MY STORY:
MY BLOG:
When I first learned about the Enterprise Story assignment, I instantly knew my topic should be about Tinker’s Cat Café. I visited the café a couple of times and participated in one of its Cat and Paint nights. It is a fairly new business many Salt Lake City locals did not know about. While the community knows about Best Friends Animal Society and other local shelters, I believe people should know about every option for adopting a pet.
I first contacted Lisa Boone, the owner of Tinker’s Cat Café, the main source for my story. She was very kind to meet with me in person for an interview. Tinker’s is a second home and family to her as she passionately described her business. Afterward, Boone helped me find a regular customer who also adopted a cat from Tinker’s.
Sarah Murtagh is a daily visitor at Tinker’s. She described her own personal story of her relationship with Tinker’s. Her interview was integral to my story because it exemplified how Tinker’s could be a therapeutic and unique destination to visit.
My third interview was with Ally Jelitto. She is one of my peers in the modern dance program and agreed to a phone interview over fall break. Jelitto mentioned she really enjoyed her first visit to Tinker’s. I believe including a University of Utah student would be beneficial to my story since the audience would be mostly U students. She was a relatable source to the average person who would visit Thinker’s Cat Café on occasion.
After collecting my information and conducting interviews, it was difficult for me to organize my story into a cohesive piece. I made multiple drafts in the process to find the right fit for all of the pieces. I decided to focus on the basis of what a cat café is and what Tinker’s has to offer to the community. It is a new trend that has recently begun in the United States, so it would be beneficial to the readers to explain it first.
The writing process was a challenge for me. I have never taken a news writing class before or written journalistic stories. My experience in writing has mostly been research papers and creative stories in the past. It was difficult in the beginning using AP Style and the AP Stylebook. However, the unique format of news articles and interviewing skills became significant tools in my writing that I would continue to use in the future.
ABOUT ME:
I have been dancing since I was 3 years old.
My performance history has ranged from performing in the National Tour of the “Wizard of Oz” to being a back-up dancer to working as a Cherion Records recording artist. I grew up studying many forms of dance such as tap, jazz, ballet, hip-hop and modern. Since I was young, I knew I wanted to become a professional dancer. I moved to Utah from Albany, New York, in 2016 to pursue an undergraduate degree in modern dance at the University of Utah.
I wanted to expand my art in a new medium of writing, so I now have a minor in strategic communication. I hope to combine my knowledge from both fields to support and enhance my dance career. After performing for some time, I would like to take an administrative position in a dance company.
U NewsWriting 