Category Archives: Instructors

Ryker Jackson

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MY STORY:

MY BLOG:

My story idea came after mulling over quite a few of them. I knew that the opioid crisis was a heavily discussed one, but I wanted to take a more in-depth look at recovery options and what works.

I did quite a bit of research online, but I also had the benefit of knowing personally multiple sources who were involved in the recovery of those suffering from addiction. These people had first-hand experience and were very beneficial to the story.

While finishing the article, I came across a dilemma in which one of my sources contacted me and explained that he would rather not be named in the story. This was easily solved by using an abbreviation, but it was a strong reminder to me of the seriousness of the issue at hand.

I had quite a bit of information for a while, because I knew that I wanted to get the article right. I did not want to rush through anything and leave out an important detail, or portray opioid addiction and recovery as anything other than what it is. Ultimately, it fell upon the importance of helping people understand recovery, and that became the focal point from where my article grew.

I was surprised at how personal this article became to me. I began looking at it from an outsider’s perspective. I had never dealt with this issue before, but I could sense and understand the pains and joys experienced by those I interviewed. I can say in all honesty that this was the most difficult article I have written, but also by far the most rewarding.

ABOUT ME:

I’ve been writing for a long time — as long as I can remember, actually. I’ve been writing stories and books, or at least attempting to do so, my entire life. I was born in Salt Lake City and I have spent my life here. I served as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for two years in Los Angeles County, and am now studying communication at the University of Utah. News writing is incredibly important — it brings stories to light and informs people of what they need to know. This is my responsibility, and I take it very seriously.

 

 

Samantha Shaw

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MY STORY:

MY BLOG:

When I was pondering ideas for my enterprise story, I knew I wanted to write about something I was passionate about. After all, how many times are you given the freedom to write passionately in an academic sphere? I’d been attending poetry slams in Salt Lake City for two years and was very aware that the community was under-discussed. With this perfect blend of interest and under-coverage, I had my pitch. My fellow journalists were nothing but supportive of the idea and their enthusiasm spurred my decision to cover the SLC slam poetry scene.

Locating sources was, fortunately, very easy because I had been an attendee at the events for so long. I was also lucky enough to have a connection to the Vice President of Wasatch Wordsmiths through Her Campus Utah. Through these links, I landed interviews with two of Salt Lake City’s most prominent poets: Dorothy McGinnis and Bryce Wilson. They were a great mix of sources because they all had something different to bring to the table. Dorothy having a leadership position in the community was phenomenal and both poets had, at one time, represented the local scene on a national stage.

The biggest obstacle in this process was scheduling. I realize this is very different from working as a journalist because I wouldn’t have two other jobs to work around. However, there is a delicate art to scheduling interviews with subjects in that you have to be persistent but still make them want to give you an interview.

Going into the interviews, I knew I was going to get a huge variety of responses and information. I also knew that my topic was one that few people know a great deal about. With that in mind, I created a rough outline for my story in the sense of which aspects of slam poetry I wanted to address. From that, I asked each poet the same set of questions, with room for deviance and follow-up questions to specific things they said. Once I had all the notes, I assigned each interview a topic in my outline to cover. For example, I used Dorothy’s interview to talk about what slam poetry is and what is unique about the SLC community and I used Bryce’s walkthrough of a typical slam.

The writing process was different than any kind of writing I’ve ever done. Through Her Campus Utah, I’ve done profile writing, but I’ve only ever used one interview. Compiling information from three different sources was an entirely new obstacle to tackle. My organizational skills were definitely put to the test.

Overall, I’ve learned so much about journalism from this project and I’m confident that the skills learned on this story will translate to many aspects in the rest of my life.

ABOUT ME:

I am 20 years old and a junior at the University of Utah studying communication. In my third year at the U, I couldn’t imagine going to school anywhere else. I am heavily involved on campus. I am a proud member of Greek life on campus as an Alpha Phi and I have written for Her Campus Utah for two years. I am also expanding my writing experience as an intern for Studio 200 on campus.

I love writing and hope to take my skills to a career in wildlife conservation, ideally in an editorial position at an organization like the World Wildlife Fund. I would be thrilled to be able to use my words to save our environment and the animals that inhabit it. As of now, I am content to use my on-campus writing positions to spread awareness about wildlife conservation.

When I’m not in class or at one of my two jobs, I enjoy playing video games, painting and writing for my personal blog. I am counting down the days until I can adopt a dog — or five — and move to Washington.

Opioid addiction in Utah: Can the battle be won?

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Story and slideshow by RYKER JACKSON

Bradley Hieb had been using drugs since high school. After becoming addicted to opioids, his marriage fell  apart and his children were taken from him twice. The first time was for a month, the second time for seven months. His addiction to opioids escalated. The third time he was found using opioids, his children were taken from him and nearly put up for adoption. That was when he went to detoxification.

Don C. was nearly sentenced to 30 years in federal prison. Don, a young, successful businessman from the Bay Area, had been involved in illegal practices to satisfy his desires for opioids. This landed him in jail a few times, where he would continually ask for opioids, his drug of choice, even from behind bars. This addiction became so all-consuming  that he thought about jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge on more than one occasion. He was given one more chance by a parole officer.

It is no longer a secret that the nation is facing an epidemic: opioid addiction. Utah is among the states hardest hit. The opioid crisis cost the United States $504 billion in 2015.  On Oct. 26, 2017, President Trump declared the opioid epidemic a national public health emergency: “Ending the epidemic will require mobilization of government, local communities, and private organizations. It will require the resolve of our entire country.”

Utah has the seventh highest drug poisoning death rate in the nation, according  to the Utah Department of Health. Utah is also home to a wide array of treatment centers. Cory Markisich, executive director of Wasatch Recovery Treatment Center in Cottonwood Heights, said Utah has some of the best addiction treatment facilities in the country. So, what is the best treatment? What works? Markisich said that group therapy is the best solution.

Group therapy capitalizes on peer support from others who are facing similar trials all while being guided by a professional counselor. The support felt by those who are going through the same situations and struggles is the largest benefit of the program. “The problem is usually something else. They are trying to cover something up,” Markisich said. Group therapy helps counselors and patients both to understand what that personal trial is, and how it can be solved without the use of opioids.

Markisich, who studied finance and social work at the University of Utah, has been with Wasatch Recovery for five years. He is aware of some of the unique struggles faced in the Beehive state.

“In Utah, we have a weird dynamic where we have strong LDS culture and there’s a lot of guilt and a lot of shame, more so than you get in other areas,” Markisich said. “Most of the people that I’m treating, they’re not coming in for alcohol and cocaine. What’s happened is they were given a prescription, and it’s not against the Word of Wisdom to take their prescription, but they are completely abusing that prescription,” he said. The Word of Wisdom  is the health code of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which prohibits illegal and harmful substances.

“They’re great people, what’s happened is they’ve just spiraled out of control,” he said. Markisich said that often the substances are abused to treat depression or anxiety. Patients may be taking opioids for their back, only to soon realize that it helps treat their depression. This leads to dependency and addiction.

Markisich and his colleagues do not tell their patients that using drugs is bad. What he tries to do, and what it is massively more successful, is getting to the root of their addiction, whether that be depression, anxiety, or something else entirely.

He said that sometimes people have a hard time understanding recovery. Often, he needs to tell his patient’s husband, wife, or parents that recovery is not like taking a car in to get repaired. Solving an addiction is not like getting an oil change. It requires time and consistent effort to avoid relapse.

