"Tell me your story and I'll give you a dollar." I saw this photo sometime during high school, and something inside me just clicked. I knew that's what I wanted to do. I wanted to tell the stories of people who were doing great things, big or small, and inspire others along the way. It's similar to what Brandon Stanton, creator of Humans of New York, is doing, but this concept was borne before I, or most of the world, had heard of him. I felt (and still feel) that we have enough of the depressing news. I didn't want to contribute to that. While I'm no longer pursuing a strictly journalistic career, I would still relish the opportunity to create something like this.
Working at Cincinnati Law allowed me to discover what that would be like for the first time.
Through this internship, I have gotten to meet some of the most interesting, well-rounded, passionate, and hard-working people I have ever met. And I got to talk to them about what made them that way! I have written stories on a student who is a pediatric doctor and a veteran; a UC mascot-turned-law-student; a quadriplegic attorney who still teaches at UC law; a father who took the tragedy of his son's death and turned it into something positive; and the exoneration of a man after he wrongfully spent 23 years in prison, thanks to our Ohio Innocence Project. It has been an amazing experience.
That's not to say I wasn't without my struggles. In the beginning, interviews made me nervous. I was even doing phone interviews, which I despised. (Then, it was because I felt awkward not being able to see the subject's face. Now, it's because I don't get the same feel for their personality, so it makes putting their essence in the story more difficult.) Because this internship was during the summer, and many students and professors are gone, phone interviews became second nature to me. Point in case, I had four during just two work days my last week. Creating angles and headlines was another area I grew a lot in over my internship. Much of this was thanks to my advisor, Sherry, who struck a terrific balance between giving me freedom and giving me direction.
Reading articles - both news reports and journalistic skill-building pieces - written by those who are smarter than me helped as well. Poynter Institute was a great resource, and they helped me realize the value of printing my work to edit it. Seeing my articles in a different medium, and being able to physically mark up a paper, helped me notice mistakes and make improvements that I wouldn't have otherwise been able to.
This internship allowed me to meet people who have had immensely diverse experiences and to help share their stories. The people I talked to constantly impressed me, and I feel so grateful so have been able to work at Cincinnati Law.
To read several of the articles I referenced during my internship:
There are also several pieces I wrote that have been published to other outlets, not available to the general public. To read these, please click on the documents below.
The document below is one of the larger projects I worked on. It is the complete text for a new Professional Pathways brochure that the Law School will be publishing for the Admissions office will be distributing on their various college visits.