MY STORY:

• The startup of Simply Açaí at the University of Utah 

MY BLOG: 

Before I started writing about Simply Açaí, my class was given an assignment to walk around campus and find a topic for a story. I made my way to the Lassonde Studios on campus at the U, and had never seen the açaí trailer before. I decided to ask one of the workers some questions about the business and knew I had found a topic for the assignment. After pitching two separate story ideas to the class, I chose Simply Açaí and the company employees to be the topic and sources for my story. 

Locating my sources didn’t come with much difficulty. The first time I visited Simply Açaí, Reid Lanigan and Seth Neelman were the two employees working. I asked the two if they would be willing to go on record. Through a reference from Lanigan, I was also able to connect with another employee named Grayson Goodyear to be my final source.

I wanted to interview Neelman because he could give me the best information for my story. As the owner of Simply Açaí, he started the company and had all of these experiences to guide him toward that accomplishment. Lanigan and Goodyear were both qualifying candidates because they answered my questions that I had about business tactics. The process of finding the best sources came straight from the employees at this new company. 

From the beginning I wanted my topic and theme for the story to be focused on the startup of Simply Açaí. What happened before opening and the early stages after opening. This made it easier to focus my interview questions on the company and how it started. This helped me greatly in the writing process.  

My writing process was different for this story. I feel that I usually excel in formatting, but the AP style formatting proved difficult for me. I also have a tendency to write a lot without reading back over what was written. This requires me to make plenty of simple corrections forcing me to give myself extra time to write the material. 

Although my process changed, I truly enjoyed writing this story and experiencing what it is like to write an article. I am glad that I got to write about Simply Açaí and meet some amazing new people. 

ABOUT ME:

I grew up and lived my whole young life in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. Participating in as much physical activity as possible was typical for me when I was younger. I started skiing at the age of 3, playing lacrosse at the age of 7, and snowboarding at the age of 8. 

Since the day I watched my first NCAA Lacrosse game, I always dreamed of playing lacrosse at the collegiate level. I was able to make that dream a reality in the spring of 2018 when I signed a letter of intent to play lacrosse at the University of Utah. I played only my freshman year, but I had to take an entire ski season off. Even though I no longer play for the school, it was an amazing experience. 

Although I only knew that I was playing lacrosse freshman year, I had no clue what I wanted to major in. The spring 2019 semester is where I decided I would pursue a major in strategic communication and a minor in business.  

I am currently finishing the first semester of my sophomore year at the U. The knowledge and experiences that I am gaining will hopefully continue to guide me toward graduation and my career in life. I cannot wait to see where these upcoming years take me!