MY STORY:

• The Brighton Resort gears up for the 2019-20 ski season

MY BLOG:

This story developed from a hobby that I recently picked up: skiing.

I met somebody in 2018 who is very passionate about skiing, and he told me I should give it a try, so I did. I instantly loved it. This story idea developed as I was making goals and thinking about this upcoming ski season. I thought it would be interesting to focus on a ski resort, and learn more about the behind-the-scenes aspects of it and culture that has come out of it. My story had two main focuses: Brighton Ski Resort’s preparation for the ski season, and ski culture in Utah. I tried to connect these two ideas because I didn’t want the whole story to be focused on just one part of it. The skeleton of this story is Brighton’s preparations, and the heart is the ski culture.

When it comes to writing, I like to write as much as I can to begin with. I like to trust my gut at first, and write in the style that I keep hearing the story being told in my head. Usually that ends up being a big pile of words and random sentences, but that’s when the revising comes in.

Through this project I’ve come to make peace with revising. It’s now something I can get lost in and find myself doing for hours, which I’ve never really done before. I always thought that what I first said was good enough. I still believe in “spilling your heart” in writing, or free-writing as much as you can, but polishing is good and necessary. You always want your message to be clear.  

My sources came from people I thought would give me good insight into the different aspects of what skiing is in Utah, at different levels. The biggest obstacle I faced was scheduling time with my sources. When I think about it now, it’s actually very reflective of my experience learning how to ski for the first time. At times I felt frustrated because I thought it would be much simpler than it was. I wanted to scrap the whole thing and find something else to do. However, in writing and in skiing, persistence is key. Even if you lose your balance, you’ve got to just get back up, because it’s the only way to get down the mountain.

ABOUT ME:

I am a communication major with an emphasis in strategic communication at the University of Utah. I grew up with a love for the performing arts, film, and photography. I also enjoy writing, and took COMM 1610: Intro to News Writing to gain a different kind of writing experience. After graduation I hope to travel to new places and work in a communications field, either marketing or public relations. I plan to graduate Spring 2021.

MY STORY:

• Expansion of the Rice-Eccles Stadium

MY BLOG:

The way I developed my enterprise story was by finding a topic I thought I could relate to and also have it be an interesting topic for the people reading my story. While doing research on some of the ongoing things happening in the Salt Lake area I stumbled across the stadium expansion of Rice-Eccles Stadium.

The way I located my sources was by asking my football coach to be interviewed along with the former head coach of the University of Utah, Ron McBride. I have a previous relationship with both coaches considering the fact my dad played for both of them during his collegiate career, so it was fairly easy getting in contact with him.

I felt like these two sources primarily were the best sources because they are the face of Utah Athletics. Although there are other coaches and teams I personally feel like they are the most well-known people in the state of Utah. I enjoyed the writing process throughout the whole assignment.

I feel like if I struggled on anything it would be the AP style which I am getting better at. Another thing I ran into was I wanted to interview the new athletic director but he never got back to me until the assignment was due. He was in California dealing with PAC12 issues.

I really enjoyed learning about the history behind the stadium. Growing up always attending the games and then eventually playing in that stadium it blew me away the amount of rebuilds that have been done and how old the stadium actually is. Overall it was an awesome experience and I really enjoyed becoming a journalist. 

ABOUT ME:

I am a former student athlete at the University of Utah. I played football there for two years until getting a career-ending injury. I started to follow my other passion for photography and videography and decided to stick around the team and help out with creating content and helping run the different social media platforms.

Over the summer I interned at STANCE at the corporate office in San Clemente, California, helping create content and also helping run the social media. Now back at school I currently do a lot of freelance work for a variety of different companies.

Throughout this journey I have learned a lot of new things with working with people. I have had to produce work in a timely manner in order to make deadlines. I have learned to work as a team and learn to have patience with some of the companies that I work for.

I also do real estate photography for a specific team in Salt Lake City. My goal is to end up doing commercial photography for large corporations and eventually one day run my own business. 

MY STORY:

• Students in the University of Utah’s Greek life

MY BLOG:

While developing a topic for my enterprise story, I tried to think of topics that would stand out here at the University of Utah. Due to my current affiliations with Greek life on campus, I decided to address the concerns around how Greek life affects students. In order to develop a story idea, I talked with my classmates and they helped me on my decision. I chose to write about how Greek life allows students to become more successful on and off campus.

Due to the popularity of Greek life, I felt that my story will help explain a little bit more of what Greek life entails. I started off by visiting the University of Utah’s Fraternity and Sorority Life website and reaching out to potential interviewees. Without much time I had many members from the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life staff and Interfraternity Council reaching out to me.

