I've had more than a few amazing opportunities to travel, meet new people, and tell meaningful stories. Click on a thumbnail to be directed to the full article.
Annual Report - student success stories
For the 2015 Annual Report, I worked with the Northeastern State University Foundation to produce stories describing students' success because of donors and scholarships. We wanted to show how much impact financial aid has on students, and why it is important to keep the endowments flowing. Click on thumbnail to be linked to the latest edition of the magazine. My stories are on pages 8,10, 12, 16.
Bat DNA and tobacco plants
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As the media coordinator at Northeastern State University, one of my duties was to discover and celebrate the amazing work of our students. In the captioned story, one graduate student conducted research on vampire bats and tobacco plants to develop better treatment for stroke victims. His story was published in "Imprints," the university's alumni magazine, for which I worked as the features editor. Click on thumbnail to be linked to the magazine's Spring/Summer 2015 edition. My stories are on pages 4, 16, 20, 22, 24, 26.
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Working with alumni
For the fall 2015 edition of Imprints, I was able to work with NSU's Alumni Association and the Foundation to celebrate Homecoming 2015. The university honored outstanding alumni at its Emerald Ball with special videos and feature stories. Click on the thumbnail to be linked to the Fall 2015 edition of Imprints. My work is featured on pages 16, 20, 22, 24, 26.
Voter ID- strong support v. low awareness
Summer 2012 presented an amazing opportunity to work on the voting rights project for NEWS21. With a flurry of voter ID laws and presumed cases of voter fraud, this story took a look at polls surrounding the issues, and whether people really an idea about what was going on and the implications of laws they supported. Also published in Philadelphia Inquirer (front-page!), philly.com, The Center of Public Integrity
We can cook too
A truly touching assignment. These young men were vibrant, good-natured and fun to interview. Their sense of independence was boosted by graduating from a basic cooking class for the blind and visually impaired. They wanted the public to know that they are self-sufficient and can do anything.
Dominican immigrants find success as business owners
I walked along the streets of Rio Piedras and Santurce in search of Dominican-owned businesses to find out about their journeys to become legal and eventually find success as entrepreneurs. I found many such businesses with its Dominican owners absent and leaving their Dominican counterparts to run the shops. The employees I met had dreams to one day run restaurants of their own.
Tucson among nation's poorest metro areas
Data for 2011 from the Census Bureau found that Tucson was the sixth-poorest metropolitan region in the country. Also published in Tucson Sentinel, Inside Tucson Business, Arizona Daily Star, Cronkite News
Arizona says no to "micro-management"
Another News21 story took a closer look at Arizona- a state that continues to clash with federal government- this time, over voter registration. Also published in Cronkite News, East Valley Tribune, Tucson Sentinel
Seedlings distributed to public on Earth Day
Earth Day is about more than distributing seedlings to passers-by at a busy junction; but even that is a positive step. The Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation Disaster Management Unit commemorated Earth Day by distributing small plants to eager residents and travellers at Curepe junction on April 22.
Poverty in Arizona continues to climb
New numbers show the portion of Arizonans living in poverty has risen, and the state has the sixth-highest poverty rate in the country. Also published in Cronkite News, The Daily Courier,
Aspiring entrepreneurs get a chance to develop their ideas
Combine a viable idea with teamwork and a strategic business model, and it’s possible to launch a startup company in just 54 hours. That’s according to Startup Weekend--an interactive forum for business innovation that marries aspiring entrepreneurs with designers, marketers and the business savvy to build a successful small businesses in just three days.
Holiday spending expected to rise, retailers optimistic
Holiday spending is expected to increase by 3.5 to 4 percent this year, as a rising number of consumers plan to spend more and fewer expect to pull back. Also published in Cronkite News, Arizona Latinos, Tucson Sentinel, East Valley Tribune
Abandoned dogs to be euthanized
As the Dog Control Bill 2013 is being discussed in Parliament, citizens begin abandoning their dogs that may be deemed dangerous. Some unlucky ones are being put to sleep.
Cowtown's pollution levels do not meet EPA standards - is it the cows?