Markisich said the addictions affect people mentally and emotionally. They suppress painful memories for people, and provide temporary respite from daily stresses. It is in the resolution of those painful memories and daily stresses that the addiction is more fully overcome, and not only in the physical time one refrains from the substance abuse.

Treatment begins with detoxification, then often moves into a full-time residential program at a recovery center. Such was the case with Hieb. He was in Odyssey House’s residential program for 23 months. Then the patients can move down to part-time treatment, which is usually five hours a day for five days a week. This leads to the patients becoming more independent and attending  meetings such as group therapy sessions. This allows for their environment to slowly get larger until they can handle daily life again.

Hieb said it is critical for patients to detox completely from opiates in a structured environment as quickly as possible. Hieb said recovery is a process, and is most effective when patients move from multiple services to fewer over time, like he did.

Markisich agrees, saying there is no cookie-cutter solution to the problem for every patient.

Hieb’s life has changed a great deal since his initial detox. “If I didn’t burn my last bridge, I don’t know if I would have ever made it,” he said. He was able to retain custody of his children and is now the program director at New Roads Behavioral Health in Cottonwood Heights. “The reason I am a director is because of my passion for the therapeutic community.”

Don C., who asked to remain anonymous because not all of his family knows about his past, has had a similarly remarkable recovery. He came to Wasatch Recovery as a client in November 2016. He now works in detoxification and said he gets to see people at their worst. He said he knows how to help them because he has been in the same situation himself.

Wasatch Recovery’s motto is fitting for anyone seeking treatment options: Instill hope, teach resilience, and achieve recovery.

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Abigail Sabir

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MY STORY: 

MY BLOG: 

After sharing my chosen major of strategic communication at the University of Utah, and hearing the usual response of “communicating is important,” or “What can you even do with that?” I soon found myself also doubting the strength of my desired degree. As I got further into the required courses, I was quickly assured that strategic communication is not only challenging, but also applicable to many real-life skills.

When I started the Intro to News Writing course, I had intentions to breeze through assignments with minimal challenge. However, I was quickly proved wrong. Throughout the semester, the requirement to pitch a story idea, interview sources, write a lengthy story on the chosen topic to then be published was daunting.

As I struggled to choose a relevant topic for my enterprise story, I turned to my interest for community involvement to guide my focus. I work at a local business as a baker, and love to see the interactions between various local businesses and their involvement with the community. That interest guided my choice of topic on local businesses giving back to charity.

I was surprised to find out that many businesses that give back are not as recognized or obvious in the community. It took more effort than expected to choose the most fitting philanthropic businesses for my story. When I chose to write about Even Stevens, Cotopaxi and Stonehaven Dental, I was lucky to have very accessible sources found through the various websites. Those websites led me to be connected with my sources via email, that gave me the in-depth information to develop my story.

I found that after I decided on my main idea, each new interview and the supplemental research done, led me in a more exciting direction. I made sense of the extensive information through narrowing it down to what was the most relevant to my focus of spending money locally to contribute to philanthropic efforts.

Through writing my enterprise story, I found myself in need many of the skills taught in the course. To use all of the AP style rules, correctly make attributions and not stray from the focus of my story was a source of struggle through the writing process. I not only strengthened my writing skills, and gained more interest in the interaction between local businesses and charity in Salt Lake Valley.

ABOUT ME:

I am currently a student at the University of Utah, pursuing a bachelor of science in strategic communication and minoring in health, with an expected graduation date of Spring 2019. I am from the Bay Area in California and have been living in Utah for four years. 

I spent my first year in Utah attending Salt Lake Community College before transferring to the University of Utah. Upon coming to The U, I got involved in the Alpha Phi sorority. Shortly thereafter, I joined the national online magazine called Her Campus as a writer.

I have a passion for connecting with others, writing, traveling and culinary arts. When I am not attending school, I work as a baker at a local bakery called Poppies, and spend my free time with friends and family. 

Reem Ikram

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MY STORY:

MY BLOG:

Growing up, I always have had the opportunity to see things first at hand. I was able to see them for what they actually were in reality. My religion and my upbringing in a low socio-economic household is what made me be able to understand and acknowledge issues within the world. I am a Muslim. These characteristics are what has shaped my interests and passions. I tend to develop my stories based off personal experience and what I feel connected to.

Concerning “The New Colossus: A glimpse of the values of Lady Liberty,” I felt that I had to give a voice to those who couldn’t speak. I wanted to bring awareness to the refugee crisis and the agencies that go out of their way to help them. That was my focus.

While writing this piece, I reached out to refugee help centers, immigration attorneys and local work force departments, to see which would be available for an interview. I decided to interview people from those areas because I knew that they dealt with refugees personally. They were the best options since they had multiple insights on the refugee crisis and knew what the refugees were going through on a first-hand basis. Though the season made it really hard for anyone to get back to me, I managed to find one person to speak with from each organization. Each interview ran smoothly and surprisingly there weren’t any obstacles besides actually scheduling an interview.

During the interviews, I made sure I had a list of questions written down, to help me stay on my focus. Being organized helped me make sense of all the information I was being given. When it came to actually writing my story, I had to break down every piece of information I had. I had to organize and re-organize my piece multiple times to make sure it gave off the right emotion and had an appropriate delivery, all while making sure it was interesting to read. I made sure to include everything that I was given, so nothing important was left out.

What surprised me the most was how everyone was so involved and despite setbacks they were still passionate about helping those who are in need. Overall, writing this story helped me realize how important being a humanitarian is and what being a part of a community entails.

ABOUT ME:

Reem Ikram, a long-time advocate for human rights, brings more than an open mind and different perspective when concerning issues that are present within society. Focusing her time on volunteering at the local soup kitchens and setting up fundraisers for those in need, Ikram has gained a compelling outlook on how life should be lived out. Currently living in Salt Lake City, she also attends the University of Utah, majoring in communication with an emphasis in broadcast journalism, she is expected to graduate in 2019.

Ikram grew up in a disoriented family, constantly struggling with being financially unstable and watching her mother be a victim of domestic violence. Though her living situation wasn’t ideal, it allowed her to become more than resilient. It inspired her to be super productive and overly optimistic.

After enduring such a turbulent past, Ikram decided to pursue broadcasting to be a part of a larger platform so she could then be able to reach out and help more of those in need. While trying to reach this goal, she has also taken part in numerous independent projects in order to make a name for herself. These projects range from writing stories for her university’s paper, acting in independent films relevant to raising awareness to social conflicts and issues, to running two small businesses and her own film production company.

While always keeping herself busy, Ikram is determined to make a positive change in the world. She is no stranger when it comes to tough times and having a lot on her plate.

Jackson Caldwell

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MY STORY:

  • Kindergarten: the new first grade

MY BLOG: 

For my story I wanted to write about a topic that I discuss daily. My first idea was about gun control and the second, education. I am passionate about guns and that is one of my hobbies. However, I wanted to write about something more local. My wife is a kindergarten teacher and we are always talking about education in the state of Utah.

When I decided to write about kindergarten I wanted to make it more personal. I went to my wife’s school and asked teachers, educators and parents if I could interview them. I wanted to get three different viewpoints, the teacher who is directly working with the kids, the administration that links the government to the kids, and parents who will see the real growth outside of the class.

My focus was on the students and if kindergarten needs to be mandatory in the state of Utah. I wanted to focus on the impact that kindergarten had on the students and if it needed to be mandatory.

My story had all the elements I wanted to include from my research phase. If I could do it over again, I would try to interview someone from the state of Utah legislature to get the government’s perspective.

I found this story hard to form and write. I have written papers in APA format but writing in AP style was a change. Overall, I found that I really enjoyed this assignment. I was able to broaden my writing skills and get experience writing to tell a story.

