our class' mock symposium. One by one, students came to me for a mock interview, where I asked them a series of questions that they can plan to expect to hear from business professionals at the symposium. After each interview, I would the student a review of their performance, including compliments of what they were doing well, areas in which they could improve, and suggestions for improving their resume. Although I still have much to learn, I hope I was able to be of some guidance to those in the place I once was.
Later in the week, my editor at Lifestyle Frisco pitched a really neat story idea to me. Nicole, my editor, said a good friend of her's daughter is the Reedy High School mascot. Her name is Amanda Hall. She has a bright, bubbly personality and loves being the mascot for her school. Nicole suggested I do a story on what it's like being a mascot, as it's a subject rarely talked nor cared about, in high school life. Since our conversation, I've decided to do a piece titled "A Day in the Life of a High School Mascot". I'll include interviews with all of the Frisco high school mascots and publish photos of them in and out of the uniform. This past week, I've spent my free time trying to acquire the names and contact information for these individuals. So far I have the contact info for all but two of the high schools.
Next week, I plan to meet with Dominick DiFurio, web producer for the Dallas Morning News and confirm/review the details of our mentorship. I'm very eager to begin working alongside him and those on the DMN engagement team.
Goals: Confirm mentoship with Dom and begin drafting Lifestyle Frisco piece.
Later in the week, my editor at Lifestyle Frisco pitched a really neat story idea to me. Nicole, my editor, said a good friend of her's daughter is the Reedy High School mascot. Her name is Amanda Hall. She has a bright, bubbly personality and loves being the mascot for her school. Nicole suggested I do a story on what it's like being a mascot, as it's a subject rarely talked nor cared about, in high school life. Since our conversation, I've decided to do a piece titled "A Day in the Life of a High School Mascot". I'll include interviews with all of the Frisco high school mascots and publish photos of them in and out of the uniform. This past week, I've spent my free time trying to acquire the names and contact information for these individuals. So far I have the contact info for all but two of the high schools.
Next week, I plan to meet with Dominick DiFurio, web producer for the Dallas Morning News and confirm/review the details of our mentorship. I'm very eager to begin working alongside him and those on the DMN engagement team.
Goals: Confirm mentoship with Dom and begin drafting Lifestyle Frisco piece.
Week of September 17th - 22nd
Recap: On Wednesday, I met with Dominick Difurio, Web Producer for the Dallas Morning News. Dominick was a wonderful resource to me, as he just recently graduated from Arizona State University, a few years ago. A multimedia journalist, Dominick takes stories and makes them better fit for the digital and mobile space, whether that be through a short video, visuals, audio, or illustrations. He also spends much of his time making sure the Dallas Morning News is reaching their audiences through social media. To my delight, Dominick offered to mentor me, this school year. I plan to take him up on that offer.
After our meeting, Dominick invited me to join him in the newsroom for a Facebook LIVE interview. Editor in-chief, Mike Wilson was meeting with 3 men leading a movement for justice for Mr. Botham Jean, a man shot in his own apartment by a Dallas police officer, last week. The Dallas Morning News reported a detail given to them by the official crime scene report that there was marijuana and a gun found in his apartment. This information went out on the day of Mr. Jean's funeral and his community was not happy with what they felt was an unfit and demeaning portrayal of him, by the media. On Friday the 21st, men and women from Botham's community and black lives matter activists came to the Dallas Morning News to protest. Unfortunately, Editor, Mike Wilson and many other journalists were in Austin for the Online News Association annual conference. Back in town, Mike Wilson wanted to discuss, for a live audience to see, how the Dallas Morning News could better represent Botham Jean and his community, through this interview.
Witnessing the newsroom and an unrepresented community coming together to make Dallas a better place felt like a monumental moment. Effective news media addresses the needs and concerns of its community. I applaud the Dallas Morning News for having these crucial conversations with the community their coverage impact's.
Goals: Confirm mentorship with Dom within the next two weeks.
After our meeting, Dominick invited me to join him in the newsroom for a Facebook LIVE interview. Editor in-chief, Mike Wilson was meeting with 3 men leading a movement for justice for Mr. Botham Jean, a man shot in his own apartment by a Dallas police officer, last week. The Dallas Morning News reported a detail given to them by the official crime scene report that there was marijuana and a gun found in his apartment. This information went out on the day of Mr. Jean's funeral and his community was not happy with what they felt was an unfit and demeaning portrayal of him, by the media. On Friday the 21st, men and women from Botham's community and black lives matter activists came to the Dallas Morning News to protest. Unfortunately, Editor, Mike Wilson and many other journalists were in Austin for the Online News Association annual conference. Back in town, Mike Wilson wanted to discuss, for a live audience to see, how the Dallas Morning News could better represent Botham Jean and his community, through this interview.
Witnessing the newsroom and an unrepresented community coming together to make Dallas a better place felt like a monumental moment. Effective news media addresses the needs and concerns of its community. I applaud the Dallas Morning News for having these crucial conversations with the community their coverage impact's.
Goals: Confirm mentorship with Dom within the next two weeks.
Week of September 10th - 15th
Recap: This week, I continued reaching out to contacts for interviews. To my delight, I was able to schedule an interview with Dominick Difurio, Web Producer for the Dallas Morning News. I first met Dom through the Storytellers Without Borders program and he had been immensely helpful just in our brief encounters. Dom actually created and pitched the web producer position to his work, because it was yet to be established at the Dallas Morning News. There is so much I could learn from Dom, as he contributes to innovations within his newsroom. Dom also graduated from the j-school at Arizona State University, a school I am interested in, so I look forward to hearing about his experiences there.
On Friday, I met with Lifestyle Frisco CEO, Wendi McGowan Ellis, editor in-chief, Nicole Barron, and director of client relations, Kelly Walker. This summer, I had met with Wendi about ways in which I could get involved with Lifestyle Frisco. Last week, she asked me to join the team as a contributing writer. At our meeting, the team went over how to use the Lifestyle Frisco Wordpress, how to pitch stories, and spent time setting up a personalized Lifestyle Frisco email and biography. As a high school student who began this journey only a year ago, it feels unreal to already have a paid freelance gig. I was asked to come onto the team, specifically to cover topics that would appeal to "youth"/young adults in Frisco. Now, I have to start brainstorming ideas and get writing.
This weekend, the Online News Association held its annual conference in Austin. Thousands of journalists from around the country attended, including many colleagues of mine from the Dallas Morning News. Although I was unable to attend myself, I tried to absorb as much knowledge as possible by listening to the "ONA On Air" podcast and watching live streams of different sessions. The conference has gained so much momentum just within the last 5 years. I can't begin to imagine what ONA will be doing 5 years from now.
Goals: Schedule two more interviews this week.
On Friday, I met with Lifestyle Frisco CEO, Wendi McGowan Ellis, editor in-chief, Nicole Barron, and director of client relations, Kelly Walker. This summer, I had met with Wendi about ways in which I could get involved with Lifestyle Frisco. Last week, she asked me to join the team as a contributing writer. At our meeting, the team went over how to use the Lifestyle Frisco Wordpress, how to pitch stories, and spent time setting up a personalized Lifestyle Frisco email and biography. As a high school student who began this journey only a year ago, it feels unreal to already have a paid freelance gig. I was asked to come onto the team, specifically to cover topics that would appeal to "youth"/young adults in Frisco. Now, I have to start brainstorming ideas and get writing.
This weekend, the Online News Association held its annual conference in Austin. Thousands of journalists from around the country attended, including many colleagues of mine from the Dallas Morning News. Although I was unable to attend myself, I tried to absorb as much knowledge as possible by listening to the "ONA On Air" podcast and watching live streams of different sessions. The conference has gained so much momentum just within the last 5 years. I can't begin to imagine what ONA will be doing 5 years from now.