Prior to interviewing my sources, I thought that I had already known a good amount about Greek life but I was wrong. I had constructed a long list of questions for the individuals whom I was interviewing in hopes to gather information on every topic I wanted to write about. During the interviewing process I quickly found out that there was a lot of information that I didn’t know about. While interviewing Walker Nasser, it made me think of a plethora of new questions that I was able to use on my next interview. This then led me down different topic paths that added more information to my story than I had ever imagined.

As a result of this experience, I have pushed myself to always dig deeper even when I feel content with my knowledge.

ABOUT ME: 

Action sports are what make me.

I grew up in a small surf town in Southern California and spent most of my time surfing, skateboarding, riding dirt bikes, and snowboarding. Growing up I was always busy running around the small town of San Clemente trying to make the most of every hour of sunlight. I was always motivated to be the best at every sport I took part in and competed as much as I could to test my skills. Once it had become time to graduate high school, I decided it was time to try something new.

I decided to ditch sunny California weather for the frigid snowstorms Utah has to offer. I decided to try something new and enroll in the strategic communication major here at the U. Ever since I have been improving upon my writing skills in hopes to become the best at what I do here at school. Growing up I have become aware of the importance of trying your hardest at everything you do, and I have transferred that over to my studies.  

MY STORY:

• Electric scooters and skateboards on campus  

MY BLOG:

When I heard about this assignment in the beginning of the year, I was very nervous because I have never written a story in an attempt to have it published. I was inspired to write about the electric skateboards and scooters on the University of Utah’s campus because I often ride the electric scooters on campus to get to class when short on time. I also have many friends who have the electric skateboards and ride them every day on campus for transportation. These personal transporters are unique and are improving constantly and help students and faculty get around campus, especially when they’re in a rush.  

However, I do believe these personal transporters are not creating the best image for the U. The electric scooters are being ditched all over campus and not in designated locations like bicycle racks. I think hub locations would really help solve this image. If all the scooters were to have a central or a few spread out smaller hubs on campus, the bad image would disappear and they would actually look more organized. 

Another problem with the electric scooters and skateboards that I believe needs to be discussed is the speed of these devices and the hazard they create when students are walking to class. The sidewalks get crowded on campus and it makes it difficult for these skateboard and scooter riders. People can get seriously injured with these devices going up to 20 mph, when the U’s policy is to not exceed 10 mph. This also applies to bicycles and non-electrically scooters and skateboards. I don’t think I really encountered any problems with writing about this topic, but was surprised with what I learned from my sources on campus. 

I interviewed a few students on campus and was actually surprised with how the people who do not ride these scooters or skateboards don’t really have serious issues with them being on campus, but do agree that hub locations would be very helpful. Lt.  Terry Fritz of the U’s police department was very helpful to interview as he really cares about the U’s students and joined the department right after the tragic deaths of students we had on campus the last two years. He showed a lot of concern for the scooters and skateboards as well as bicyclists and pedestrians. Ginger Cannon, active transportation manager at the U, seems to be on track to have the hubs in the future. In the meantime, we have to be very careful with these devices and those who ride them on campus should try to stay in the bike paths and not the walking sidewalks, including myself.

ABOUT ME:

I have wanted to become a real estate agent and sell homes since I was in high school.

My mother was previously a real estate agent in Pennsylvania before my family moved to Utah in 2017, when my twin brother and I graduated high school. I would often help my mother set up open houses or stage homes and would feel a strong connection to real estate when seeing different unique homes and their interior layouts.   

I grew up in Philadelphia for most of my childhood and was able to see 100-year-old homes as well as 1-month-old homes and saw the different styles of interiors. Whether the house was old, new, large, or small, each house has its own unique feature to it. The difference in the types of houses really intrigued me and made me more interested in real estate as I saw more houses. 

When I am driving around Salt Lake City, I pay attention to the small details of homes I drive past for sale and brainstorm ideas of how they could be improved. It’s important to pay attention to the small details in and out of homes and not just the large ones because it could deter a buyer.  

Currently, I am finishing up the first half of my junior year at the University of Utah. When I came to the U, I started off as pre-business and found myself struggling constantly with my classes and started to lose interest. I found my way to the Department of Communication from a friend who was in the same situation a year ago. I couldn’t be any happier to now be studying strategic communication and to actually enjoy my classes.  

I hope to obtain my real estate license in the next year and to start building my reputation as a licensed agent for future clients or buyers all around the state of Utah. 

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!

MY STORY:

• Utah musicians discuss struggles for work and appreciation from residents

MY BLOG:

When considering topics for my enterprise story, I was inspired by my car radio. In search of a good song on my way home from class, I was led to a classical music station. Listening to the genius of the professional musicians brought peace to my mind after a stressful day. It was then that I realized I wanted to write about professional musicians in the state of Utah and their careers.

Research was tricky as I needed to find high demand professionals around the state of Utah. With the help of friends and family, I was led to three sources. One source was a performer in the Tabernacle Orchestra at Temple Square and private violin teacher. The other was the owner of her own after-school music program and studio. The last source was a world-famous violinist in the Utah Symphony.