ABOUT ME:

My name is Jackson Caldwell. I am working full time and studying strategic communication at the University of Utah. I hope to work in a marketing or strategic communication role when I graduate. I am an avid sports fan and love Utah.

María Hernandez

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MY STORY:

MY BLOG:

Writing is not easy.

Now, being a writer and an interviewer, that’s a challenge.

When thinking about a topic for my enterprise story, I came up with a big moral dilemma: Would I pick an easy topic that I had already done research on and knew about, or would I pick something completely outside of my comfort zone and learn and write about it?

After narrowing down my topics to about three, I decided I wanted to challenge myself and took the assignment as an opportunity to learn about something so close to home, yet so unexplored.

Undocumented immigrants.

How could I talk about such a sensitive topic that I had no clue on? Who would be brave enough to open up and identify themselves as undocumented? Would that be ethically correct and even safe for me to do?

All I knew is that I wanted to tell a story. The story of someone who could inspire and educate readers about the reality of millions of people in our country. And then, the idea came to me: I wanted to talk about Manuel Valdez, my boss at one of the best restaurants in Salt Lake City. I knew his story was interesting based on the fragments of it that he had told me, and I wanted to know more. I wanted to tell everybody the story of this hard-working man.

When I told Valdez about my idea, he laughed it off. He does not really like to talk about himself or to share his personal stories with anybody. But after lots of convincing and negotiation, he agreed to give me an interview.

That Sunday, I went over to his house, where he was having a BBQ with his family and friends. After eating and chatting, Valdez opened up and we had what became a 7-hour interview. There was so much information, that my hand hurt from all the notes that I took! I did not want to leave any information out, so I made sure to ask many questions and record everything. Throughout the same week, I interviewed my two other sources: Valdez’s son, and Lora, a Lone Star customer. Those interviews were extremely short compared to Valdez’s, but I had the information I needed.

When it came to writing the actual story, the fun started. I had so much information, so many details, perspectives, and anecdotes that I wanted to include. When I finished writing my first draft I was at 1,300 words, without counting one of the interviews. I felt frustrated and overwhelmed by so much information. I felt that the story did not flow and that in my urge to include everything, I was jumping from topic to topic.

So I closed my computer and did not open the story for another three days.

After receiving advice from my classmates and Prof. Mangun, I decided to revise my story. I needed to narrow it down, and almost be cruel. I needed to stick to one topic or at least signal where new information was being introduced.

I tried to organize the story by life events and used headers to signal those events. It helped to make the story flow, and it helped to stay on topic while including different anecdotes and ideas.

After finishing the second draft, I verified some quotes with Valdez that I wanted to document correctly. I realized that my handwriting and note-taking skills are not as sharp as I thought they were. I could not recall half of the things I thought I would. Good issue to identify and to keep in mind for future interviews.

After many revisions and decisions, I finally had my last draft. And I loved the story. It was inspiring, surprising and relatable. It had a clear message and was not over-the-top dramatic. This experience really helped me to highlight several weaknesses and things I need to work on for further interviews. And most importantly, it opened my eyes and informed me about a reality I did not know of. The reality of millions of people who come to America with nothing but their pockets full of dreams.

ABOUT ME: 

If as a child, someone would have asked me what I wanted my life to be like in my 20s I would not have come close to what it is today. I have usually been quite scared of taking risks. If life works right now, why change it?

After being my whole life in Colombia, I decided that it was time to leave the nest and look for better opportunities. I was terrified since it was a harsh change and risks were not my forte. However, I packed my bags and decided to follow my heart despite my fears.

Today, I am a junior at the University of Utah, pursuing a bachelor of science in communication, psychology and economics. I have been in the States for about five years, learned a whole new language, and traveled around the world, exploring new cultures and opening my mind. I have worked in customer service for about four years, and have learned a lot about human relations and communication. I have a big passion for volunteering and community service.  I have gained over 400 volunteer hours and plan on gaining more over my career. Last summer, I had the opportunity to complete an internship with Zions Bank. After it, I realized I was passionate about banking and am planning on pursuing a career in this field after graduation, which is expected in Spring 2019. My main life goal is to be able to give back to people. I was very scared of taking a leap of faith, and I want to be there for others who are in that same spot. In order to achieve this, attending law school is one of my long-term goals. My dream job is to have my own company that provides aid to developing countries, creating job opportunities and giving back to the community.

When I was young, I dreamed of being a counseling psychologist and having an office to treat people. It seemed like a safe plan. But life isn’t about a “safe plan.” And taking risks has taken me to places that I never imagined I would go. I am sure young-me would be –though surprised– proud and happy to see who I am today in my 20s.

Reflection Blog – Faye Barnhurst

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I began brainstorming ideas by thinking about current events in Salt Lake and on campus. As a student-activist, I considered different political issues in Utah, such as Operation Rio Grande, police brutality, etc. I thought of the Ben Shapiro event, as it had been the biggest activist action on campus in a while. I knew that the event was not current enough to suit the story, but the group who put it together, Black Live Matter Utah, had not gotten much coverage. Black Lives Matter seemed to be a new group in Utah, so I tried to consider what the public might be wondering about them, like who they are, why they started, what their goals are, etc.

I already knew some local activists, so I was able to use them as sources or connections. I also was able to schedule an interview with Lex Scott, the founder, which was fantastic. Lex Scott was a great source. I felt that it was very valuable to learn about the group directly from the source. I was also able to interview TK Flory, one of the first BLM activists in the country, which was really interesting. I’m thankful that these individuals were willing to be interviewed by me, especially as both of them are black, and I didn’t want to speak for them or their movement.

I had some difficulty contacting Lex Scott because she is involved with so many organizations, which makes her very busy. I had somewhat of an ethical dilemma because the only people I was able to contact from BLM Utah’s media team were white people, and like I said before, this is a black movement, so it’s important to prioritize black voices and not speak over them. I would have felt unethical to only interview white people from the organization. I continued to reach out to other people to get in contact with Lex, and luckily I was able to get the interview just in time.

When beginning the first draft of my story, I definitely had a different idea in my head than what I ended up with. I was planning on starting out by explaining the national BLM movement and some recent cases of police brutality in the US, but it just didn’t flow well. It took the focus away from the Utah Chapter, which was supposed to be the point of the article, so I made an outline and focused much more on the local issues BLM had been focusing on.

I learned that outlines are crucial. If you try to write an article start to finish, with no outline, it will take at least five times longer. I also learned that I like writing about activism. Lex Scott thanked me specifically for choosing to write about them and giving them a voice, which made what I was doing much more meaningful. It’s important to give a voice to those who are often silenced by the general public.

I’m thankful I had the opportunity to interview activists I admire, like Lex Scott, TK Flory, and Jacob Jensen. I hope to be able to cover more activist events in the future and to give a voice to those who are silenced.

Bio

Black Lives Matter has taken to the streets of Utah and they’re here to stay

Reflections on Interviews with DACA recipients

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By Citlali Jauregui

I decided to write about DACA recipients because I wanted others to know about some of their struggles for a better life. Some people don’t take the time to read these types of articles since DACA doesn’t affect them, but it could affect someone who they are very close to.

Recipients of DACA whose permits expired before March of 2018 had until Oct 5, 2017 to renew their permits. No new applications were accepted after October 5. The Mexican Consulate located in Salt Lake City provided financial assistance for those who couldn’t afford the application fee of $499. They also provided services in which DACA recipients could attend and meet with a lawyer, free of charge, to get their application going before the October deadline. Every two years DACA recipients would go to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to get their bio-metrics taken after their applications were approved. In the September issue of The New York Times stated that there are 800,000 DACA recipients who are affected by the removal of DACA.