Goals: Schedule two more interviews this week.
Week of September 3rd - 8th
Recap: Finally adjusted to my senior year schedule, I now find myself eager and prepared to continue my independent study at full force. My goal this year is to expand my network, secure a mentor who is contributing to innovations in the digital news space, gain hands on experience, and add to my portfolio. This week I began reaching out to different professionals. Asides from rekindling with previously established connections, I hope to interview new faces. By Wednesday, 9/12, I need to have two interviews scheduled.
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to meet with an ISM I journalism student from Heritage High School, Sydnee Brown. Ms. Brown is under the direction of Mr. Matt Pirtle, the same ISM teacher I had last year, and he referred me to her as a source of advice. One year ago to the day, I remember being in the exact same spot as her when I met with an ISM II journalism student. It's hard to believe that only a year later, I am the one giving the advice. Brown told me she hopes to pursue international journalism but is unsure of how to find success in the declining field - something I remember being very weary of. I shared my story story with her, answered any questions, and tried to inspire her as much as I could. Like D Magazine managing editor, Christiana Nielson, told me on my first ISM interview, "It's not easy, but if you want to do it, you will."
On Friday, I am meeting with the CEO and editor in-chief of Lifestyle Frisco, a digital only local news publication. CEO. Wendi McGowan-Ellis has recruited myself as a contributing writer and wants me to focus on topics that would be of interest to Frisco's youth. Lifestyle Frisco is one of the city's only news publication is emerging successfully online and for this reason, I'm very excited to work with them. I feel l'll gain valuable work to add to my portfolio and also, wonderful training from the Lifestyle Frisco staff.
Goal: Interview 2 professionals by September 24th.
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to meet with an ISM I journalism student from Heritage High School, Sydnee Brown. Ms. Brown is under the direction of Mr. Matt Pirtle, the same ISM teacher I had last year, and he referred me to her as a source of advice. One year ago to the day, I remember being in the exact same spot as her when I met with an ISM II journalism student. It's hard to believe that only a year later, I am the one giving the advice. Brown told me she hopes to pursue international journalism but is unsure of how to find success in the declining field - something I remember being very weary of. I shared my story story with her, answered any questions, and tried to inspire her as much as I could. Like D Magazine managing editor, Christiana Nielson, told me on my first ISM interview, "It's not easy, but if you want to do it, you will."
On Friday, I am meeting with the CEO and editor in-chief of Lifestyle Frisco, a digital only local news publication. CEO. Wendi McGowan-Ellis has recruited myself as a contributing writer and wants me to focus on topics that would be of interest to Frisco's youth. Lifestyle Frisco is one of the city's only news publication is emerging successfully online and for this reason, I'm very excited to work with them. I feel l'll gain valuable work to add to my portfolio and also, wonderful training from the Lifestyle Frisco staff.
Goal: Interview 2 professionals by September 24th.
Week of August 27th - September 1st
Recap: Diving back into ISM, this past week I gave an introductory speech to my class about myself and my topic. Although this is my second year studying new media and I have a proficient understanding of my topic, it was very helpful to refresh myself over exactly what I will be aiming to pursue this year. After 3 months of not giving presentations, it was also very helpful to re-evaluate my presenting skills. This year, I hope to work on maintaining better eye contact with my audience.
These next few weeks, I hope to begin interviewing with professionals. I already reached out to my colleague Wendi McGowan-Ellis at Lifestyle Frisco. Whether it is writing articles, reporting, or hosting a podcast, Wendi would like for me to help with bringing a youthful voice to the company. I also plan to reach out to Hannah Wise, Dallas Morning News' engagement editor.
Besides planning for future interviews, I spent the past week learning about a new system of de-centralized digital currency called Blockchain that is predicted to open a new frontier for journalism. With Blockchain, Civil Media Group has created a token currency called CVL tokens that can be used to support ethical, sustainable journalism. Civil's community claims that they will be governing that publishers are always adhering to "the highest journalistic standards". With Civil Tokens, users can support and vote for what journalism should be put on the platform. They will also support ethical news financially, as this these tokens are a digital currency, easily compared to Bitcoin. My research in this new technology has only just begun, and I plan to continue educating myself about Blockchain and Civil for the entirety of this year, as this proves exciting opportunities for digital journalism.
Goals: Meet with Hannah Wise and Wendi McGowan Ellis within the next two weeks.
These next few weeks, I hope to begin interviewing with professionals. I already reached out to my colleague Wendi McGowan-Ellis at Lifestyle Frisco. Whether it is writing articles, reporting, or hosting a podcast, Wendi would like for me to help with bringing a youthful voice to the company. I also plan to reach out to Hannah Wise, Dallas Morning News' engagement editor.
Besides planning for future interviews, I spent the past week learning about a new system of de-centralized digital currency called Blockchain that is predicted to open a new frontier for journalism. With Blockchain, Civil Media Group has created a token currency called CVL tokens that can be used to support ethical, sustainable journalism. Civil's community claims that they will be governing that publishers are always adhering to "the highest journalistic standards". With Civil Tokens, users can support and vote for what journalism should be put on the platform. They will also support ethical news financially, as this these tokens are a digital currency, easily compared to Bitcoin. My research in this new technology has only just begun, and I plan to continue educating myself about Blockchain and Civil for the entirety of this year, as this proves exciting opportunities for digital journalism.
Goals: Meet with Hannah Wise and Wendi McGowan Ellis within the next two weeks.
Week of August 20th - 25th
Recap: This week, I began senior year and my second year as an Independent Study and Mentor-ship student. Most of the week was spent getting to know my classmates and going over what this year would look like in ISM.
While ISM I students were setting up their new digital portfolios, I spent some time re-organizing my own. I worked on my resume, making sure it is up to date and professional. Under my original work tab, I added some updates such as fashion blogging I've done with Wristem LLC, a local accessories company, I also added links to last year's original work, the Party For ONE podcast.
This next week, I plan to begin working on my first presentation of the year. From there, I plan to start organizing interviews with local journalists as I seek out my next mentor. While looking for possible mentors, I will reach out to many strong existing connections I already have, such as former teacher and friend, Lauren Smart, professor of journalism at Southern Methodist University, Hannah Wise, engagement editor at the Dallas Morning News, and Wendi McGowan Ellis, CEO of Lifestyle Frisco. Each of these women have already empowered me so much and I hope to continue relationships with these unofficial mentors.
Goals: Schedule an interview by August 31st.
While ISM I students were setting up their new digital portfolios, I spent some time re-organizing my own. I worked on my resume, making sure it is up to date and professional. Under my original work tab, I added some updates such as fashion blogging I've done with Wristem LLC, a local accessories company, I also added links to last year's original work, the Party For ONE podcast.
This next week, I plan to begin working on my first presentation of the year. From there, I plan to start organizing interviews with local journalists as I seek out my next mentor. While looking for possible mentors, I will reach out to many strong existing connections I already have, such as former teacher and friend, Lauren Smart, professor of journalism at Southern Methodist University, Hannah Wise, engagement editor at the Dallas Morning News, and Wendi McGowan Ellis, CEO of Lifestyle Frisco. Each of these women have already empowered me so much and I hope to continue relationships with these unofficial mentors.
Goals: Schedule an interview by August 31st.