The interview I was most excited about was the Utah Symphony musician. But difficult encounters came up during my interviewing process. The world-famous musician from the Utah Symphony became suddenly unavailable due to travel demands of the orchestra at that time. Although this came as a surprise, I did find a third source. Instead of interviewing another professional musician, a Utah mother of six musical children agreed to speak with me. I would discover later that she played a crucial role in my final article.

As I started to gather information and quotes, I quickly realized that my story seemed to be writing itself. Each individual I interviewed had such a different opinion and voice that my story became a discussion between each of the sources. I was worried at first that my piece would turn into an argumentative piece, but the voices fit together perfectly to construct a final article.

I was surprised that my final story didn’t turn out the way I had first envisioned. I had walked into this assignment with a very specific idea and process for my story. But the people I interviewed seemed to write the story for me and lead me along a journey of discovery and curiosity.

ABOUT ME:

Music has always filled Natalie’s heart.

Natalie Zullo was born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, with a deep appreciation for the violin. She is a Spring 2020 University of Utah graduate studying strategic communication and violin performance. She currently is the owner of N-Z Violin String Studio and works as a dental assistant in Murray. In June 2019, Natalie married the love of her life in the Salt Lake City Temple and currently lives in Draper.

In her spare time, Natalie can be found on the nearest running trial, skiing with her husband and baking sweets in the kitchen. She writes and arranges music in her spare time and loves gatherings with her friends, family and sweet husband.

Natalie plans to continue developing her violin studio in the future and work as an event planner.

MY STORY: 

• How being involved in college can help shape one’s leadership journey and future outlooks   

MY BLOG:

As I was looking into the different topics for my enterprise story, I decided that I wanted to write about something I knew I was passionate about. Since I have been highly involved on the University of Utah’s campus and have seen the benefits of doing so, I felt that diving deeper into campus involvement would be a prudent topic.  

After thinking about what specific area I wanted to focus on for my piece, I gathered my sources according to who I thought would be the best fit. I originally wanted to target three students, all of different ages and who were all a part of different organizations. However, after receiving feedback on my topic, I thought it would be a good idea to include an alumnus from the U who was also highly involved during their undergraduate career as well.  

I was particularly interested in how being involved could impact one’s leadership journey and future outlooks, so I interviewed individuals who hold high leadership positions on campus. This led me to interview the executive director of the Union Programming Council (UPC), the student body president, and the student programs manager of the Bennion Center.   

Austin Matsuura, the executive director of UPC, was a great resource in my story because he showed how being involved can help one to discover their true passions. He was able to give a positive insight on how to create future goals through involvement as well.  

I also interviewed Anna Barnes, the current student body president, because she plays a crucial role in ensuring that student voices are being heard. She was able to express how not all leadership journeys are the same and how unexpected challenges can rise along the way.  

Bryce Williams, the student programs manager, was deeply involved in campus activities throughout his undergraduate career. By being involved as much as he was on campus and in the Bennion Center, it led him to his current job. He was able to show how being involved could help you to achieve future jobs and careers.  

After gathering all the pieces that I needed for my story, I was eager to begin writing. I wrote about the two U students and then concluded it with Bryce Williams’s comments. By writing my piece in this format, it shows the audience what the outcome of being involved could potentially lead to. 

ABOUT ME:

I was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, in the year 2000 along with my sister and brother, making me one of the unusual triplet births of that year. I attended Salt Lake City public schools and graduated from Skyline High School in 2018.  

My strong determined personality led me to decide to pursue a major in strategic communication and minors in leadership studies and business management. I have been highly involved on campus and have found a true passion in wanting to grow myself through leadership opportunities at the U. 

Some of the student organizations I have been a part of include the Union Programming Council, the Associated Students of the University of Utah, Greek life and the University Ambassador Program. I have been able to meet excellent student and adult leaders and have gained a variety of essential skills along the way.  

I hope to one day be able to take what I have learned in communication and pursue my dreams of going into a significant leadership role. I believe a successful leader is someone who is inspiring and is able to reach a common goal with the support and ideas of others.  

When I’m not at school, I enjoy spending my time with friends, family and eating as many dark chocolate desserts as possible.  

MY STORY:

• The importance of student access to sexual and reproductive health services

MY BLOG: 

I began research for my story under the impression that I’d be able to execute a hard-hitting expose on Planned Parenthood’s decision to reject Title X funds. This decision was made in opposition to the Trump administration rule that doctors at centers accepting these funds would be prohibited from referring patients to doctors who provide abortions. It could have any number of negative consequences: understaffed centers, undersupplied offices, the inability to keep many of their services free of charge, etc. I hoped that during my research and interviews, I’d be able to understand just how much of an effect this decision might have nationwide by analyzing its effects on the two centers in Salt Lake City. If there weren’t so many far-reaching effects, I’d have taken my idea in a bit of a different direction by evaluating the decision through the lens of a social and political advocate. This approach, however, never came to fruition. 