I have a few friends who have DACA and were willing to share their story with me. I also wanted to get the views of a few parents of DACA recipients and their reasons for bringing their children to a different country. They were the best sources for my story because their journey on coming to the U.S. wasn’t easy and they all faced struggles in different ways coming from different countries.

I did encounter some obstacles while developing my story, especially during the interview process. Immigration is a sensitive topic to talk about and both parents I interviewed preferred not to include their full name in order to keep their identity safe. I decided to focus on their whys for coming to the U.S, their struggles, and their hopes. I also decided to focus on Lopez’s story specifically, just because he decided to come to the U.S. alone to be reunited with his parents. During my writing process I became stuck a few times, because I wanted to include the full story of each DACA recipient I interviewed. Each person I interviewed had a very unique story and I wanted to include their whole story with more detail, but due to space I had to leave some things out. Another struggle that I encountered was trying to leave my bias out and be more transparent. I am an immigrant as well and I have experienced some of the same struggles as the individuals I interviewed. I tried writing this story by putting myself on the outside, which was hard, but I believe I accomplished it. It’s not easy starting a new life in a country that is very different from our own, but we adapt ourselves and with commitment and dedication anything can be possible.

Story: An opportunity for Success is taken away

Citlali Jauregui

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About Me

I Bioam Junior at the University of Utah majoring in Strategic Communication. I am not sure what specific career I want, but I can’t wait to explore and see what the future has in store for me.

I was born in Jalisco, Mexico and grew up in a small pueblo called Zapotlan Del Rey until age seven. Coming to a new country, facing obstacles, and learning a completely new language really shaped me. I developed dedication and commitment that helped me to become the person I am today.

I am a motivated and ambitious Hispanic woman who wants to acquire more knowledge and to explore the world by learning about other cultures and sharing other people’s stories. For me, writing was never easy, but I’ve always liked it. Trying to express my thoughts and ideas on paper always seemed difficult, but writing has given me a pathway into thoughtful expression.

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Reflection Blog on developing story

Story: An opportunity for success is taken away

 

Holly Vasic

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About Me

Writing1

I am a student at the University of Utah seeking a degree in Communications, the journalism sequence. I write for the Arts and Entertainment section of the student newspaper, The Daily Utah Chronicle, and for the South Salt Lake City Journals. I have always been a writer and I am finally pursuing my dreams. I have learned a lot about news writing in class as well as from experience through the student newspaper. The more I learn and write the more I love the journalism process. My favorite part is meeting new people and interviewing them. The writing part is probably my least favorite, ironically.

Check out my story on Operation Rio Grande by clicking here.

Read my reflection blog on writing the Rio Grande story by clicking here. 

See my LinkedIn by clicking here.

Have a look at my portfolio by clicking here.

Operation Rio Grande may not be prepared, or be the answer, for homeless addicts

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Story and Photos by HOLLY VASIC

SALT LAKE CITY – Operation Rio Grande is ready to begin helping homeless addicts as part of its “Phase 2.” Law enforcement agencies are well into the first phase of pursuing active criminals from the area. As part of Phase 2, certain treatment centers have received funding to expand, but clinicians in the addiction field say this is not the answer and infrastructure does not exist to support the client load.

Sit in on any Salt Lake Area 12-step meeting and sooner or later references to “The Block” will be heard. The Block is the nickname for the area between 200 S. and 400 S. on Rio Grande St. in Salt Lake City’s downtown, where illegal substances pass fluidly from dealers to users. Operation Rio Grande is currently attempting to eradicate the drug trade from The Block and the questionable activities that seem to come with it.

Rio Grande

The Rio Grande street sign on a grey Sunday, November 26, 2017, in Salt Lake City.

Salt Lake City District 6 Vice Chair, Charlie Luke, explained that the city, county, and state of Utah are working together on the operation, SLC is largely responsible for the “on the ground” efforts. “We can fund law enforcement, we can fund cleanup down there, we can do a lot with the zoning. That’s within our jurisdiction,” Luke said. “The county is the one who started moving money into treatment and things.” Law enforcement is arresting people who have felonies and those who sell illegal drugs, “we are not trying to arrest homeless, we are not trying to arrest addicts, we’re trying to arrest those who are preying on the homeless and the addicts,” Luke said. Cleaning up the block contributes to Phase 2’s goal of getting people help, however Phase 1 won’t officially end until June 19, 2019 according to the Operation Rio Grande website.

Odyssey House is one of the treatment facilities receiving funds from the county. It has multiple locations with inpatient and outpatient options. Odyssey House also offers “sober living” – transitional housing to help clients get back on their feet. Director of Operations at 7th Street Treatment Center and former support staff at Odyssey House, Melissa Welsh, has experienced Phase 2 first hand when people from Rio Grande first started coming in to Odyssey House. “We didn’t have enough employees to even keep up with everybody” Welsh said.

Odyssey House office building

Odyssey House office building on Sunday, November 26, 2017 in Salt Lake City.

Mary Jo McMillen, Executive Director of Utah Support Advocates for Recovery Awareness, has expressed similar concerns. “The homeless shelters are still experiencing drug use and intoxication.  The complaints I have heard are that there is not enough support staff for help with the complexities that people are dealing with.” McMillen said Operation Rio Grande was not prepared for the second phase.

Addiction has many dynamics and dimensions, Welsh said people who aren’t in treatment by their own choice are known as “compliance-based.” “They’re just trying not to go to jail,” she said. These clients are different than those in treatment by choice. “They go in there and they just bring the street into treatment, they bring the hustle into treatment, not necessarily the drug hustle but their hustle,” she said. Emily Abeyta, a Marriage and Family Therapy Master’s Degree student who is currently working on her practicum hours at Youth Care  – an adolescent inpatient treatment center – agreed with Welsh’s description. “I think that taking people off the street and dumping them in rehab is only going to be effective if that’s what they want for themselves,” Abeyta said. “The point is that you take them to treatment when they’re ready for treatment.” She knows this from being in recovery herself – with just over two years sober – and from her work and education. Since joining Youth Care she has experienced these situations repeatedly, parent’s put their kids in rehab but the child does not want to be there.

Yet, there are anomalies. A low percentage of compliance-based clients do succeed. “Some people, they don’t even know that there was help, and it’s like wow, there’s help, and then they rock it,” Welsh said. Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Lindsey MacFarlane, has also experienced this, she now works at a private practice but spent years at Wasatch outpatient. “I wish I knew what it was. If we figured it out, it would be like okay we solved addiction,” McFarlane said. McFarlane doesn’t know if what is happening downtown is the answer though she remains hopeful, “I think that there’s maybe people who will have the change that needs to occur and that they’ll get the opportunity to get help,” she said.

It is too early to tell if Operation Rio Grande’s Phase 2 will be a success or if addicts from The Block will receive and accept the help they so desperately need. Regardless, implementation of this phase was not as well thought out as addiction advocates would have liked. “There is not one size, or model, or approach, or intervention that fits for all individuals,” McMillen said. The importance of individualizing addition treatment may be something that Operation Rio Grande is only now discovering.

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Holly Vasic Reflection Blog on “Operation Rio Grande may not be prepared, or be the answer, for homeless addicts”

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The Operation Rio Grande story, “Operation Rio Grande may not be prepared, or be the answer, for homeless addicts“, idea stemmed from a discussion I overheard with a girl who worked at one of the treatment centers receiving financial disbursement from Operation Rio Grande. She was saying how awful it was because the place was not prepared when people began to come in and it negatively affected other clients. Originally I was planning to focus on the clients who were negatively affected.