ISM I
Weeks of March 2nd - 14th
Recap: The week of March 2nd was quite eventful. On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to speak on a panel for Dallas Start-up Week, thanks to my teacher and mentor through Storytellers Without Borders, Lauren Smart. I spoke alongside four of my peers, in the class, at "Activating Youth For Social Change and Entrepreneurship", a Dallas Start-up Week event held at The Wild Detectives in Bishop Arts District. Representing Storytellers Without Borders, I shared my experience in the class, including a story I had been working on, and why supporting young people is so important.
Wednesday was the final meeting for Storytellers Without Borders and for our last ooh-rah, we met at the Dallas Morning News. Marina Martinez, a journalist for the Dallas Morning News and Storytellers Without Borders mentor gave our class a tour of the entire office space. Our meeting concluded with pizza and conversation with chief editor of Dallas News, Mike Wilson. Mr. Wilson shared his experience in the field of journalism, insights about beginning a career in news, and took some time to ask about the stories we had been working on; what we had learned through the process. Getting to visit the Dallas Morning News was a surreal experience, especially visiting with Mike Wilson. Over the past 9 weeks, Storytellers Without Borders has been a truly amazing learning opportunity. The following day, my story, "Classes adequate but not equal for special education students in Frisco" was published on swbdallas.org.
Thursday, I had my usual meeting with Alex, at D Magazine. The team is releasing an additional magazine issue on urban-ism, aside from the usual monthly print issue, so everyone has been doing their best to catch up and crank out stories for this issue, along with the other scheduled content. Because of this, I sat in on an interview Alex was conducting with Mr. Thomas Simpson, on the dilemma of what to do with the always empty fair park parking spaces. Simpson, a consultant and project manager, has proposed a plan to develop this land into affordable housing units, as he believes it is a use that will benefit not only the fair grounds, but the city as a whole. Observing this interview was quite interesting. I very much enjoyed getting to learn more about the future of Dallas' urban landscape, while also seeing how Alex conducts interviews.
Saturday, the 7th, I hosted a panel with young adult author, Kayla Cagan, at the Dallas Book Festival. The opportunity was presented to me by Lauren Smart, journalist, professor at SMU, and founder of Storytellers Without Borders. Although I felt a bit out of my element, as I'd never hosted a panel before, nonetheless about books, the interview went wonderfully. Mrs. Kayla Cagan was a joy to talk with, extremely kind, funny, and down to earth. Kayla and I took photos, of which she shared on social media, chatted before and after our interview, and she even gave me a copy of her new book Art Boss, that is to be released in the fall. Hosting this panel was a ton of fun and something I definitely would like to do again.
I'm extremely grateful for Lauren Smart, as she's given me so many opportunities through not only her class, but through her connections. I hope to continue this relationship, into the future, as there is so much I feel I have and can learn from her.
The week of the 9th has consisted is lots of audio editing, for the podcast, Currently, the first episode is completely edited. All I need to do now is create an intro and outro and transitions.
Goals: By April 23rd, I'd like to have the first episode of the podcast submitted to iTunes.
Wednesday was the final meeting for Storytellers Without Borders and for our last ooh-rah, we met at the Dallas Morning News. Marina Martinez, a journalist for the Dallas Morning News and Storytellers Without Borders mentor gave our class a tour of the entire office space. Our meeting concluded with pizza and conversation with chief editor of Dallas News, Mike Wilson. Mr. Wilson shared his experience in the field of journalism, insights about beginning a career in news, and took some time to ask about the stories we had been working on; what we had learned through the process. Getting to visit the Dallas Morning News was a surreal experience, especially visiting with Mike Wilson. Over the past 9 weeks, Storytellers Without Borders has been a truly amazing learning opportunity. The following day, my story, "Classes adequate but not equal for special education students in Frisco" was published on swbdallas.org.
Thursday, I had my usual meeting with Alex, at D Magazine. The team is releasing an additional magazine issue on urban-ism, aside from the usual monthly print issue, so everyone has been doing their best to catch up and crank out stories for this issue, along with the other scheduled content. Because of this, I sat in on an interview Alex was conducting with Mr. Thomas Simpson, on the dilemma of what to do with the always empty fair park parking spaces. Simpson, a consultant and project manager, has proposed a plan to develop this land into affordable housing units, as he believes it is a use that will benefit not only the fair grounds, but the city as a whole. Observing this interview was quite interesting. I very much enjoyed getting to learn more about the future of Dallas' urban landscape, while also seeing how Alex conducts interviews.
Saturday, the 7th, I hosted a panel with young adult author, Kayla Cagan, at the Dallas Book Festival. The opportunity was presented to me by Lauren Smart, journalist, professor at SMU, and founder of Storytellers Without Borders. Although I felt a bit out of my element, as I'd never hosted a panel before, nonetheless about books, the interview went wonderfully. Mrs. Kayla Cagan was a joy to talk with, extremely kind, funny, and down to earth. Kayla and I took photos, of which she shared on social media, chatted before and after our interview, and she even gave me a copy of her new book Art Boss, that is to be released in the fall. Hosting this panel was a ton of fun and something I definitely would like to do again.
I'm extremely grateful for Lauren Smart, as she's given me so many opportunities through not only her class, but through her connections. I hope to continue this relationship, into the future, as there is so much I feel I have and can learn from her.
The week of the 9th has consisted is lots of audio editing, for the podcast, Currently, the first episode is completely edited. All I need to do now is create an intro and outro and transitions.
Goals: By April 23rd, I'd like to have the first episode of the podcast submitted to iTunes.
Weeks of March 19th - 31st
Recap: On Sunday, the 18th, I attended an organizer meeting for the student-led March For Our Lives, taking place the following Saturday. I was able to gain information through observation, student interviews, and take photos, as well. That week, I worked with Alex to put together "Dallas Area Students Will March for Their Lives", published Friday morning, before the march, on the 24th. This story was the first real news piece I'd ever covered, and it focused on the hot controversy of gun control. Completing this article was no easy task, but through Alex's guidance and the hand on experience, I feel I grew a lot, as a writer.
Also, these past couple of weeks I have been putting together a story for an 8-week class I am enrolled in, Storytellers Without Borders, sponsored by the Dallas Public Library and Dallas Morning News. I chose to write a story about the in-equal opportunity to education for North Texas special needs students, even in highly funded districts like Frisco ISD, in which I attend. For this story, I did a lot of research, digging into Texas Education Agency records and such. I also interviewed a special education aide and now clerk, at my high school, who has been in special education for quite some time. Currently, i am working with my mentor for the class, Arnessa Garrett, associate business editor at The Dallas Morning News, to revise and fine tune this story.
Lastly, I have made significant progress, when it comes to my original work. Over the past two weeks, I had not only confirmed but recorded episodes with two podcast guests: Bailey Womack, stylist, and Mariel Pohlman, artist.
Goals: Now that I have two episodes of the podcast recorded, it is time to begin the editing process. I hope to have the first episode finished by 4/16.
Also, these past couple of weeks I have been putting together a story for an 8-week class I am enrolled in, Storytellers Without Borders, sponsored by the Dallas Public Library and Dallas Morning News. I chose to write a story about the in-equal opportunity to education for North Texas special needs students, even in highly funded districts like Frisco ISD, in which I attend. For this story, I did a lot of research, digging into Texas Education Agency records and such. I also interviewed a special education aide and now clerk, at my high school, who has been in special education for quite some time. Currently, i am working with my mentor for the class, Arnessa Garrett, associate business editor at The Dallas Morning News, to revise and fine tune this story.
Lastly, I have made significant progress, when it comes to my original work. Over the past two weeks, I had not only confirmed but recorded episodes with two podcast guests: Bailey Womack, stylist, and Mariel Pohlman, artist.