As I researched sources, I figured that my best options were the managers of the centers, the media/press hotline, and people using Planned Parenthood’s services, which of course would be their prerogative. Unfortunately, after many visits to both centers and various inquiries, I discovered that Planned Parenthood employees aren’t permitted to give interviews, which is understandable given the current conservative attitudes toward Planned Parenthood and the protests that happen daily at centers around the country. This proved particularly fatal for my original story idea. 

How could I write a full story about Planned Parenthood and how a significant decision impacts its centers without input from Planned Parenthood? It was then that I chose to shift my focus to the accessibility of sexual and reproductive health resources for students, which was always going to be a part of my story. Instead of making it the main event, I decided to use Planned Parenthood as an example of a sexual health resource in my new story. 

For this new idea, I found my sources quite easily. I went to the Center for Student Wellness and talked to one of the educators there about my story. She referred me to the sexual wellness educator, Maya Jolley, and told me about the ACES Peer Health Education Program. In my interview with Jolley, I learned more about the program and got in contact with two of the students involved with the program, Elnaz Tahmassebi and Linda Derhak. I interviewed both students and got their take on sexual health education for students and their roles in the program. Once I had all three interviews done, it was relatively easy to work them into my story and make sense of the narrative I was trying to write.

 It was important to me that anyone could read my story and understand why sexual and reproductive health resources are incredibly important for students, so I made sure to write clearly and explain the issue in depth. Even though the topic is relatively taboo and negative, I wanted to make sure that it was something people could talk about with hope, so I ended the story on a positive note.

ABOUT ME:

My first story was a retelling of “The Three Billy Goats Gruff.” My first favorite book series was Nancy Drew. And my first favorite magazine was National Geographic. I fell in love with the written word at a young age. I’ve never wanted to do anything with my life that didn’t involve writing. Initially, my heart was set on becoming a novelist, though, as I aged I grew to appreciate other types of writing and I broadened my horizons. In high school, writing for the school newspaper coaxed out a love for journalism that I didn’t know existed and prompted me to consider it as a possible career, switching gears from my aspirations in criminal law, which in all honesty mainly stemmed from years of watching “Law and Order: SVU.” 

In my first year at the U, I decided to combine my international interests with my journalistic interest and tack on an international studies major with an environment and sustainability emphasis. Now in my sophomore year, I’ve gleaned more information on possible career paths and as of right now, I hope to use my international studies degree to build a more solid world view so that I can write more effectively about international and environmental issues and maybe even pursue a career abroad. 

MY STORY:

• LGBTQ+U: The community at the University of Utah

MY BLOG:

When taking this class I already expected some big assignment that would require us to work on it throughout the semester. I had thought of the things I wanted to talk about already ahead of time, waiting for confirmation on what was approved. I had an idea for the LGBTQ+ community but nothing really planned out until our professor mentioned she’d want something to do with Utah or the U. So I decided upon the LGBTQ+ community at the U, as I figured it’s an ongoing topic that is talked about daily throughout our lives, especially in the U.S. where we strive to solve LGBTQ+ issues.

I located my first source through a friend’s professor at Westminster College. The instructor backed out but recommended I talk to Clare Lemke, the director of the LGBTQ+ resource center at the U. I already planned on speaking with her but didn’t know how to go about it. After that Lemke referred me to Whit Hollis, the director of the Union, who happens to be gay himself. 

My friend referred me to another friend of hers who was attending the U while also being a part of the LGBTQ+. However, she wanted to go unnamed, which I respect and would probably do as well. I felt as if they were the best sources because one is the director of the resource center at the University of Utah, and the second is the director of the Union. He has been here since 2001 and knows more about the history of the resource center. The third source shared personal experiences.

I encountered some obstacles with sourcing, because people backed out at the last minute, causing me to do my interviews pretty late in the story. It was also hard to get hold of Hollis because his schedule is busy. I was able to fix everything and address these obstacles, it just took me a while to find new sources. 

I tried to let the reader understand the history of the resource center, first with Hollis and what it was like to be someone who was LGBTQ+ then compared to now. I then decided it was appropriate to fit in experience from the resource center’s director and try to go over what the resource center is and why it is there. Finally, I thought it was a good idea to end on a personal experience from someone to show what it was really like to be here at the U as an LGBTQ+ student with no filter or bias. 

I found it pretty surprising that there is such a big presence here at the U for LGBTQ+ acceptance and that I was able to actually become friends with the unnamed person I interviewed and we’ve hung out a few times. I’ve learned that I really am pretty shy until I start talking to someone, especially if it’s something I care about. I had great conversations with my sources during and after the interviews, and I remembered why I used to get in trouble all the time in class as a kid, since I really do run my mouth and won’t stop talking about something I’m passionate about. 

