EDUCATION
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY: The Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications– Bachelor of Science, Class of 2016
Political Science concentration/ Psychology minor
BELMONT UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF LAW: Class of 2024
- Board of Advocates- Mock Trial (2023 National Trial Competition Team)
- Belmont Legal Aid Society- Executive Board, Fundraising Committee Chair
- TACDL Student Member
- Williamson County Bar Association
- Tennessee Bar Association
High School: AP Scholar with Honors; National Honor Society; 4x President’s List; 3x swim team MVP; valedictorian.
College: Dean’s List; Collegiate Division I swimmer, 2012-2014; Academic All-Big Ten Award Recipient; CSPA Gold Circle first place award winner.
Awards, Community Involvement & Projects
- 2022: Belmont Legal Aid Society- Tennessee Access to Justice Commission Video Contest First Place Award winners for entry on “Reawakening Racial Justice.”
- 2020: Franklin Tomorrow Exemplary Community Volunteer Awards, Emerging Leader
- Williamson, Inc. Leadership Young Professionals 2019 graduate
- 2018: Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network, Special Media Award
- Franklin Citizen’s Police Academy 2018 graduate
- Friends of Franklin Parks- Public Relations committee
- Additional volunteering: One Gen Away; Hard Bargain Association; Riverbend Maximum Security Institution- Visitation on Death Row.
- Cards of Care co-founder
- Hard Bargain podcast creator & host
- Non-staff journalism bylines include Livability Magazine; Visit Franklin, TN; Southern Exposure Magazine; Medill Magazine; Swimming World Magazine; Reader’s Digest.
EXPERIENCE
Buerger, Moseley & Carson PLC, Summer Law Clerk
May – August 2022
- Focused primarily on researching health and state law issues.
Law Office of Amanda Gentry, Legislative Intern
January – April 2022
- Part of a team tracking criminal law-related legislation for TACDL.
Willliamson Herald, Freelance Reporter
July 2019- February 2022
- Covered City of Franklin Board of Mayor and Alderman meetings.
- Local features include telling stories about the people and places of Williamson County.
Triumph Books, Freelance Fact-Checker
April 2016-August 2021
- Read sports genre books and checked against online sources to ensure factual correctness. Primarily NFL, NHL, MLB, NBA, and collegiate athletics.
Franklin Home Page, (now Williamson Home Page) Associate Editor
August 2017-October 2018
- Sole reporter for all things happening in Franklin, Tennessee, the county seat of Williamson County.
- Reported on city government and business stories, including contested city alderman and county government elections, Barron’s and WSJ’s top-ranked financial advisor in the state, and a rally from President Trump for U.S. Senate candidate Marsha Blackburn.
- Special Media Award: Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network for “Suicides from the Natchez Trace Bridge,” a four-part series on suicides from a community landmark.
Las Vegas Review-Journal, Features and Metro Reporter
September 2016-May 2017
- Pitched several story ideas each week, conducted interviews with sources and wrote stories on deadline, shot photos, filmed video and appeared on camera and maintained an active social media account.
- Attended and covered various galas and events, maintained relationships with local luminaries.
- Attended and covered court trials and hearings in both district, federal and justice courts.
City of Evanston, Illinois, Community Engagement Aide
October 2015 – June 2016
- Updated city’s website; designed flyers; wrote/edited press releases, e-newsletters, tweets.
Northwestern School of Professional Studies, Undergraduate Intern
May 2014 – June 2016
- Helped publicize literary events; updated professor and class information in content management system; contacted alumni for book readings and events.
The Medill Justice Project, Intern/Freelance Reporter
2015-2016
- MJP is an investigative journalism enterprise that examines potentially wrongful convictions.
- Researched issues specific to women’s prisons, including sexual violence, lack of food and medical care, and loss of family ties. Researched one now-exonerated woman’s religious and faith journey through the correction system.
- Used LexisNexis to identify sources and conduct research.
- Highlight: Columbia Scholastic Press Association Gold Circle first place award winner for personality profile on Jennifer Del Prete’s faith journey.
Reader’s Digest, Editorial Intern
Spring 2015
- Copy edited stories for web and magazine; transcribed interviews; pitched and wrote several short web pieces; researched medical news and updates for the News From The World Of Health
- Platforms Used: InCopy, InDesign, WordPress, PhotoShop.
- Highlight: Participated in weekly editorial meetings with Editor-In-Chief Liz Vaccariello.
Orange Coast Magazine, Editorial Intern
Summer 2014
- Fact-checked stories by calling sources; pitched story ideas; reported and wrote Q-and-A for the magazine’s January 2015 issue; created an archive of articles from previous issues.
- Highlight: Researched and organized every homicide in Orange County over the past 20 years into categories for article.
Here are some of my favorite stories:
Williamson Home Page
Suicides from the Natchez Trace Bridge: One woman’s story
Franklin leaders voice opinions on controversial statue in town square
Franklin nonprofit continues to support those with mental health issues, disabilities
Williamson Herald
City of Franklin, private groups raising funds for inclusive playground equipment
Birds of a feather flock to parking lot party
United States Colored Troops statue unveiled in downtown Franklin
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Toy Drive shepherd puts passion for helping others on display each December
Advocates work to place Las Vegas on the fashion map
Distillery gives nod to Nevada with its vodka, whiskey
Las Vegas teen with rare disorder receives bathroom makeover