For my final project at Cronkite News Service, we had to focus on a longer, investigative piece. I decided to look at data from the Environmental Protection Agency to spot trends in pollution levels for PM2.5 across the state of Arizona. Cowtown in Maricopa City was the only place that breached the national standard and maintain the highest average between 1990 and 2010. City officials blame the monitor's placement - next to feedlot, highway and ethanol plant - while air experts say that its location is irrelevant. Also published in Cronkite News, Arizona Latinos, Arizona Newszap, Maricopa Monitor, KTAR
Obesity and consequent healthcare costs
Dianna, a woman struggling with obesity, fights everyday to live a healthier life. She is one of many in Arizona and across the country who are potential financial burdens in terms of healthcare costs. Published in Tucson Sentinel
Report: Arizona teachers less likely to have high absenteeism
One in three Arizona teachers was absent for more than 10 days in the 2009-2010 school year, slightly better than the national rate of 36 percent. The author of “Teacher Absence as a Leading Indicator of Student Achievement” said Arizona’s 34.1 percent rate is likely due to the relatively high number of charter schools in the state and generally less-permissive policies in Western states. Also published in Cronkite News, Tucson Sentinel, AZ Capitol Times
MovieTowne mayhem
After SEA exams parents took their children to the movies at Movietowne, POS. What was supposed to be a relaxing brain-cooler turned into a jam session.
Arizona food-stamp rolls continue to rise
Arizona added 17,000 people to its food stamp rolls in October, as near-record-high levels of assistance continued to stubbornly hang on after 18 months. Also published in Cronkite News, Tucson Sentinel
50 entry-level workers get $6.5M in schols
Workers at the Ministry of Local Government were granted a two-year leave of absence with pay to pursue their associate degree in environmental health at Costaatt.
Parents absent and grandparents take over
When I found out National Grandparents' Day was coming up, I decided to look into the significance of the occasion, and what it means today. The Census Bureau had numbers showing that more and more families consisted of grandparents as the head of the household, and the primary caregivers of their grandchildren. Gloria Castillo, grandmother of three children who has replaced her own daughter as their mother, was open to sharing her story with me, and I was happy to share her experience. Also published in Cronkite News, The Daily Courier, Green Valley News, Havasu News
Low debt rates for Arizona graduates
Arizona graduates may be free of home work, but there was something waiting for them after graduation- debt. Still, compared to other states Arizona ranked 45th in country when it came to student debt. Also published in Cronkite News, East Valley Tribune, Tucson Sentinel, Arizona Newszap
Dreams do come true
A successful career for musical prodigies in T&T is possible, and the Heroes Foundation is taking our country’s talented youth as far as Europe to help make that dream a reality. I met two musical geniuses as they set off for France and Germany.
Arizona sees high income disparities
The report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and the Economic Policy Institute said that for every dollar earned, on average, by the poorest 20 percent of the state’s population, the top 20 percent was earning $9.80 between 2008 and 2010. Also published in Arizona Daily Star, Cronkite News, The Daily Courier
Mexican ambassador says no to piecemeal immigration reform
Arturo Sarukhan spoke at a press conference after the re-election of President Obama, calling for immigration reform, saying it is the most important issue for the U.S. and Mexico to address. Others agree the time is right for discussion on this issue, after Latino voters gravitated toward Democrats and shunned Republicans at the polls. Other argue that Mexico should mind its own business. Also published in Tucson Sentinel, Verde News, The Bugle, KTAR, Arizona Latinos, Cronkite News, Tucson Sentinel
One in five Arizonan lacked health insurance in 2010
Arizona’s overall uninsured rate for people under age 65 stood at 19.3 percent in 2010, slightly higher than the national average of 17.7 percent for the same year. Also published in Cronkite News, Payson Roundup
Group pushes for Grijalva to become next Interior Secretary - but he's not interested
Over 238 groups sent a letter to President Obama asking him to consider Raul Grijalva, D-Tucson, for the position of Interior Secretary, should the position become open. Grijalva however said he has no plans to change jobs. Also published in Tucson Sentinel, Tucson Weekly, AZ Capitol Times
New zip line adventure in T&T
This assignment allowed for a lot of fun, and bravery. The Chaguaramas Development Authority opened a new zip line service in T&T and I got to write about it... not before trying it out first of course. The story made for a cool feature.
Presidential proclamations a-plenty
This story came about because the list of proclamations for October seemed endless. How many could one month really have, and do groups mind sharing? Also published on Cronkite News, Tucson Sentinel