Goals: Now that I have two episodes of the podcast recorded, it is time to begin the editing process. I hope to have the first episode finished by 4/16.
Weeks of March 5th - 17th
Recap: This week, I was able to finalize an original work product and begin writing up a proposal for it. After some deep consideration, I've decided to create a podcast for Party For ONE. I've always loved podcasts. They're entertaining, convenient, and free. I've toyed around with the idea of hosting some sort of talk show for my website, in the past, that I could use to interview different artists living in DFW. I've made so many connections with a plethora of talented creatives whom I've always wanted to showcase. Starting a podcast would be the perfect way to do such. I've decided the first series will be called, "Celebrating Young Artists". For more updates on the podcast, click here.
Spring break began on the 9th and for the first weekend, I went on my first college visit to University of Missouri, in Columbia, MO. Mizzou has become my first choice, for college, as of late, as it is the place to be for journalism. The University has over 30 majors to choose from, within the journalism school, and I'm interested in their emerging media program. Ultimately, visiting the school was a wonderful experience. I was able to get a full tour of the Reynolds Institute for Journalism and visit The Missourian, Columbia's newspaper that hires tons of students, across the street. Towards the end of our trip, I met up with a family friend who is currently a freshman journalism student at Mizzou. She has loved her time there, thus far, and gave me a lot of insight into what the j-school and campus life, in general, is like. After visiting this school, I can very confidently say that I believe MIzzou would be an amazing opportunity for me, as I hope to continue pursuing a career in this field. Although I am already eligible for acceptance, the finances are not there... Time to start working for those scholarships.
Goals: Begin writing new piece for D Magazine on the Dallas March For Our Lives and contact guests for podcast.
Spring break began on the 9th and for the first weekend, I went on my first college visit to University of Missouri, in Columbia, MO. Mizzou has become my first choice, for college, as of late, as it is the place to be for journalism. The University has over 30 majors to choose from, within the journalism school, and I'm interested in their emerging media program. Ultimately, visiting the school was a wonderful experience. I was able to get a full tour of the Reynolds Institute for Journalism and visit The Missourian, Columbia's newspaper that hires tons of students, across the street. Towards the end of our trip, I met up with a family friend who is currently a freshman journalism student at Mizzou. She has loved her time there, thus far, and gave me a lot of insight into what the j-school and campus life, in general, is like. After visiting this school, I can very confidently say that I believe MIzzou would be an amazing opportunity for me, as I hope to continue pursuing a career in this field. Although I am already eligible for acceptance, the finances are not there... Time to start working for those scholarships.
Goals: Begin writing new piece for D Magazine on the Dallas March For Our Lives and contact guests for podcast.
Weeks of February 19th - March 3rd
Recap: A story I completed over the St. Andrew UMC Prom Closet was published, "Prom Closet Gets High Schoolers Ready for the Big Dance for Free" to D Magazine, on Tuesday the 20th. Later that week, I was able to reflect back on my progress, in the field of journalism, thus far, as I re-applied for another year of ISM. Fortunately, I was accepted into the program, once again! I'm already looking forward to another year of growth and experience, as a journalist.
The following week, I came down with the flu, so let's just say, there was not much work happening then.
Goals: I want to begin narrowing down ideas for my original work, as spring approaches.
The following week, I came down with the flu, so let's just say, there was not much work happening then.
Goals: I want to begin narrowing down ideas for my original work, as spring approaches.
Weeks of February 5th - 17th
Recap: A lot has happened, in the past two weeks. On Tuesday, the 6th, I conducted my first interview for D Magazine, with St. Andrew United Methodist Church Prom Closet Organizer, Devra Helffrich, and was able to complete that story and send it to my mentor, last week. The Prom Closet story should be published very soon. I'm extremely satisfied with that piece. Wednesday, the 7th, I gave a 15 minute presentation to my ISM class, over my first semester experience, and my goals for the months ahead. This was a successful experience for me, as I, and my peers, could noticeably see my presentation skills improving, The following day, I met with Alex, for our weekly visit. After observing the usual web team meeting, Alex showed me the process he takes, when it comes to editing. I was able to learn a lot from that.
Last week, my main focus was my church's youth conference, taking place the following weekend, High Def, as I am head of social media, for them. For an event, such as this, the social media is vitally important. Creating content and editing photos, I worked to excite our followers about the upcoming event. That weekend, I spent most of my time taking photos and videos, editing and uploading them, as soon as possible. Our account received record-breaking numbers, due to this content. I am very proud of that. I also was able to get out another article on Party For ONE, chronicling the 2018 Dallas Women's March.
Goals: It's time for me to start honing in on my original work- what I desire to be a series of articles celebrating local artists, and a podcast series. This coming week, I would like to have contacted at least two individuals for interviews and start planning for what the podcast will look like.
Last week, my main focus was my church's youth conference, taking place the following weekend, High Def, as I am head of social media, for them. For an event, such as this, the social media is vitally important. Creating content and editing photos, I worked to excite our followers about the upcoming event. That weekend, I spent most of my time taking photos and videos, editing and uploading them, as soon as possible. Our account received record-breaking numbers, due to this content. I am very proud of that. I also was able to get out another article on Party For ONE, chronicling the 2018 Dallas Women's March.
Goals: It's time for me to start honing in on my original work- what I desire to be a series of articles celebrating local artists, and a podcast series. This coming week, I would like to have contacted at least two individuals for interviews and start planning for what the podcast will look like.
Week of January 15 - 20th
Recap: Overall, this past week was absolutely wonderful and quite productive, if I do say so myself. On Monday, I applied for the spring semester of Story Tellers Without Borders, a journalism program for high school students, sponsored by the Dallas Morning News and Dallas Public Libraries. This program was recommended to me by Mr. Matt Goodman, the Online Editor at D Magazine. I am extremely hopeful and eager to potentially be apart of this 8-week course. Wednesday evening was the 2018 ISM Winter Show Case. Prior to the event, I had no idea nor any expectations for what a truly amazing experience it would be. It was so wonderful to be able to display, in such a professional environment, all the work I have been completing, over this first semester. Seeing how interested my friends, family, and even strangers were interested in my topic was extremely satisfied and rewarding for me. Although not all moments, thus far, have been easy or enjoyable, the hard work truly pays off, especially in times like this. Wednesday morning I was also met with another pleasant surprise, as my article over, up and coming beauty store, Riley Rose, was published on D Magazine!
As an aspiring journalist, witnessing great, history making moments are what I live for. Because of this, I absolutely knew I was going to attend the Dallas Women's March, that took place, this past Saturday, as soon as I found out about it. Not only was the march empowering and beautiful to witness, but I was able to collect a plethora of quality photos and get word for word quotes from different speakers. I plan to write a really great story about this event, for my personal blog. I hope to continue finding other news-worthy events to attend in the DFW area, as they serve as wonderful reporting practices.
Goals: This next week, I have two main goals- first, I need to establish what I would like to do for my end of the year, original work. Secondly, I would like to post two stories on Party For ONE- a Women's March Recap and artist profile on young adult writer, AJ Addae.
As an aspiring journalist, witnessing great, history making moments are what I live for. Because of this, I absolutely knew I was going to attend the Dallas Women's March, that took place, this past Saturday, as soon as I found out about it. Not only was the march empowering and beautiful to witness, but I was able to collect a plethora of quality photos and get word for word quotes from different speakers. I plan to write a really great story about this event, for my personal blog. I hope to continue finding other news-worthy events to attend in the DFW area, as they serve as wonderful reporting practices.