I hope this contributes positively to my ongoing future as a journalist and I really hope to continue writing about the things I am passionate about for future writings such as this. It felt nice to finally go out and do something that made me feel like I was writing an actual news article instead of just the same required essay for every class. I enjoyed what I did and this just further fuels my ambition to become a journalist.

ABOUT ME:

I don’t think I could ever permanently leave Utah and I didn’t think I’d ever say that.

I grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah, thinking this city was boring as a kid. I saw myself as an artist, writer, cosplayer, video game fanatic, music enthusiast, collector, etc. all the while continuing to think I’d go nowhere if I continued to live here. I constantly sought out traveling to different states in recent years to find some sort of “inner peace” and to finally answer the question of “where do I want to be” soon learning that many of the places I traveled to made me homesick. I started to make traveling a side hobby, but only if I have the money to do so, while still retaining this mindset that the corny line of “there’s no place like home” was true in my case. I found this out in the recent years of my life that Utah was my place to be and if I wanted to go anywhere else it’d only be temporary. 

I made it my goal to become a better writer when I started college. I had attended Catholic school up until college constantly criticizing my own work and never thinking I could make a career out of it. I used to hate writing papers in school after it felt like a task to write about things I had no interest in. College has changed my mindset, especially the University of Utah. I found classes giving me the option to write while incorporating my own interests. My passion has become writing about video games or music. I love writing articles on these two favorite hobbies of mine. With that being said, they have become so ingrained in my life that I want to make some sort of career out of it.

Video games and art in general are a big part of my life. If I’m not working or doing school work, I’ll usually find myself playing a game, drawing, listening to music, or somehow trying to do all three at the same time if it’s possible. I plan to always make time for my hobbies no matter how busy I get in the near future. At least I know that when I’ll be able to retire, I’ll have plenty of free time to do so, but only if I’m able to retire. I never really thought of making writing a hobby of mine but when I incorporate these other interests of mine, I feel as if writing has become so much fun that if I can, I’ll try to write about a recent piece of news or game. 

With knowing all this, I plan on staying in Utah for as long as I need to, unless somewhere down the line I figure I want to find a new place to reside in. Making writing my career in Utah is my main goal while trying my best to make my hobbies a part of it. There’s nothing wrong with having fun in my career and if it’s something I plan to stick with for the rest of my life, I might as well find the joy in it instead of dread each day walking into a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. job that I don’t find any interest in, rather I’d love to have passion in what I do.

MY STORY: 

• Park City locals discuss Epic and Icon Passes’ impact on the community

MY BLOG:

When I began to write my enterprise story, choosing a topic was difficult. Most of the topics I had chosen were too broad and vague. I needed to focus in on “a piece of the pie.” Originally, the most appealing topic I wanted to write about was the ski culture in Park City and how it has changed over the years. You can image how complex this story would have been, so I narrowed it down. I chose to write about the newest development in the Park City ski industry, the Epic and Icon passes.

The Epic and Icon passes interest me because of the way they are changing Park City. This new development has impacted local life in Park City immensely. I am also involved in the Park City ski culture and have many connections to people with strong opinions about the matter. Therefore, finding people to interview wasn’t difficult.

One challenge I ran into while interviewing and photographing for this story, was the fact that it is off season for the resorts. Many people are out of the office or on vacation, so I was not able to interview in person. Luckily, I got hold of a couple contacts and interviewed over email.

I got great information and many different points of view from these email interviews. The thing I was lacking was the personal face-to-face interactions. I find it is the best way to interview and write a story. Many of the people involved in the ski industry are out of the office or on vacation before the season starts, so it was hard to organize face-to-face interviews.

I learned so much from not only this writing exercise but also how Park City locals are reacting and adapting to the Icon and Epic passes. Park City is my home and is close to my heart. Therefore, it is something I am protective of and care to learn about. This is a story I am going to continue to research and learn more about.

ABOUT ME:

Ashleigh Thomas was born and bred in Park City, Utah. Ashleigh loves to laugh and enjoys children’s movies. She has lived in Utah her whole life and has a passion for skiing and the outdoors. Ashleigh has traveled all over the world and enjoys experiencing new cultures and ways of life.   

She is a senior studying strategic communication at the University of Utah. Her love for skiing and the Utah mountains kept her in Salt Lake for her undergraduate degree. She has done internships at Cole Sport, HEAD sportswear, and Park City Municipal working in communications, merchandising, special events and economic development. 

After graduating from the U she hopes to move to New York and pursue a second degree in fashion business management at the Fashion Institute of Technology. With a degree in communication and fashion business management she hopes to move to Europe and start her career!