I located sources by asking people that were too close to me to interview, to refer me to someone else. In an attempt to tell every side I tried to speak with someone that was an advocate for addicts, someone in government, and an addict themselves.  The biggest ethical issue and moral dilemma I faced was I am a drug addict and alcoholic myself and inherently bias. By finding sources from a variety of places I hoped to counteract that bias.  

As I interviewed people the focus of the story changed so I re-directed and was able to “make sense” of the new focus by listening to what my interviewees were telling me. The writing process consisted of me typing out all the conversations I recorded, reading through them, then I found the story. I was able to figure out an order to the story that made sense and kept it interesting by giving information upfront the reader would need to know, to understand the context, and breaking it down from there. I did not end up including an interview from a drug addict in recovery who was homeless on The Block because the one I spoke with spent time there prior to Operation Rio Grande. I felt like he couldn’t represent that side. I could not find a source who had been a success or failure from Operation Rio Grande sending them to rehab because the program is so new, but I still wanted that side represented. After reading the story I felt that because one of the clinical people is in recovery themselves that was represented without needing a separate person.

What surprised me is that the story ended up being about something else then I originally thought. At first I wanted to focus on everyone else in treatment and how they were affected by people who didn’t want to be there but then it turned into really the homeless addicts being swept up in Operation Rio Grande themselves.

I learned a lot from this experience. Being a writer at the student newspaper I found it hard to have such a long time to prepare and ended up doing my last interview about ten hours before the actual assignment was due. I discovered I do better writing on the fly and that adrenaline kicking in really motivates me, like I said I’m an addict… we do that. The other newspaper I write for, The City Journals, is a monthly paper and this experience has prepared me for future writing with them in that I can anticipate a further out deadline, letting some of that adrenaline rush go, and taking my time to get the full story.

By: Holly Vasic

 

Eva-Marie Putze

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About Me

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I am a fourth year University of Utah student majoring in strategic communication with a minor in business administration. Originally from Las Vegas, I moved to Salt Lake City for my undergraduate degree. In the near future I have plans to peruse a Masters of Business Administration in Germany, where my family is from. In the past I have interned for Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle and ELLE Magazine Germany as a digital marketing strategist. As of recently I have a fashion column in Home and Table Magazine, where I update readers seasonally on the latest trends. My interests include snowboarding, painting and playing classical piano.

Click to read my story Coffee shops- reaching the minds of college students. Learn more about my writing process reflections on coffee shops and student customers.

Visit my LinkedIn here.

 

Girls club soccer and the advantages learnt in and throughout the game

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By TIFFANY HUYETTE

SALT LAKE CITY-  There are those people in life that are special, something about them is intriguing and admirable, and you can tell that whatever their craft, they pour their heart and soul into it. One of these people is Bruce Cuppett, originally from Pipestone, Minnesota, Cuppett is a retired military veteran, soccer coach, and an important person in the development of Utah Youth Soccer Association.

“My dad worked for American Oil Company so about every two years we would move,” says Cuppett.  “I went to three elementaries, two junior highs, and three high schools.” It wasn’t always easy. “I was a trouble maker when I was in school,” Cuppett says, adding that he “walking the thin line, on the good side and the bad side,” always trying to balance the fun. Occasionally, he’d “get slapped, and then get back in line,” he says.

Cuppett finished high school in Detroit in 1964, where he began junior college and building muscle cars. He then enlisted in the army in 1966, and was on active duty until 1972. Cuppett finished college, with a degree in business management, and rejoined the military until 1999 where he retired after thirty years.

“I never played soccer when I was growing up, when I went into the service is when I learned to play soccer,” Cuppett says. After moving to Utah in 1991, Cuppett’s son Andrew tried every sport but fell in love with soccer and started playing for the American Youth Soccer Organization. Andrew had a great first year coach said Cuppett, but his second-year coach was a “flake.” Concerned, the team parents nominated Cuppett as the new coach because he was the parent who knew the most about soccer. He was unlicensed for a short time, but he soon began moving through his first licensure on his way to becoming a better coach and to understanding the youth game.

So how is it he began coaching girls? Cuppett got a call from Sparta founder Ben Vandenhazel asking him to come and coach a girls’ team. “I don’t know anything about girls” Cuppett said, but he decided to take on the challenge. Years later, Cuppett is still coaching girls soccer, “It’s a much different game, to me it’s a game that I appreciate more than the boys game. I think the girls game is about working, about possessing the ball, looking for a seem in the defense and attacking the goal. Where boys typically are win the ball, and go to the goal all the time.” He described it as a prettier game, but harder to coach. “What I tell the older girls when I work with them was ‘you wanna get into college using your brains, because if you get hurt and you’re on academic scholarship your scholarship its still there’. It doesn’t matter if you’re on crutches or whatever, if you get there going the other way, and something happens you’re usually going to lose your scholarship.”

It can be hard to persevere in the sport. “Because you’re going to lose at some point,” says Anthony Frost, Marketer at UYSA. “You’re going to have the hard days at some point, you’re going to have hard times and ya gotta keep going.”

The key is that “ya gotta love it and ya gotta work it,” says Cuppett. “I believe athletes, when they train properly become very good in society because they are good at hitting bench marks along the way, which helps develop their skills to have in life.” An athlete needs to dedicate their own time to the game, he says.

Cuppett tries to teach his players to problem-solve and to be resilient. “If you’re in the real world and ya got a great job, and ya get a new boss, and the new boss is an absolute idiot, are ya gonna throw everything away? Or are ya gonna try figure out how to work with this person and how to continue. Because you’re on a good path right now and you don’t want to go back out and start all over again.”

Friend and Administrative Director of Coaching at UYSA, Holly Gundred, commented “as a team learning how to deal with heartbreak, you learn to take that and what do you do? You apply it and move on.”

Sports, much like life, is like a roller coaster, says Cuppett. “I think sports teaches you that every day it’s a win lose situation. How well you did in practice? How well you did in a match, ya know? how well did ya feel going into it?” If he can teach his players to be introspective, that’s when Cuppett will feel like he’s done his job.

 

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If your interested in reading the reflections on my story click here .

 

Reflection blog on girls club soccer and the advantages learnt in and throughout the game

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In the beginning of pitching ideas for my enterprise story, I knew I wanted my story to be centered around athletics because that is where much of my knowledge and passion are found. I knew it would be easier to invest myself in a topic that I knew a lot about or had the motivation to learn more about. I decided to write about UYSA because growing up in Utah Youth Soccer was extremely beneficial in teaching me life skills and in teaching me how to deal with adversity.

Upon gathering information for my story from previous coaches and the Utah Youth Soccer website, I was able to get in touch with individuals from the admin side of UYSA, and eventually able to go to the new UYSA headquarters and interview a few different people. Upon meeting different people, I reconnected with a previous soccer trainer from my youth days who had both coached girls and worked on the admin side of UYSA.

I started my interviews asking each person what their specific job title was and how they had got the position they now obtained. I then asked about previous jobs and positions, and about their families. Then I went further into depth on the benefits of sports for adolescence. After the interviews I reviewed all my notes and was able to create a story. The best source for my story ended up being the man who had trained my team and other girls teams, and who also worked admin for UYSA.

The struggles I faced were mostly within getting to interview the people I was hoping to interview and within keeping my story within the word limit required. I had to find a way to both include the details I wanted and the details I needed, while also having to distinguish between what I could keep in my story and what I needed to take out. All while trying to tell a story well, intrigue readers, and fit within the word limit.