Goals: This next week, I have two main goals- first, I need to establish what I would like to do for my end of the year, original work. Secondly, I would like to post two stories on Party For ONE- a Women's March Recap and artist profile on young adult writer, AJ Addae.
Week of January 1st - 6th
Monday 1/1: Celebrated New Years
Tuesday 1/2: Began revising Riley Rose piece for D Magazine.
Wednesday 1/3: Met with AJ Addae, young adult writer. Interviewed about her past work, motives driving her passion, view of individuality and self-celebration for partyforone.org.
Thursday 1/4: Began working on Artist Profile over AJ Addae.
Friday 1/5: Completed Evidence of Learning on first mentor visit with Alex Macon.
Saturday 1/6: Listened to Strong Opinions Loosely Held podcast "Lipstick Isn't a Sign of a Declining Mind", featuring Refinery 29's producer, Elisa Kreisinger and editor in-cheif, Christene Barberich, over the revolutionary power of fashion. Read news leisurely through Apple News.
Reflection: This week, i was able to conduct my first interview for my personal site, Party for ONE. The experience was so wonderful and something I definitely want to continue to do. I want to utilize the amazing artists, in my life, as creative fuel. There are some great stories found there. l also received revisions from Alex over the piece I completed featuring a new beauty store, Riley Rose. He wants me to take a second go at it, with his suggestions. I am extremely thankful for his supervision and I hope that it will allow me to, consequentially, become more critical of my writing.
Goals: I would like for my Riley Rose piece to be revised by my next mentor visit and the Artist Profile published by the following Friday. For the future, I would like to conduct more interviews, developing, further, my blog. Over all, I need to know my final project within the following weeks.
Tuesday 1/2: Began revising Riley Rose piece for D Magazine.
Wednesday 1/3: Met with AJ Addae, young adult writer. Interviewed about her past work, motives driving her passion, view of individuality and self-celebration for partyforone.org.
Thursday 1/4: Began working on Artist Profile over AJ Addae.
Friday 1/5: Completed Evidence of Learning on first mentor visit with Alex Macon.
Saturday 1/6: Listened to Strong Opinions Loosely Held podcast "Lipstick Isn't a Sign of a Declining Mind", featuring Refinery 29's producer, Elisa Kreisinger and editor in-cheif, Christene Barberich, over the revolutionary power of fashion. Read news leisurely through Apple News.
Reflection: This week, i was able to conduct my first interview for my personal site, Party for ONE. The experience was so wonderful and something I definitely want to continue to do. I want to utilize the amazing artists, in my life, as creative fuel. There are some great stories found there. l also received revisions from Alex over the piece I completed featuring a new beauty store, Riley Rose. He wants me to take a second go at it, with his suggestions. I am extremely thankful for his supervision and I hope that it will allow me to, consequentially, become more critical of my writing.
Goals: I would like for my Riley Rose piece to be revised by my next mentor visit and the Artist Profile published by the following Friday. For the future, I would like to conduct more interviews, developing, further, my blog. Over all, I need to know my final project within the following weeks.
Week of November 27th - December 2nd
Monday 11/27: Listened to Unstyled podcast by Refinery29 co-founder Christine Barberich, "Refinery29's Amy Emmerich and Elisa Kreisinger on brodcasting the revolution for women to see, feel, and claim their power.
Tuesday 11/28: Learned how to create a successful display board for winter show-case, and began brainstorming some ideas.
Wednesday 11/29: Prepared for visit with Alex the following day.
Thursday 11/30: Met with Alex Macon for first official mentor visit. Observed the dmagazine,com web editorial team meeting. Wrote piece assigned by Alex ."Chewbacca Joins Fort Worth PD Recruitment Video Gone Viral".
Friday 12/1: Completed interview assessment over interview with Mrs. Nancy Baldwin, freelance writer/editor.
Saturday 12/2: Attended Legacy Hall exclusive VIP opening in Legacy West. Took photos and began writing content.
Reflections: Getting a piece published online under my name, was a huge milestone for me that I definitely did not expect to happen this early on in the game! My first mentor visit was absolutely amazing and exceeded all of my expectations. Being able to sit in on the web team's meeting and simply being allowed to opportunity to work alongside such skilled journalists was an experience so rare, something most aspiring journalist students never get to have. This week was only the beginning on my relationship with Alex and the rest of D Magazine, and I absolutely cannot wait for the experiences to come.
Goals: Now that I have achieved my goal of simply being published, my goals are, in many ways, expanding. I hope to develop and execute well, some creative ideas for potential articles. As I set my foot out into the waters of freelance writing, I hope to grow my new writing skills, as so much more is required when writing to inform the public. I still feel that I lack the experience and formal training to be living up to my full potential as a writer. Time and hard work is my only route there. Also, I need to figure out what to do for an original work!
Tuesday 11/28: Learned how to create a successful display board for winter show-case, and began brainstorming some ideas.
Wednesday 11/29: Prepared for visit with Alex the following day.
Thursday 11/30: Met with Alex Macon for first official mentor visit. Observed the dmagazine,com web editorial team meeting. Wrote piece assigned by Alex ."Chewbacca Joins Fort Worth PD Recruitment Video Gone Viral".
Friday 12/1: Completed interview assessment over interview with Mrs. Nancy Baldwin, freelance writer/editor.
Saturday 12/2: Attended Legacy Hall exclusive VIP opening in Legacy West. Took photos and began writing content.
Reflections: Getting a piece published online under my name, was a huge milestone for me that I definitely did not expect to happen this early on in the game! My first mentor visit was absolutely amazing and exceeded all of my expectations. Being able to sit in on the web team's meeting and simply being allowed to opportunity to work alongside such skilled journalists was an experience so rare, something most aspiring journalist students never get to have. This week was only the beginning on my relationship with Alex and the rest of D Magazine, and I absolutely cannot wait for the experiences to come.
Goals: Now that I have achieved my goal of simply being published, my goals are, in many ways, expanding. I hope to develop and execute well, some creative ideas for potential articles. As I set my foot out into the waters of freelance writing, I hope to grow my new writing skills, as so much more is required when writing to inform the public. I still feel that I lack the experience and formal training to be living up to my full potential as a writer. Time and hard work is my only route there. Also, I need to figure out what to do for an original work!
Week of November 13th - 18th
Monday 11/13: Emailed Alex Macon about next steps, concerning mentor-ship. Delivered a 10 minute research presentation, an overview of everything I have learned about journalism, thus far, to my ISM class.
Tuesday 11/14: Worked on "Pale Waves, Dirty Hit Records & Redefining Pop". Created and posted social media content to advertise Preston Trail Student Ministry's 1st annual 'Friendsgiving" event.
Wednesday 11/15: Created and edited visual content for new article on partyforone.org.
Thursday 11/16: Completed research assessment over "Reporting From the Internet and Using Social Media", excerpted from Reuters' handbook.
Friday 11/17: Listened to ISM alum Broadcast Journalism student, Rachel, share her experience in the journalism field through ISM and her current experience in public relations, through the journalism school at University of North Texas.
Saturday 11/18: Took photos and posted content for PTSM's "Friendsgiving" event.
Reflection: A mentor-ship with Alex is now officially confirmed, and I am extremely excited to be getting things into the works. This week, as I gave my first research presentation, i was really able to look back and reflect on the work I have done so far, this year. It was definitely encouraging and inspiring to see how far I've come, as far as preparedness and understanding of my topic, in such a short amount of time. i also was able to post another article on my blog this week, which is always super exciting for me. Lastly, I set aside a decent amount of time to create content for my youth group's social media. I feel that overall, I had a very productive, purposeful week.