MY STORY:

• Bears Ears under threat of destruction after drastic reduction in size

MY BLOG:

I could say that my story started when I first traveled to Peru with my dad. He is a health and safety auditor for mines all over the world. When I was with him I saw massive environmental damage being done. At the time I just internalized it. However, when I heard about the reduction to Bears Ears, I immediately thought of a similar thing happening to Peru. This piqued my interest in the conservation effort of Bears Ears National Monument. 

Two of my sources came about because of my research into the area. I reached out to both organizations for their input on the topic. My third interviewee was Daniel Tso. I met Tso through my grandma. She lived very close to the Four Corners National Park and Tso was a friend of a friend of hers. I met him at a gathering near Four Corners about a year and a half ago. Recently, I thought he would be a perfect person to interview regarding the harms of industrialization of sacred lands. 

The biggest moral dilemma I faced was bias. I wanted to create a story that outlines the entire political happening of Bears Ears National Monument. However, it was very hard to find facts and quotes that were not slanted one way or the other. Many times, I had to break down the information and then interpret it myself.

At first, I was overwhelmed by the information. There was a ton of it and it all said a million different things. I decided to focus on the political argument going on around the Monument as that seemed to be what most people were interested in. I decided to do a sort of back and forth between the two arguments as there is truth in both sides. I started simple with a hard news lead. Once I got past the initial information I began to lay out the controversy in a more spelled out manner.  

One thing I was surprised about was the validity of arguments for reduction to the monument. I still believe we should favor the environment over the economy. However, the benefits that these operations bring are undisputable. Power and electricity are provided to many more homes than before. Mines and other operations bring jobs and work to the local economies. There is an honest and good argument as to how the reduction can help thousands of people. 

I found myself questioning my predispositions toward this monument controversy. My ideals were challenged. I wanted to translate that for everybody to read and experience. Like many issues nowadays, there is often truth in every argument, it is just a matter of bringing it out.

ABOUT ME: 

Tanner Faust grew up in Johnstown, Colorado, a small farming community in the front range of the Rocky Mountains. Before moving to Salt Lake City to attend the University of Utah, he took an interest in business. He started to create small businesses in his small town selling anything from painting services to programming help. 

After moving to Salt Lake, Tanner took an interest in entrepreneurship. He pitched business ideas all over campus to different organizations. Some were sponsored by the U, such as GetSeeded, while others were private and nationwide. 

Tanner also took an interest in marketing. After leaving the business school due to a distaste in its degree, he transferred to the Department of Communication. Strategic communication provided him with a more sound degree in the topics that interested him. 

He began to create marketing campaigns for fellow entrepreneurs in Utah and back home in Colorado. This was the beginning of his professional career. He always found passion in helping others create their dream while also creating the dream for himself. 

MY STORY:

• Zions Bank Real Academy 

MY BLOG:

I was inspired to write about Zions Bank Real Academy because of the soccer culture that surrounds Utah. I wanted people to read my article, and be able to open their minds more than they have before and really see how much soccer means to Utah. 

I was born and raised in Utah, and I was on a few youth soccer teams when I was younger. That was one of the key elements that also inspired me to write this story. 

Dell Loy Hansen, the owner of Real Salt Lake, spent over $60 million on soccer facilities to ensure that Utah could become one of the greatest places in the country to develop soccer talent for the future. It’s been in Herriman, Utah, for less than two years, yet I still don’t see enough people giving it acknowledgment.  

The writing process for my piece was extremely simple since I follow Real Salt Lake heavily already. I already had an idea for what I wanted to tell my readers, I just needed the sources to help add credibility and accuracy to what I said in the article. 

I emailed Taran Meyer, senior manager of communications for Real Salt Lake, and he helped me find the other two people I interviewed for my article. 

Academy Goalkeeper Coach Mirza Harambasic and Zions Bank Real Academy President Jacob Haueter were the other two people I chose to interview. I feel like I did a very good job at finding credible people to interview for this article. My second option that I had in mind if I couldn’t find three people who worked or were associated with the academy was to ask somebody from a Real Salt Lake supporters group about how they felt about the soccer academy. However, this unfortunately never ended up being implemented into my story, but could’ve been useful since it gave a point of view from a fan. 

I encountered zero obstacles when putting my article together and I credit this a lot to the people I was interviewing. They cooperated very nicely and made the experience have no stress whatsoever. Gaining access to the facilities to take photos for my article came easy since they gave me a tour around the facilities. 

There is definitely a lot of information that I gave to the reader in my article, and it might be really confusing at first. However, my goal was to help everybody understand what the soccer academy does and what its purpose is. I feel like I truly did my best when it came to explaining everything. I admit that I covered a lot of themes but this is because I wanted people to fully be informed. 

I had recorded over 22 minutes of interview audio, and it was really difficult for me at first to choose what quotes I would use. But after time passed and I gave things more thought, I eventually found what quotes deserved to be in my article over others. 