I was able to choose the focus of my story when I listened over my interviews and had to decide what would be interesting to readers of all types, and what wouldn’t be interesting. I also really wanted to tell a good story, so I had to find a point of view where I could story tell, while still being able to keep inline with my story topic. The writing process was lengthy, and the story ended up extensively exceeding the word limit. I then had to delete any parts that were not necessary, or that did not point back to the story pitch. It was a process of writing a story that would be both interesting and informative to readers, while at the same time telling a story well. I learned that I am much more of a story writer than a news writer but that it is beneficial to add brevity to whatever I’m writing.

Looking back, I am very surprised with where my story ended up going. It ended up being a feature story about a specific person and an organization. I learned much about UYSA through my interview with Bruce but also about Bruce as a person. I was able to attain life wisdom as well as coaching wisdom for young athletes and the parents of athletes.

Link to my story here and my bio here.

Faye Barnhurst

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Faye Barnhurst lives in Salt Lake City, UT. She is a sophomore at the University of Utah, currently studying Communications, Journalism, and Studio Art. She plans to graduate with her BA in Communications in 2020.

Ms. Barnhurst has worked at LUSH Fresh Handmade Cosmetics in Murray, Utah, as a Senior Sales Ambassador and Visual Merchandising Ambassador, for the last two years. She has also done volunteer work with Vague Space, a local non-profit focusing on arts and education, as their social media coordinator.

Ms. Barnhurst is also a student-activist with the Students for a Democratic Society, a progressive student-activist group on the U’s campus. She has assisted in organizing events, hosting fundraisers, and running social media accounts for the group.

Her passions include art, music, activism, travel, and politics.

 

Black Lives Matter has taken to the streets of Utah and they’re here to stay

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Kaylee Anderson

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MY STORY: 

MY BLOG:

Writing my enterprise story was my favorite part of this whole class and experience. It gave me an opportunity to combine what interests and drives me with news writing skills.

I chose to do my story on how mental health is heightened when you get to college and what you can do to help deal with it. I feel passionate about this topic and finding sources was fairly easy. I went to my personal psychiatrist because I knew she had a lot of insight about the topic. The next step was the University Counseling Center, I got in touch with the assistant director and he gave me great information for my story.

The biggest dilemma I faced while writing my story was to keep myself out of it. I feel so strongly about my topic so it was hard to keep my ideas, personal stories, and my own opinions out. I did a good job of that and only wrote about the people who I interviewed thoughts.

I started by making an outline for my story and participated heavily during the in class peer critiques. Then, I sat down one night and wrote out the whole thing in one sitting because that is how my brain accomplishes things better.

The part that surprised me the most, was how kind the people were that I interviewed, I know mental illness is a touchy subject but everyone was so willing to help my cause. I was also pleasantly surprised on how much fun I had with the story. I really enjoyed talking with people and including their thoughts to make my story flow. I had a wonderful experience with this story.

ABOUT ME:

Kaylee Anderson is a sophomore at the University of Utah studying communication with an emphasis in broadcast journalism. She also is interested in psychology and how the mind works.

Kaylee enjoys writing and traveling to places like Rome and Spain. She is a part of the Pi Beta Phi sorority on campus and plans to run for an executive position next year.

Kaylee was born and raised in Utah and graduated from Juan Diego Catholic High school with a 3.5 GPA and lettered in cheerleading.

Kaylee is passionate about mental health and hopes to raise awareness to the subject through her writing and broadcasting skills. One day Kaylee hopes she will work with a news company and be able to broadcast the news to the public.

Britt Brooks

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MY STORY:

 

MY BLOG:

Before taking my first news writing class, I imagined the journalism field as one of clicking pens, quick deadlines and pushy-yet-nice reporters. Needless to say, I was in for a big surprise when I started learning about the hard work, charisma and genuine interest journalists need to have in order to succeed.

I have a background in creative writing. Poetry and fiction have come rather naturally to me, and creating characters from my everyday surroundings has always been one of my favorite pastimes. Journalism is so interesting to me because it actualizes and deepens the story that can be behind the person I’m interviewing.FullSizeRender (3)

The art of good reporting is definitely under appreciated. (We had to buy a 600-page stylebook for things as small as hyphens and commas.) The sheer amount of knowledge and research that go into news articles was shocking. I’ve gained a lot of respect for the press industry in just one semester.

With the daunting project of my enterprise story looming over me, I felt nervous and… like a rookie. Which I was. Which I still kind of am. But that’s okay because if I’ve learned anything from writing, practice does nothing but make you better.

I needed something for this story that would keep my interest, as well as challenge me. Clothing is something I’ve been fascinated by since I can remember, so it felt like the right choice from the beginning. As a little girl I worshiped fashion magazines (let’s not kid ourselves, I still do). I watched award shows just to see the celebrities’ red carpet dresses, and I’ve picked my own outfits since before I knew what a runway was.

I find the intertwining of social media and businesses a unique dynamic. Social media’s impact on the fashion industry was an idea that jumped at me. Being able to interview such driven and creative people from my hometown of Salt Lake was truly an honor. I felt absolutely inspired after learning about the hard work behind their businesses.

ABOUT ME: 

I am a 20-year-old sophomore at the University of Utah. I’ve decided to major in strategic communication and double minor in Spanish and creative writing. Whether it’s fiction, poetry, or journalism, I’m happiest with a pen in my hand.

I love to travel and experience new places. My favorite trip I’ve taken so far is definitely Mexico. I was able to speak Spanish all day every day as well as learn so much about the people and culture I was visiting. One of my dreams is to travel the world and write about each person I meet and each place I see.

The future has always seemed scary to me, and until recently I couldn’t really procure a clear picture in my mind of where I was going. Thanks to really great classes and clubs, I’ve never felt more excited or empowered about my future than I do now.

Three Salt Lake City fashion creatives discuss the impact of social media marketing

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Story and photos by BRITT BROOKS

A swipe, a like, a comment, a follow.

To get a look at marketing in the 21st century, go no further than your smartphone. Today you can look at any online platform and find a person, product, or brand that sparks your interest. But the businesses that perhaps utilize social media the most are those in the fashion industry.

Whether it’s celebrity-sponsored posts, live streams of runway shows, or notifications for product drops, fashion can be an immersive experience now more than ever. The elite fashion gods such as Gucci, Versace, Chanel and Balenciaga all have millions of followers on social media. But what about the startups?

Three up-and-comers in Salt Lake City’s fashion industry gave insight to their experiences with social media. The impact can be positive or negative depending on how active users are with the content presented to them.

Sydni Zaugg sat in a window seat at Salt Lake Coffee Break, her platinum blond bob stood out against head to toe black clothing and silver jewelry. Zaugg, 19, is a college student who attended the International Fashion Academy (IFA) in Paris in 2017. The program spanned three weeks and allowed her to attend Paris’ spring Fashion Week in early March.

Zaugg said she wouldn’t have even known about the opportunity had it not been for Instagram. After following IFA professor and trend specialist Agus Catteno on Instagram, Zaugg realized her wish to be educated about fashion in France was a possibility.

Zaugg direct messaged (DM’d) Catteno and asked questions about her job at IFA and  the opportunities for classes. Without her connection to Catteno, Zaugg wouldn’t have had a welcoming person to show her the ropes, and probably wouldn’t have gone to Paris for classes in the first place.

Parisian fashion influenced Zaugg’s personal style. And it serves as her template for advising others as she pursues a career as a stylist and photographer in Utah.