Goals: This week is Thanksgiving break, which means, even though I will still have to go to work, I will have a lot of more time on my hands. I aim to spend thorough time reading and consuming resourceful content this week and writing.
Tuesday 11/14: Worked on "Pale Waves, Dirty Hit Records & Redefining Pop". Created and posted social media content to advertise Preston Trail Student Ministry's 1st annual 'Friendsgiving" event.
Wednesday 11/15: Created and edited visual content for new article on partyforone.org.
Thursday 11/16: Completed research assessment over "Reporting From the Internet and Using Social Media", excerpted from Reuters' handbook.
Friday 11/17: Listened to ISM alum Broadcast Journalism student, Rachel, share her experience in the journalism field through ISM and her current experience in public relations, through the journalism school at University of North Texas.
Saturday 11/18: Took photos and posted content for PTSM's "Friendsgiving" event.
Reflection: A mentor-ship with Alex is now officially confirmed, and I am extremely excited to be getting things into the works. This week, as I gave my first research presentation, i was really able to look back and reflect on the work I have done so far, this year. It was definitely encouraging and inspiring to see how far I've come, as far as preparedness and understanding of my topic, in such a short amount of time. i also was able to post another article on my blog this week, which is always super exciting for me. Lastly, I set aside a decent amount of time to create content for my youth group's social media. I feel that overall, I had a very productive, purposeful week.
Goals: This week is Thanksgiving break, which means, even though I will still have to go to work, I will have a lot of more time on my hands. I aim to spend thorough time reading and consuming resourceful content this week and writing.
Week of November 6th-10th
Monday 11/6: Wrote out speech for research presentation.
Tuesday 11/7: Further worked on research presentation by creating visual aids.
Wednesday 11/8: Edited Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Linked-in bio's in order to form a more professional, strong online presence.
Thursday 11/9: Prepared for follow-up interview with Alex Macon. Practiced presenting research presentation.
Friday 11/10: Met with Alex and secured a mentor-ship!
Saturday 11/11: Created content for PTSM's social media. Wrote an article for Party For ONE, "Pale Waves; Redefining Pop".
Reflection: This week was a huge success, as I was able to secure a mentor-ship with Alex Macon of D Magazine! Alex is a wonderful resource and I'm learning so much from him already. After he clears the required "back-ground check" we will be meeting about once a week. I cannot wait for what is to come, but I know there is so much I will be able to take away from these new experiences that surpasses informational research by any means.
Goals: Now that I have a mentor-ship in the works, it's important to start putting in the work. I want to make the most out of this new, exciting opportunity. This will mean doing my research, being prepared for mentor visits, and devoting time to improve upon my writing.
Tuesday 11/7: Further worked on research presentation by creating visual aids.
Wednesday 11/8: Edited Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Linked-in bio's in order to form a more professional, strong online presence.
Thursday 11/9: Prepared for follow-up interview with Alex Macon. Practiced presenting research presentation.
Friday 11/10: Met with Alex and secured a mentor-ship!
Saturday 11/11: Created content for PTSM's social media. Wrote an article for Party For ONE, "Pale Waves; Redefining Pop".
Reflection: This week was a huge success, as I was able to secure a mentor-ship with Alex Macon of D Magazine! Alex is a wonderful resource and I'm learning so much from him already. After he clears the required "back-ground check" we will be meeting about once a week. I cannot wait for what is to come, but I know there is so much I will be able to take away from these new experiences that surpasses informational research by any means.
Goals: Now that I have a mentor-ship in the works, it's important to start putting in the work. I want to make the most out of this new, exciting opportunity. This will mean doing my research, being prepared for mentor visits, and devoting time to improve upon my writing.
Week of October 30th - November 4th
Monday 10/30: Published "Home not 'HOOD'" , an article over the rich history and culture of New York's hidden treasure, on Party for One.
Tuesday 10/31: Listened to podcast "How to Trick Yourself into Creative Career Success" by Andy J. Pizza. Researched college journalism programs.
Wednesday 11/1: Emailed Alex Macon about a follow-up interview,
Thursday 11/2: Confirmed follow-up interview with Alex Macon for November 10th.
Friday 11/3: Completed interview assessment over interview with Doug King, Editor of Dallas Style & Design. Began working on research presentation.
Saturday 11/4: Worked on research presentation, thoroughly for several hours.
Reflection: Finally getting another blog post up this week felt really nice. I definitely need to be posting more regularly (the problem is finding the time). I confirmed another meeting with Mr. Alex Macon, Online Managing Editor at D Magazine, and I am extremely excited about that. Hopefully, that goes well and we can maybe even possibly get a mentor-ship into place. This week, I also began my research presentation. There's honestly so much I am wanting to share- it's going to be hard to fit all of it into a 10 minute time frame!
Goals: My focus this upcoming week is to secure a mentor. I would like to have a mentor-ship set in stone, sometime before thanksgiving break. I feel this is a solid goal.
Tuesday 10/31: Listened to podcast "How to Trick Yourself into Creative Career Success" by Andy J. Pizza. Researched college journalism programs.
Wednesday 11/1: Emailed Alex Macon about a follow-up interview,
Thursday 11/2: Confirmed follow-up interview with Alex Macon for November 10th.
Friday 11/3: Completed interview assessment over interview with Doug King, Editor of Dallas Style & Design. Began working on research presentation.
Saturday 11/4: Worked on research presentation, thoroughly for several hours.
Reflection: Finally getting another blog post up this week felt really nice. I definitely need to be posting more regularly (the problem is finding the time). I confirmed another meeting with Mr. Alex Macon, Online Managing Editor at D Magazine, and I am extremely excited about that. Hopefully, that goes well and we can maybe even possibly get a mentor-ship into place. This week, I also began my research presentation. There's honestly so much I am wanting to share- it's going to be hard to fit all of it into a 10 minute time frame!
Goals: My focus this upcoming week is to secure a mentor. I would like to have a mentor-ship set in stone, sometime before thanksgiving break. I feel this is a solid goal.
Week of October 23rd - 28th
Monday 10/23: Decided on top 3 professionals as candidates for a mentor.
Tuesday 10/24: Reviewed how to conduct follow-up interviews with possible mentors.
Wednesday 10/25: Began working on article over the Bronx, NY for personal blog www.partyforone.org
Thursday 10/26: Read article over how to write story leads. Began working on research and interview assessment over interview with Alex Macon, online managing editor at D Magazine..
Friday 10/27: Finished research and interview assessment. Worked on article for personal blog.
Saturday 10/28: Created pro & con list in order to narrow down possible mentors.
Reflections: This week, besides my personal blog, I feel that I did not accomplish as much as I would have liked to. With my brother's birthday, my own birthday, and my best friend'birthday, it was a crazy busy week! I was able to thoroughly think over who I should follow up with as possible mentors, however. I have a pretty good idea of who I would like my mentor to be. Now, the next step is to schedule a follow up meeting and hopefully, secure a mentor.
Goals: This next week, I hope to conduct a couple follow up interviews, and through this, secure an amazing mentor.
Tuesday 10/24: Reviewed how to conduct follow-up interviews with possible mentors.
Wednesday 10/25: Began working on article over the Bronx, NY for personal blog www.partyforone.org
Thursday 10/26: Read article over how to write story leads. Began working on research and interview assessment over interview with Alex Macon, online managing editor at D Magazine..
Friday 10/27: Finished research and interview assessment. Worked on article for personal blog.
Saturday 10/28: Created pro & con list in order to narrow down possible mentors.