What surprised me was how successful my article ended up being. I don’t mean this in a bad way, either. I just thought that it would be much more difficult to get people to interview when it comes to covering a story on professional sports. I definitely feel like I was very fortunate in this aspect of my experience, and the fact that I’m a diehard soccer fan made it even better. 

I personally hope that the Zions Bank Real Academy continues to develop the best soccer talent in North America and that one day there will be more people who will give the academy the credit it rightfully deserves. The academy is definitely taking the right procedures to become one of the best going forward. 

ABOUT ME:

Taneon Steven Rood is an aspiring young writer, looking to make a significant impact on how we view soccer in the United States through his storytelling. He was born and raised in Salt Lake City and grew up playing soccer and basketball. His interest in writing grew when he would stay up late at night and write poetry and diaries based on how he was feeling during his high school years.

He enjoys traveling to other countries around the world as a form of leisure and his favorite place to go is Mexico. Taneon has been learning the Spanish language since he was 6 years old and has been practicing the language ever since, although he says he isn’t fluent yet. In 2015, Taneon became an Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America.

After becoming the youngest person to graduate from Salt Lake Community College in 2019 at the age of 17, Taneon decided to transfer to the University of Utah for his bachelor’s degree.  In the summer of 2019, Taneon did a one-month internship with the Harvard Business School start up company called Zubale in Mexico City. One day he wants to open youth soccer leagues for children in communities that are underdeveloped around the world.

MY STORY:

• Art with a cause: artwork from cancer patients, caregivers, and staff at the Huntsman Cancer Institute

MY BLOG:

This story was initially very intimidating. When I started thinking of topics for my enterprise story, I first spoke with my friends, classmates, and professors to get an idea for what to write on. After speaking with one of my classmates, I quickly found a great, and somewhat shocking, story idea. However, the day before story pitches were due, my main source decided she did not necessarily want her name attached to this story and backed out. I really needed to find an alternative, and fast. I began browsing local events on the University of Utah campus to get started. Shortly into this endeavor I found a link to an event called, “Inspired!”

At first, I did not think much of the event. The description only mentioned artwork on display at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. It caught my eye and, through research, I found out how truly incredible the staff and artists are at HCI. The event turned out to be much more than artwork. The Artists-in-Residence program aims to heal patients, caregivers, and staff members through expressive painting, drawing, and many other creative projects.

Following the link on the events page, I found the email for Donna Beluchi who is one of the staff members on the project. She referred me to my main source, Shelly White, the program director. White then suggested going to one of the art sessions to meet the current artist and speak with the attendees.

I was inspired by White’s passion for the program and dedication to continue these programs. It did not take long for me to find a patient, Caren Pinson, at the art session who was very excited to share her experience on attending this program. These three sources gave me detailed perspectives on what it takes to implement a large program like this, continue to run it, and what it feels like to experience it.

During this project, I was able to meet with so many creative and caring individuals who truly helped my story progress. Once I had completed interviews, an article that was very challenging at first become rewarding and fun to finish. I was so inspired by this experience that I did not need to do an outline to start writing. My sources really guided my writing as I tried my best to stay true to their experiences, feedback, and hopes for the program. They also became my motivation to make my story excellent — to do justice to the wonderful people and programs I was lucky enough to experience.

ABOUT ME:

I am a storyteller.

For as long as I can remember, I have enjoyed telling, reading, and writing stories. Originally from Ogden, Utah, I eventually moved to San Diego, where I graduated high school and entered the International Baccalaureate or IB program.

During my time in California, I really began my journey as a writer. The IB program helped me develop my own writing style by studying authors such as Toni Morrison, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Naguib Mahfouz, and many more.

In addition to this, the beautiful scenery and the diverse environment of people made me much more inspired to create stories. I remember lying on the beach, laughing with my friends, experiencing so many different things that inspired at least a hundred stories.

My journey continues in Utah where I am a Strategic Communication major expecting to graduate in Spring 2021. I hope to then help build businesses with my technical writing skills and creative perspectives. Most of all, my greatest hope is to one day grace the “New York Times Best Sellers” list.

MY STORY:

• Hearing loss affects more than just your grandparents

MY BLOG:

When I began searching for topics to write my enterprise story on, I was greatly inspired by an acquaintance of mine, Dallin Wilkins. Wilkins suffers from severe hearing loss and has worn hearing aids since he was 18. From what I knew before interviewing him, he had lost a significant amount of hearing due to not using ear protection. At the time, I had never spoken to Wilkins about his hearing loss. After reaching out to him, he was more than happy to let me interview him and learn more about his hearing journey.

Wilkins was truly the driving force in my story. He shared with me how his hearing loss journey began, what his daily struggles entail, and how he advocates to other young people how devastating hearing loss is, and how it can happen to anyone. Not just your grandparents.

