Growing up, it seemed like all I ever did in my free time was read or write.
Those passions stayed with me as I moved from high school into college, and when I applied to the University of Oklahoma, I knew I wanted to major in English. When I voiced that desire, however, many told me my chosen field lacked opportunities. I grew up in an environment where I didn’t feel comfortable using my voice, and for a while, I believed what those people told me. When it came time to choose my major, I told my academic advisor I wanted to study business or music education. I felt like I was trying to live up to expectations that other people had set for me.
As soon as I left my first class that fall, I walked directly to my advisor’s office and switched my major to English. I decided if I didn’t take initiative in deciding my future, someone else would decide it for me. From that moment forward, I pursued an array of experiences and learned to use my voice.
I wrote staff spotlights for a college newsletter and realized I love conducting interviews and writing stories. I engaged with my community, spending summers as a camp counselor and working as a barista at a nonprofit coffee shop. Additionally, I studied abroad in Italy, where I interned at a local law firm and took my first journalism class.
In other cases, I was thrown into diverse experiences without a choice. My entire life, I’ve witnessed family and friends struggle with mental health and substance abuse. Twice during college, I watched my immediate family adjust in the aftershock of related hospitalizations. I saw and shared their grief, but beyond that, I asked myself, how many families across Oklahoma are going through this same experience?
The more I saw of the world, the more I wanted to understand. I studied social issues and considered their implications for people and communities. I didn’t always know I wanted to be a journalist, but in some ways, I had been acting like one all along. In every decision I made, I had the same intentions: to understand, to communicate and to have an impact.
I used to think there was no overlap in my interests — I loved writing, I was curious about the legal and political worlds, and I wanted to make a difference in individual lives. It was not until I began reporting for the OU Daily at the beginning of my senior year that I realized I can serve my community while doing the things I have always loved to do.
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‘Journalism holds power accountable’
One of my first stories involved confirming an anonymous tip that the university would be expanding freshman housing into apartments that were traditionally allocated to upperclassmen and international students. When The Daily broke the news, the community response made it clear to me that journalists play a vital role in communicating information to those who are being directly impacted by the decisions institutions make.
I found that many of the pieces I wrote required me to analyze legislation and extract the most relevant, accurate information to provide clarity for readers. This spring, I attended meetings that reminded me of the importance of “being in the room,” sitting through plenty of tangled conversations and taking the time to untangle them. I conducted interviews with people whose lives were permanently altered by state and federal legislation, from changes in federal loan accessibility to the increasing presence of U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement. The work journalists do keeps audiences informed, reminding us that things we hear about are often happening just down the street, not in distant places.
My experiences at The Daily showed me that journalism serves a valuable watchdog function. Journalism holds power accountable, it helps maintain transparency, and it promotes civic engagement. It serves as a bridge between what is known and what is unknown, providing clarity and context for important conversations.
My goal as a journalist is to hear the voices of individuals who are being impacted every day by ongoing civic issues. For me, journalism requires understanding there is something to learn from every person and from every interaction.
There is always something left to discover, there are always more questions to ask and every person has a unique perspective to provide. I’m excited to get to work here at NonDoc this summer, and I can’t wait to learn from this talented team.
