Work Experiences
Server
March 2021 - May 2022
Commoner & Co.
Used strong communication and sales skills to provide 5-star service in an upscale, hospitality-focused dining atmosphere.
Server
February 2017 - November 2020
Union Public House
Excelled as a Head Server in a high-volume, fast-paced restaurant/bar atmosphere thanks to advanced people and communication skills. Managed cuts to the floor and side work.
K-12 Education Reporter
October 2018 - July 2019
Arizona Daily Star
Published over 50 breaking, long-form & investigative stories encompassing Tucson’s nine major school districts during my almost year at the Star; on average published three to four stories per week.
Educated parents about why what’s happening in their kid’s school district matters; gave context to statewide education issues at a local level; averaged 2,500 unique page views & 10,000 total views per story.
Built a diverse source network of more than 100 trusted community education stakeholders by attending school board meetings, informational interviews, protests, school events and more.
Pulliam Reporting Fellow
June 2018 - August 2018
Arizona Republic
Published six long-form stories & one breaking story during my three-month FT fellowship on the Republic's longform features desk; my deep-dive into what it is really like to live with chronic mental illness made the Republic's front page (above the fold!) on Sept. 8, 2018.
Sharpened narrative story development, interviewing, writing & editing skills under tutelage of award-winning long-form & environmental editor/reporter Shaun McKinnon; assisted other editors with fact-checking & reporting tasks as needed.
Earned one of 20 prestigious Pulliam fellowship positions from thousands of applicants across the USA.
Reporter
January 2018 - May 2018
Arizona Public Media
Pitched, reported & produced more than 40 spot & long-form stories for radio & web during my year & a half at Tucson’s NPR/PBS affiliate serving a regional audience of 1.02 million.
Earn the University of Arizona School of Journalism’s 2018 Diversity & Inclusion Reporting Award & 2018 Excellence in Broadcast Award for in-depth coverage of social justice topics including sexual violence, racism & undocumented immigrants’ struggles to access healthcare.
After interning with AZPM for a year, News Director promoted me from unpaid Radio Reporting Intern to paid Radio News Reporter position because of the relentless creativity, curiosity, productivity & reliability I demonstrated throughout my internship.
Reporting Intern
January 2017 - December 2017
Arizona Public Media
Reported and produced spot and in-depth audio and online stories for Tucson’s NPR-affiliate station, serving a regional audience of 1.02 million. Coverage included immigration/border issues, Tucson Unified School District's Mexican-American studies program and gentrification of historically low-income/low-rent neighborhoods.
Digital Managing Editor
December 2015 - December 2016
Arizona Daily Wildcat
As lead editor for DailyWildcat.com, site placed fifth overall out of 350 college media websites (Associated Collegiate Press, 2016), first place Best Newspaper Website (Arizona Newspapers Association, 2016) & first place Best College News Website (Society of Professional Journalists; Region 11, 2017).
Earned the University of Arizona School of Journalism’s 2017 Leadership & Service Award for successfully leading the newsroom through a website redesign & transition to build a stronger “digital-first” presence online.
Developed social media storytelling strategies that boosted engagement more than 200% across social channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram); increased Facebook following by 5,000 & Twitter following by 8,000.
Hosted weekly analytics-informed social media engagement/SEO trainings for desk editors that resulted in boosted online readership; developed/scheduled Facebook & Twitter content calendar; edited/published 20-40 online-only stories every week & scheduled all digital publishing through Gryphon CMS.