After I learned more about Wilkins’ story, it was like I fell down a rabbit hole. I spent hours researching hearing loss and how many young people it affects. I learned more about the topic than I would have ever imagined. But I was still missing my other sources. It was then that I reached out to my grandpa’s audiologist, Dr. Liz Hankins.

Luckily, she was quick to accept an interview with me. It was through her that I got most of the factual information used in my story. She gave me statistics that would do a great deal in my story. She also told me a plethora of ways that people damage their hearing and warned others that it isn’t just older people who are affected.

She was also kind enough to connect me to another source, her husband and hearing care specialist, Josh Hankins. He provided me with all the final information my story needed. He gave his advice on what people should and should not be doing when it comes to protecting their ears. He was also the person who informed me about the new Apple iOS 13 update, which includes the Health app having a new hearing health section. This became a large part of my story.

I would be lying if I said that I was not immediately overwhelmed with the information I had retained from my interviews. However, when I began writing, it all started to piece itself together. I guess it is true what they say, starting is the hardest part.

I quickly realized my story was becoming more of a service piece than I had originally thought. The focus of my story went from being about Wilkins and his personal hearing loss journey, to being a piece about warning and informing others about what they can do to protect their ears and hearing health. Through writing this story I learned a lot, and I can only hope that readers will too.

ABOUT ME:

I’m a Utah girl, born and raised. My entire family, extended and all, have always resided here. I grew up closer to my family than most. They are my everything, and up until a few years ago, I could get to any of them in a five-minute drive. Then, my life changed.

Everything I knew was uprooted when most of my family moved to North Carolina. Originally, I was going to head out there too, that was until I got accepted at the University of Utah.

Making the decision to stay in Utah, when most of my heart moved across the country, was one of the hardest choices I have ever made. I make the trip out there as frequently as I can.

Utah also has some of my heart. Everything I grew up loving is here. Including the University of Utah. Currently, I am a junior and am majoring in strategic communication. 

After graduation, whether it be here or on the East Coast, I hope to go into a career in marketing or public relations. 

MY STORY: The Writing Center at the University of Utah

MY BLOG:

I became interested in the Writing Center because I was recently brought on as a new tutor there. During my training, a lot of questions started to come to mind. Why don’t a lot of students at the University of Utah make use of this free resource?

I had to start looking inward, and I realized that I never wanted to visit the center because I was afraid that people would think that I was a bad writer. So I wanted to know if other people shared this fear and if there was some sort of a stigma against visiting the Writing Center.

So I decided to start my story by asking some fellow students about their thoughts on the Writing Center. To my surprise, the students I interviewed didn’t feel that there was a stigma per se, but rather there couldn’t even be a stigma because not enough students even knew that the university had a writing center.

I had to shift gears, I went to the director and coordinator of the center to ask them about what they believe that the student body thinks about the center. Anne McMurtrey and Abby Christensen were great sources because they had first-hand details about how they market the center and data that I could get on student visits.

But during my writing and interviewing, I did find some moral and ethical hurdles when it came to the fact that I am a paid tutor at the Writing Center. I had trouble ensuring that no bias came through in the article. In the end, I think I was able to keep a level head while I was writing, without adding in my own opinions and thoughts.

As I began writing, I found it difficult to make sense of all the information that I had gathered, I just wrote everything down in the way that my mind made sense of the order, answering the questions that came to my mind in the order that they appeared to make the story come across the most logically. But it is true that that style mostly relies on the basis that everyone else’s brain functions the same way mine does, which is a bit of a gamble.

At first, I had no idea what I was doing. But after a few very rough drafts, the flow of the paper really started to come to me. Suddenly I was writing, paragraph after paragraph, in a voice that was true to me, while also making the points I wanted to make.

I suppose what I learned from this story is that even if you are struggling don’t stop writing, because as long as you persevere, the story will come to you eventually. I learned a lot about my writing throughout this process. I had to separate the English major part of my brain and explore the journalist part. I ended up really enjoying writing this piece, even though it was incredibly difficult. The voice that I discovered within myself was very exciting, and I’m very proud of all the growth that I have made while working on this project.

ABOUT ME:

Hailey Danielson was born in Pocatello, Idaho, and moved around the state a lot in her childhood. When she was 13 she moved to Santa Barbara, California, where she finished off high school at San Marcos Senior High. When she started college she came to the University of Utah to pursue a degree in English with the Honors College. Danielson is a photojournalist for the University of Utah Daily Utah Chronicle and is debating whether or not to pursue a double major in journalism.

Danielson just completed her first course in journalism — Comm 1610, Introduction to News Writing — with her very first journalistic piece, “The Writing Center at the University of Utah.”

She wants to pursue a career in publishing, either books or print journalism and is considering a career in television news as well. Danielson is planning on graduating from the University of Utah in the spring of 2022.