Social media give Zaugg a platform to share her availability for styling sessions and examples of her work such as dark, moody and romantic photoshoots with friends and models. But as with everything, it isn’t perfect. Zaugg mentioned the downside of pursuing likes and comments: a loss of creativity.

Avant garde clothing still graces the runways, but Zaugg has noticed brands moving toward more streamlined, minimalistic styles. This can be attributed to regular trend cycles. But Zaugg sees it as a reflection of the heavy use of social media marketing. Current fashion can be more about who you are, not what you wear. Big entertainment names like Kardashian and Hadid can be more influential than the brands themselves.

The integrity of the fashion industry can quickly fall victim to the whims of celebrities and influencers. Copycats are bad for any creative-based industry. To combat this ever-present sameness, Zaugg has a perfect mantra: “Clothes should give you confidence to express yourself how you want to, not how everyone else dresses.”

Someone curating new and wearable pieces for women is Madison Martellaro. A 21-year-old senior at the University of Utah, Martellaro has already started a company. In April 2017, she began working on her online clothing store, Fleur Fashion Boutique. She can be seen wearing multiple pieces from her boutique’s line including jeans, bomber jackets and everyday T shirts.

Martellaro came into the fashion industry alone, with virtually no connections. After months of research and hard work, she was able to start her business and advertise through social media to grow a following before the boutique launched on Nov. 9. She credits her online following of nearly 1,000 people to creating brand awareness before items were even available for purchase.

To get a good idea of what her customers actually want, Martellaro used polling features on social media. Polls and comments influenced the way the boutique website looks and functions. For example, followers wanted to know the models’ sizes and dimensions as well as see the clothing from multiple angles. These are two details about Fleur Fashion Boutique that came directly from future customers’ wish lists.

During her first photoshoot, Martellaro held a livestream. The feature on Instagram enabled her to connect even more with her future consumers. “I want to show people really what goes behind a business,” she said. In a world where new competition crops up every day, a behind-the-scenes connection with followers is priceless.

Martellaro takes a lot of pride in curating pieces that women of all sizes can wear and personalize. One of her biggest goals is to sell clothes that can be worn day to night, and look glamorous no matter the occasion.

Packaging is an important part of her brand’s final presentation and delivery. For a cohesive image, all clothing and accessories come wrapped in tissue paper with the greeting “Hello Beautiful” in bold font on the outside. Fleur Fashion Boutique encourages its recipients to take selfies with their deliveries, creating a wider community of people that talk about the products.

“That was the biggest thing for me,” Martellaro said, “making sure women felt empowered and special.”

Keeping a cohesive and unique image is one of the top priorities for Davis Hong. A polished and composed 24-year-old, Hong graduated from Salt Lake Community College with a design degree. Sitting in a wrap-around black coat of his own design, Hong said he likes to wear his own creations.

Recently rebranded under its new name, BYSHAO has been in the works for over two years, and is set to launch in 2018. Hong has made huge strides toward creating his ideal company and style.

Sustainable, ethically sourced materials are of utmost importance for BYSHAO. Only natural fiber fabrics like cotton and linen blends are used in the designs. To avoid creating more waste on our planet, Hong prefers working plant-to-piece with certified organic materials, and avoids polyester. Natural textiles and humane working conditions are the core of his passion for sustainable clothing, and it’s something he’s sticking to.

The pieces of BYSHAO are best described in Hong’s own words as minimalistic, gender-neutral and timeless. Specializing in overcoats and tops, BYSHAO is both modern and classic with structured silhouettes and neutral colors.

Participating at the 2017 Art Meets Fashion show in Salt Lake City, Hong’s brand was one of the five main shows. Events like this help secure a following that he hopes will subscribe to BYSHAO’s e-newsletter. Emails are more of a personal connection with consumers, directly informing them about lookbooks and future sale dates. A great way to foster a connection that leads to loyal customers is to start on platforms like Instagram and Twitter.

As Hong’s demographic isn’t necessarily in Salt Lake City, he finds it important to get to know his followers through social media. He mentioned his use of geo tags, event announcements, stories and live videos to view people from the other side of the planet. “You can basically be right there and see the people there as well,” Hong said.

Networking locally and internationally has furthered Hong’s knowledge and increased the presence of his brand. Social media form connections that wouldn’t otherwise be possible. He’s found photographers, models and hair and makeup professionals to work on photo shoots and runway shows.

The internet is a fantastic way for startup businesses to get their name into the hands of others. “Social media is very much an open portfolio,” Hong said. The ability to view others’ work passively before making real-life connections is something new to the world. This can acutely affect professional creatives, as a lot of their work can be judged from a 5-inch screen.

Without social media tools, Hong would have had a much harder time making local and international connections in the fashion industry. It’s unlikely that Martellaro would be the owner of a business she built from scratch at such a young age. And Zaugg never would have known about the opportunity to study fashion in Paris, or launch her career as a stylist.

Connecting with customers, mentors and possible collaborators — no matter where they are in the world — is perhaps one of the greatest online inventions of all.

Zaugg at Salt Lake Coffee Break.
Zaugg’s boots with snakeskin details.
Zaugg at Salt Lake Coffee Break.
Zaugg’s jewelry details.
Martellaro wearing a top and jacket from her boutique’s line.
Martellaro’s watch and details.
Martellaro in a shirt, jacket and jeans from her boutique’s line.
Hong in a jacket of his own design at Sugar House Coffee.
Hong at Sugar House Coffee.
Hong in a jacket of his own design with details.

Vaofua Kaili

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About Me

 Vaofua Kaili is in her third year at the University of Utah majoring in Strategic Communications with a minor in Political Science. She plans on going to law school for her graduate degree to become a prosecutor for special victims. Vaofua wants to help be a voice for those who have been assaulted and hopes to change the way the justice system unfairly treats victims. She hopes to use her skills as a writer to help educate and inform others about sexual assault and trauma. Her passion for traveling around the world has helped her to see the mistreatment of women and children in different countries. She hopes to one day expand her services to specifically help women and children receive the basic needs they deserve. Vaofua volunteers at women’s health clinics and special needs homes for the elderly in her free time. She will be interning this upcoming summer at Fox 13 News and at a legal clinic for special victims.

To read the story click the link: Victim Advocates – behind the scene hero

To read more about the making of this story click the link: Reflection Blog

Click here for Vaofua Kaili’s LinkedIn Profile

 

 

 

 

 

When “The Big One” Strikes

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Spencer Schwendiman

According to studies highlighted on Live Science natural disasters have been rising in number and severity over the past few decades. On the other hand, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has found the overall trends towards personal preparedness are decreasing. In other words, with the increase of disasters, there is a decrease in people who are prepared to respond to them. These surveys haven’t gone unnoticed, however, as multiple agencies both private and public are working to fix the problem.

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The state of Utah’s emergency management division is hard at work trying to help its citizens prepare for a disaster, specifically earthquakes. The trend of decreasing preparedness is frightening for people such as Susan Collier who works with the Salt Lake City Emergency Management Division. Collier pointed out that FEMA has shown its response time to be about 10 days. With such a long time before the federal government can bring in aid, it’s no wonder the state is pushing so hard to get its citizens better prepared.

Getting started with preparedness is easier than some may think. The state government’s preparedness website, ready.gov, says people should be doing these three things, “get informed, make a plan and build a kit.” Another expert in the field of preparedness, Scott Stallings the CEO of PrepperCon, the largest preparedness expo in the United States, agrees with this. He added through an email conversation that, “the most important thing is to put together an emergency plan for everything from a house fire to an earthquake.” By knowing the disasters, or emergencies that you or your family are in danger of encountering you can best prepare a plan to overcome them.

