My first reporting job led me to the most intense and influential conversations I have ever had with sources. While working on my first documentary, Girls of the Motel 6, that I realized my job has to be taken with very serious care. I worked diligently to protect the integrity of my sources and of my final work. I am so thankful to be in the position that I can report on at-risk youth, former addiction, and other issues meaningful to me with extra caution and precision. My newspaper and magazine work is a lot different than my freelance projects, but have led me to events and photos that have changed my life.
What led me initially to reporting and writing was my work in poetry. I used poetry to capture fleeting moments, and realized through a conversation with a community college professor that journalism could be a storytelling method I enjoy. My work has been published in the 2024 Nota Bene Literary Journal.
I started my first photography class at Mizzou with minimum experience in DSLR and camcorder equipment. It was an intense learning process that has challenged the way in which I view the world.
