517-881-0087
Education: Hillsdale College, BA English (2009), Dow Journalism Program, Merit Scholar, 3.5/4.0 GPA
Journalism Experience
Journalism Experience
- Staff reporter, Kentucky New Era, Hopkinsville, Ky. 9,200, circulation. Oct. 2009-present. Covered crime and local government beats until Aug. 2010. Mined story ideas from daily incident reports and arrests; wrote police features; cultivated sources in investigation divisions; worked extensively with open records laws. In Aug. 2010, dropped government beat for courts beat. Covered all manner of criminal proceedings; wrote extended profiles on defendants; cultivated relationships with prosecutors and defense attorneys.
- Staff reporter intern, Gaston Gazette, Gastonia, N.C., 30,000 circulation. June-Aug. 2009. Focused on police and courts, including homicides and robberies, daily arrests, and spot news. Wrote features and profiles. Shot photos.
- News editor, Hillsdale Collegian, Hillsdale College’s weekly, Aug. 2008-May 2009. Wrote articles; managed all news content; assigned and edited an average of 22 stories per week; held weekly brainstorming meetings with a handpicked team of top reporters, in addition to weekly newsroom-wide meetings; met regularly with younger reporters to edit their stories line-by-line and discuss story ideas.
- Staff reporter intern, Hillsdale Daily News, 6,000 circulation, May-Aug. 2008. Covered numerous local government and school board beats, agriculture beat, state politics, spot news, and features; pitched dozens of story ideas; wrote more than 100 stories and shot more than 50 photos.
- Freelancer writer, Jackson Citizen Patriot, Jackson, Mich., 31,000 circulation, May 2007-Sept. 2009. Covered school board meetings and wrote features.
- Reporter, copy editor, music columnist, Hillsdale Collegian 2006-2008. Wrote news, features, swim team beat, weekly pop music column, record reviews. More than 80 bylines.
Work Experience
- Commercial Flooring Services, Summer 2007: installed carpet; cleaned carpet and tile
- A&W Restaurant, 2002-2005, Cook
- Lansing State Journal, 2001-2005, Newspaper Delivery
Extracurricular Activities
- Assistant Editor, Tower Light, Hillsdale College’s student literary publication, fall 2008. Reviewed poetry and short-story submissions; assisted with content revisions.
- President of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia music fraternity, Nu Upsilon Chapter (Dec. 2006-Dec. 2007); Chapter Warden (Fall 2006)
- Played guitar in jazz combo and jazz big band at Hillsdale College (2005-2009)