Reflections: This week, besides my personal blog, I feel that I did not accomplish as much as I would have liked to. With my brother's birthday, my own birthday, and my best friend'birthday, it was a crazy busy week! I was able to thoroughly think over who I should follow up with as possible mentors, however. I have a pretty good idea of who I would like my mentor to be. Now, the next step is to schedule a follow up meeting and hopefully, secure a mentor.
Goals: This next week, I hope to conduct a couple follow up interviews, and through this, secure an amazing mentor.
Week of October 16th - 21st
Monday 10/16: Delivered a presentation over the history and culture of the Bronx, NY. Prepared for interview with Paige Skinner, the following day.
Tuesday 10/17: Met with the Paige Skinner, Social Media Editor at Dallas Observer. Worked on writing skills through personal blog. Secured interview with Holland Murphy.
Wednesday 10/18: Met with Holland Murphy, Associate Editor at D Magazine. Wrote hand-written thank you notes for professionals who attended the FISD Business Symposium. Listened to podcast "The Marketing Method that I Built My Career On" by Andy J. Miller.
Thursday 10/19: Completed interview assessment over interview with Paige Skinner, Social Media Editor at the Dallas Observer. Prepared for interview with Alex Macon the following day.
Friday 10/20: Met with Alex Macon, Online Managing Editor at D Magazine. Completed researched assessment over "How journalists can become better interviewers." Wrote for personal blog.
Saturday 10/21: Wrote hand-written thank you cards for past interviews.
Reflection: This past week, I had the privilege of conducting three interviews with three different highly-qualified, amazing journalists. I was able to take away so much from each of these professionals during our time together. Overall, I am just so thankful for the amazing opportunities ISM has allowed me, thus far. i look forward to hopefully continuing these relationships, and I can't wait to secure a mentor with one of these oh so talented individuals.
Goals: Now it is time for me to start deciding who I would like my mentor to be. I hope to have narrowed my interest down to the top 3 and then, conduct follow-up interviews from there. I would like to have secured a mentor within the next 2 weeks.
Tuesday 10/17: Met with the Paige Skinner, Social Media Editor at Dallas Observer. Worked on writing skills through personal blog. Secured interview with Holland Murphy.
Wednesday 10/18: Met with Holland Murphy, Associate Editor at D Magazine. Wrote hand-written thank you notes for professionals who attended the FISD Business Symposium. Listened to podcast "The Marketing Method that I Built My Career On" by Andy J. Miller.
Thursday 10/19: Completed interview assessment over interview with Paige Skinner, Social Media Editor at the Dallas Observer. Prepared for interview with Alex Macon the following day.
Friday 10/20: Met with Alex Macon, Online Managing Editor at D Magazine. Completed researched assessment over "How journalists can become better interviewers." Wrote for personal blog.
Saturday 10/21: Wrote hand-written thank you cards for past interviews.
Reflection: This past week, I had the privilege of conducting three interviews with three different highly-qualified, amazing journalists. I was able to take away so much from each of these professionals during our time together. Overall, I am just so thankful for the amazing opportunities ISM has allowed me, thus far. i look forward to hopefully continuing these relationships, and I can't wait to secure a mentor with one of these oh so talented individuals.
Goals: Now it is time for me to start deciding who I would like my mentor to be. I hope to have narrowed my interest down to the top 3 and then, conduct follow-up interviews from there. I would like to have secured a mentor within the next 2 weeks.
Week of October 9th - 14th
Monday 10/9: Brain-stormed ideas for a photo series. Contacted people about taking part in the shoot.
Tuesday 10/10: Wrote and read leisurely. Analyzed content from Refinery 29.
Wednesday 10/11: Worked on Call/Email Log. Called and scheduled interview with Paige Skinner, Online/Social Media Editor for The Dallas Observer.
Thursday 10/12: Sent out multiple initial emails. Scheduled an interview with Alex Macon, Online Managing Editor at D Magazine.
Friday 10/13: Began working on a presentation about The Bronx, NY to give in class.
Saturday 10/14: Finished presentation and drafted emails to send out on Monday. Wrote ISM topic proposal.
Reflection: This week, i took a little bit of time to relax. I did not go on interviews but instead, worked on personal projects and caught up on missed schoolwork. This was much needed. I scheduled two interviews with two very hopeful mentors, as they both are both editors who specialize in online media.
Goals: For this upcoming week, I hope to gain great knowledge and experience from my interviews and form valuable connections.
Tuesday 10/10: Wrote and read leisurely. Analyzed content from Refinery 29.
Wednesday 10/11: Worked on Call/Email Log. Called and scheduled interview with Paige Skinner, Online/Social Media Editor for The Dallas Observer.
Thursday 10/12: Sent out multiple initial emails. Scheduled an interview with Alex Macon, Online Managing Editor at D Magazine.
Friday 10/13: Began working on a presentation about The Bronx, NY to give in class.
Saturday 10/14: Finished presentation and drafted emails to send out on Monday. Wrote ISM topic proposal.
Reflection: This week, i took a little bit of time to relax. I did not go on interviews but instead, worked on personal projects and caught up on missed schoolwork. This was much needed. I scheduled two interviews with two very hopeful mentors, as they both are both editors who specialize in online media.
Goals: For this upcoming week, I hope to gain great knowledge and experience from my interviews and form valuable connections.
Week of October 2nd - 7th
Monday 10/2: Met with Nancy Baldwin, freelance writer and editor. Prepared for business symposium in ISM class by conducting mock interviews with professionals.
Tuesday 10/3: Further reviewed for business symposium the following day. Practiced answering frequently asked questions from professionals. Sent out emails for more possible interviews.
Wednesday 10/4: Attended the FISD Business Symposium along with ISM colleagues. Networked and interviewed with business professionals. Met with Doug King, Editor of Dallas Style & Design.
Thursday 10/5: Met with Christine Perrenot, Editor in-chief of Frisco STYLE Magazine.
Friday 10/6: Searched for more contacts and drafted emails for future outreach to professionals.
Saturday 10/7: Had business professional head shots taken.
Reflection: The first week of October was exciting and very busy! I had three interviews and thoroughly enjoyed all three. From each professional, I was able to take away something different. The Business Symposium, which I had the great privilege of attending, on Wednesday, was also a great overall experience. The two men I interviewed with were both so wonderful, as our interviews felt easy and enjoyable, not nerve racking. Ultimately, I feel that I learned a great deal about the journalism career field this week, so because of this, my mission for the week was definitely achieved.
Goals: Instead of focusing solely on the interviewing, I want to focus, as well, on practicing my skills, through blogging, writing, and creating digital content, this upcoming week. Because I missed a great deal of school last week, I will begin to send out emails around Wednesday, in order to schedule interviews for the following week.
Tuesday 10/3: Further reviewed for business symposium the following day. Practiced answering frequently asked questions from professionals. Sent out emails for more possible interviews.
Wednesday 10/4: Attended the FISD Business Symposium along with ISM colleagues. Networked and interviewed with business professionals. Met with Doug King, Editor of Dallas Style & Design.
Thursday 10/5: Met with Christine Perrenot, Editor in-chief of Frisco STYLE Magazine.
Friday 10/6: Searched for more contacts and drafted emails for future outreach to professionals.
Saturday 10/7: Had business professional head shots taken.
Reflection: The first week of October was exciting and very busy! I had three interviews and thoroughly enjoyed all three. From each professional, I was able to take away something different. The Business Symposium, which I had the great privilege of attending, on Wednesday, was also a great overall experience. The two men I interviewed with were both so wonderful, as our interviews felt easy and enjoyable, not nerve racking. Ultimately, I feel that I learned a great deal about the journalism career field this week, so because of this, my mission for the week was definitely achieved.