Building a kit tends to be the first thing people want to do when getting prepared. It is something that should not be taken lightly, however. Stallings explains that FEMA has recently adjusted its recommendations from having a 72-hour kit to a 96-hour kit. This is due to the slower response time from FEMA and The Red Cross. An emergency kit should also conform to your plans and contain the items you’ll need to complete the plan.

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Collier says that simply having a plan isn’t enough. She stresses that those who feel they are prepared ought to “be ready to evacuate in 20 minutes or less.” This highlights the need to practice a plan regularly, much like a person should change the batteries in their smoke detectors regularly. For people with children this may be more difficult, as parents never want to scare children. A great piece of advice is to turn it into a game of sorts; teach the children how to get out of the house if there is a fire by crawling low, or teach them ways out of the house if there are obstacles.

There are many reasons why practicing a plan is important. For one it can show any flaws in the plan that may need to be adjusted. It can also create muscle memory that will kick in once an emergency happens.

Some of these steps seem simple to follow from a glance, however, the decrease in people becoming prepared shows that even the simplest of instructions may often go unanswered. When Collier was asked what she thought would happen if a serious earthquake hit Salt Lake City she directed attention to a video prepared by the California Division of Emergency Management that projected the statistics of loss after an 7.8 magnitude earthquake including: lives lost, fires started and cost of reparations. Much like the state of Utah, California is overdue for a large earthquake along the San Andreas Fault.

In the event of an earthquake, electricity and other utilities will stop working, we may be separated from our families, and hospitals and other key locations may be overrun or even shut down.

Stallings and Collier agree on a lot of things, the most resounding of which is their plea for citizens to start preparing now. Professionals all over the field have echoed this plea; some, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), have even turned to zombies to get their message across.

No family should be driven to fear or desperation during an emergency. That is why so many people are turning to emergency preparedness, and urging others to join them.

Spencer Schwendiman

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I was born and raised in the Salt Lake City area of Utah. I am studying journalism at the University of Utah to increase my abilities and credibility as an emergency preparedness blogger and podcaster. You can find more of my stuff at everymanpreparedness.com or by checking out “Are We Prepared, Yet?” on podbash.com

 

 

Stories by me:

How Teton Sports is getting more people outdoors

When “The Big One” Strikes

Meet Chevron’s Spokesperson, Mikal Byrd

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By: Ray Stowers

Mikal Byrd loves the opposition and challenges life brings her. A native from Maryland, Byrd works in the oil industry which gets a lot of criticism. She is the spokesperson for Chevron and has been with the company for about four and a half years now. She moved to Utah almost two years ago and is now the Policy, Government and Public Affairs Representative at the Chevron Salt Lake Refinery.

Since moving to Utah, her lifestyle changed as she realized how much she loved the outdoors and hiking, perhaps even working out and staying fit. Her passion is helping give back to the community any way she can. It comes natural for her to lead and take on multiple responsibilities which is evident why Chevron has her in charge.

With Chevron, “My job is to protect the brand, engage the community and represent Chevron the best way possible.” Byrd appreciates the variety of challenges she gets to face with her job. One night she could be having dinner with the Governor, the next day she would be out at the refinery working with the guys, and the next morning she would be on a field trip to a conservation site with a group of 4th graders. “I really do have the best job in the world, I get a little bit of it all” she replies.

What are some things that make you proud of Chevron? “I am proud to say that Chevron really cares about the community and is always looking for ways to help out in any way through donations, scholarships, services and special projects.” On the Chevron website it states, “We contribute to the economic and social well-being of the communities where we operate by creating jobs, supporting local businesses and training the work force of the future.” In the past 3 years, Chevron has invested more than $170 million in education and programs to help further improve the quality of learning and hopefully in return improve the company itself. Wherever there is a Chevron dealership, the company strives to build lasting relationships with that community and aim to create prosperity for the future.

Some of the challenges Chevron face on a daily basis are “Making the community understand what we do. Where ignorance tends to be, people will fill in the gaps if they don’t know.” Her main focus is to educate the community on what Chevron is all about. Whether it’s through newspapers, social media, television, or the internet, Byrd’s job is to shed light on any grey areas or concerns that people may have on the company. Some of the problems that Chevron has been working on are air pollution and water usage. They’ve invested a lot of money to help find the best possible solutions. She says, “In the last 10 years we invested hundreds of millions of dollars to get air pollution down 90%.” Along with the environment, Chevron is passionate about community service. “The public should know how much Chevron really cares about the community and is always looking for ways to help out in any way through donations, scholarships, services and special projects. We are always looking out for the public’s safety as well and want everyone to know that we are the best at what we do by keeping our gas as clean and safe as possible, which separates us from all others.”

Byrd certainly sees herself retiring with Chevron. In 10 years from now she hopes to be working overseas for the company and do international projects. She is always optimistic about the future and she has no doubt Chevron will continue to flourish because of the high standards and ethic morals they stand by.

From Beauty Queen to Banker

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Article and Photo by Adam Fondren

 

Fabiola Boscab at her desk in her bank branch

Fabiola Boscan at her desk

“When I feel the ceiling on my head my mind starts thinking, okay, what is the next step? What is your next adventure?” Fabiola Boscan says this with bracelets jangling as she taps the top of her head with the palm of her hand. Boscan is the manager of the US Bank branch inside Smith’s Food and Drug in Rose Park, Utah. She is much more than just a woman from Venezuela who runs a small bank branch inside of a grocery store. She has become pillar for the community of Rose Park.

Boscan was born in the coastal town Maracaibo, Venezuela, just outside of the capital city of Caracas, where she attended university. Interestingly enough most students in the business administration field where guided towards work in the banking industry, but she was told that she would never work in banking because of her poor English, which is a mix of rasp and melody with the rolling “r” of Spanish thrown in for added flavor. Much like everything else in her life, struggling with English has never stopped her. She attended two different intensive English as a Second Language (ESL) courses to improve her spoken English. As Boscan says, “I’m going to be the best at one thing at that time,” whether the activity is speaking English or opening new bank accounts.

In Venezuela feminine beauty is a matter of national identity. In the last 10 years there have been three Miss Universe winners and one Miss World winner from Venezuela. Beauty has become a form of national currency. One in five women get plastic surgery. There are state run modeling academies. While Boscan considers herself outside of that world, she grew up being teased for being short chubby wearing glasses and having fairly bad acne. However, she has definitely taken many of the values from her country and made them her own. She is always clad in jewelry has immaculately manicured nails and six inch heels. She has perfect hair with highlights and is always fiddling with it. She clearly has a keen sense of current fashion. She came to the interview with a black blouse with perfectly matched black leggings and a high waist gold buckled belt. Her jewelry was loud and perfectly matched to her belt and stiletto heels.

Boscan is an extrovert with both her fashion and her technical knowledge, she is serious about what she does, who she serves and how she does it. She goes out of her way to create a sense of family for her customers. She is quite knowledgeable about banking, personal savings and credit management. But, she views being the manager of a branch as much more than giving accurate information. Her aim is to make their banking experience exceptional and an overtly pleasant and personal experience, a place where an underrepresented cross section of society can come and interact with a friendly knowledgeable ever present person. She is family to many and a friend to many more. She has wept with customers over the deaths of family members. She has become a guiding voice to many more. She views her role of not only helping people do banking but that of family and giving her customers a remarkable experience every single visit.

Boscan describes herself as a hungry person, someone always looking for the next phase. “I don’t want to be a branch manager for the rest of my life,” She says. Her mother always taught her to not be a quitter always pushing her to be a better person. She is feeling the ceiling right now and is eagerly looking for her next adventure.