When arriving at the University of Rhode Island, I knew that journalism was the career I wanted to study and prepare for. All my life I have been fascinated by journalism. Sharing stories about topics or individuals that others can resonate with, has long been a passion of mine. Unsure of how to begin my career as a journalist, the first decision I made was to join the school newspaper, The Good 5 Cent Cigar. Writing for the school newspaper for four years has benefitted my growth in meeting deadlines, gathering proper journalistic research, and conducting professional interviews.
Each week I did my research on the happenings and story lines of the athletic teams at URI, to make sure I would choose topics that were relevant and interesting. While serving the position of staff reporter for the sports section, I covered each athletic team that URI offers from Division I, to the club level. This allowed me to improve my writing skills, versatility, and in depth understanding of the sports I covered. Through my work with the Cigar I improved my ability to think critically, independently, and creatively.
I would edit my stories weekly down to a specific word count for the medium which it would be published. The two mediums were between The Good 5 Cent Cigar website, or in the printed newspaper. During the summer of 2017 I interned with the Write on Sports camp in Newark, NJ. I helped improve young underprivileged middle schoolers writing skills, preparation for interviews with professional guests, and shooting and editing videos with Adobe Premiere or iMovie.
I have linked samples of some of my multimedia and print journalism work below, that I produced for classes and the Cigar. In the video feature I interview assistant men's basketball coach Antonio Reynolds Dean. The interview was shot, edited, and produced by myself. Conducting this interview with Reynolds Dean expresses my ability to prepare content for a media outlet, and express myself orally. The feature was part of a show that aired on local RI television, titled Life on the Rhode for a TV production class. For the show I also helped shoot film of men's, and women's basketball and soccer games for B-roll footage.
The first article I have added from the Cigar is a game recap that I wrote for the men's basketball team last season, when a key starter named Jarvis Garett returned from an illness in an unfortunate loss. This game recap exemplifies my ability to meet deadlines, prepare content, express myself in writing, and be capable of entry level media work. The article also shows my ability to carry out journalistic research and interviews, by asking valid questions during the press conference to receive quotes from head coach Dan Hurley and his players.
The second article from the Cigar that I chose is a feature story about the long time URI women's volleyball team's coach Bob Schneck. Schneck was set to retire following the season that I wrote the feature, and I reached out to him about my story idea featuring his prestigious career at URI. Schneck was extremely responsive and wanted to meet with me in person to answer any questions I had. I met him at the volleyball court and spoke with him for what turned into a two hour long conversation, about his career and what the program and university mean to him. This feature also expresses my ability to create entry level media work by creating content, expressing myself clearly both in writing and orally, carry out journalistic research and interviews, and think critically, creatively, and independently. My work at the Cigar, journalism courses, and interning at Write on Sports proves that I am capable of entry-level work in the multimedia industry.