Goals: Instead of focusing solely on the interviewing, I want to focus, as well, on practicing my skills, through blogging, writing, and creating digital content, this upcoming week. Because I missed a great deal of school last week, I will begin to send out emails around Wednesday, in order to schedule interviews for the following week.
Week of September 25th - 30th
Monday 9/25: Made several calls and emails to business professionals. Scheduled first interview for the following Monday, October 2nd.
Tuesday 9/26: Called and scheduled interview with Doug King, Editor of Dallas Style & Design.
Wednesday 9/27: Made final revisions to resume. Emailed Chrisitiana Nielson, Managing Editor of D Magazine and an scheduled interview for Friday the 30th.
Thursday 9/28: Bought professional business attire and business portfolio. Prepared for 1st interview.
Friday 9/29: Met Christiana Nielson at D Magazine and got lunch. Gained valuable insight and understanding. Obtained more contacts at D Magazine and Ms. Nielson's personal referral.
Saturday 9/30: Bought resume paper. Made additional, final revisions to resume. Prepared responses for the Business Symposium the following week.
Reflections: This week was a huge milestone for me, as I successfully was able to ensure three interviews with possible mentors. Friday, as I entered the lobby of D Magazine, for my first interview, I felt as if I was in a dream! Meeting with Ms. Nielson was an absolutely wonderful experience. She didn't shy away from the fact that this field is indeed competitive, but also encouraged me to work hard for what I want. She emphasized that she feels I will be very successful, which was extremely encouraging to me.
I have had a lot of fears and anxieties, starting my ISM journey; fears that I wouldn't be good enough, that I wouldn't live up to the expectations I've set for myself. The success I found this week helped me to silence these fears. Although I know this journey will not be easy, I now can confidently say that with hard work and dedication, it is most definitely possible for me to achieve the things want to achieve.
Goals: This upcoming week, I will have two more interviews and the business symposium. For these events, my goal is to be as prepared as I possibly can. I have to be on my A-game this next week, and continuously present the best and brightest version of myself to the business professionals I will be encountering. I hope to schedule at least two more interviews this week.
Tuesday 9/26: Called and scheduled interview with Doug King, Editor of Dallas Style & Design.
Wednesday 9/27: Made final revisions to resume. Emailed Chrisitiana Nielson, Managing Editor of D Magazine and an scheduled interview for Friday the 30th.
Thursday 9/28: Bought professional business attire and business portfolio. Prepared for 1st interview.
Friday 9/29: Met Christiana Nielson at D Magazine and got lunch. Gained valuable insight and understanding. Obtained more contacts at D Magazine and Ms. Nielson's personal referral.
Saturday 9/30: Bought resume paper. Made additional, final revisions to resume. Prepared responses for the Business Symposium the following week.
Reflections: This week was a huge milestone for me, as I successfully was able to ensure three interviews with possible mentors. Friday, as I entered the lobby of D Magazine, for my first interview, I felt as if I was in a dream! Meeting with Ms. Nielson was an absolutely wonderful experience. She didn't shy away from the fact that this field is indeed competitive, but also encouraged me to work hard for what I want. She emphasized that she feels I will be very successful, which was extremely encouraging to me.
I have had a lot of fears and anxieties, starting my ISM journey; fears that I wouldn't be good enough, that I wouldn't live up to the expectations I've set for myself. The success I found this week helped me to silence these fears. Although I know this journey will not be easy, I now can confidently say that with hard work and dedication, it is most definitely possible for me to achieve the things want to achieve.
Goals: This upcoming week, I will have two more interviews and the business symposium. For these events, my goal is to be as prepared as I possibly can. I have to be on my A-game this next week, and continuously present the best and brightest version of myself to the business professionals I will be encountering. I hope to schedule at least two more interviews this week.
Week of September 18th - 22nd
Monday 9/18: Revised and edited rough draft of resume after peer review.
Tuesday 9/19: Looked over resume and practiced leaving professional voicemail's.
Wednesday 9/20: Continued to practice making personalized voicemail's.
Thursday 9/21: Reviewed phone script and practiced making calls and scheduling interviews with professionals.
Friday 9/22: Role played professional phone conversations with classmates in ISM. Sent an email to Mrs. Faulkner at the Dallas Cowboys about a possible interview opportunity.
Saturday 9/23: Began working on digital artwork for Party for ONE's next article. Did research on possible mentors. Practiced phone conversations and leaving professional voicemail.
Reflection: I found myself being challenged in many ways this week. Drafting my first resume was tricky, yet very exciting. Although I have spent most of my high school career on things not journalism related, such as music, thoroughly revising and collecting a well-organized resume, that highlights my strengths, abilities, experience, and potential well, was very fulfilling. Consistently practicing making phone calls was also exciting, yet scary, as it reiterated the fact that my contact list is real, human beings; these people could even have the power to change my life, tremendously. This upcoming week, as I begin making phone calls and sending out emails to professionals, I will be taking on new terrain. I am trusting that my preparation has prepared me for this new journey.
Goals: Each day, I want to set aside more time, specifically for ISM, as this will ensure my success. This week, I will begin making phone calls and sending out emails to possible mentors. By the end of the week, I want to have made contact with at least 20 out of the 35 contacts I have currently. I also aim to have 3 interviews by the end of the week.
Week of September 11 - 16th
Monday 9/11: I continued my search for possible mentors and added 3 new contacts to my contact list.
Tuesday 9/12: Worked on my first article for my new site. Prepared for the site launch by making necessary revisions and evaluating photo decisions. Edited promotional social media posts for the site release.
Wednesday 9/13: Launched Party For ONE at partyforone.org.
Thursday 9/14: Spent quality time time editing, revising, and perfecting my digital portfolio. Completed my first research assessment over an article about New Media Journalism.
Friday 9/15: Begun writing the first music post for Party For ONE, "Your Morning MIX".
Saturday 9/16: Started on creating a professional, resume.
Sunday 9/17: Completed resume and put the finishing touches on P41's first music post.
Reflections: Overall, I am very happy with the progress I have made this week. The launch of my new site was something that has been in the works for a very long time now, and it feels amazing to finally be able to share this work. Editing my digital portfolio played greatly to my advantage, as I very much so enjoy designing and putting together information online. I, also, thoroughly enjoyed my research assessment, as it further confirmed that new media journalism is indeed, exactly what I want to pursue.
Goals: In the upcoming week, I aim to perfect my resume through many revisions. My primary goal of this week, however, is to begin making phone calls and hopefully, land my first, professional interview.
Tuesday 9/12: Worked on my first article for my new site. Prepared for the site launch by making necessary revisions and evaluating photo decisions. Edited promotional social media posts for the site release.
Wednesday 9/13: Launched Party For ONE at partyforone.org.
Thursday 9/14: Spent quality time time editing, revising, and perfecting my digital portfolio. Completed my first research assessment over an article about New Media Journalism.
Friday 9/15: Begun writing the first music post for Party For ONE, "Your Morning MIX".
Saturday 9/16: Started on creating a professional, resume.
Sunday 9/17: Completed resume and put the finishing touches on P41's first music post.
Reflections: Overall, I am very happy with the progress I have made this week. The launch of my new site was something that has been in the works for a very long time now, and it feels amazing to finally be able to share this work. Editing my digital portfolio played greatly to my advantage, as I very much so enjoy designing and putting together information online. I, also, thoroughly enjoyed my research assessment, as it further confirmed that new media journalism is indeed, exactly what I want to pursue.
Goals: In the upcoming week, I aim to perfect my resume through many revisions. My primary goal of this week, however, is to begin making phone calls and hopefully, land my first, professional interview.