MY STORY: 

• University of Utah students discuss their passion for medicine and science

MY BLOG: 

While doing my research and formulating my story, I was really unsure where my thought process would take me. I figured that it would either turn out really successful and that I would gain valuable insight into the lives of STEM majors, or it would be a flop and I would be left with meaningless interviews and struggling to find an angle.

However, I’m happy to say that this was not the conclusion I came to. My experience was really enjoyable, and I did end up learning a lot about what I was studying. My favorite part was getting to know the people on a more personal level and learning about what motivates them, what they hope to accomplish, and the kinds of impact they hope to have.

The sources I interviewed were my friends and classmates, which is usually a bad demographic to tap into. However, I felt that for this story, it would allow me to access the beat I was looking for best. Interviewing a doctor or former medical student wouldn’t be as effective because they would already be far along in the process of practicing medicine. Instead, I wanted to talk to people who were just starting out and see what their thoughts and experiences were like. This gave me a better grasp on what it’s like to pursue these kinds of majors and helped me answer my questions I had beforehand. I was most surprised by my sources’ insistence on staying dedicated and not straying from their long-term goals.

ABOUT ME: 

Ryan Matthew Thurston is a freelance writer and sports journalist from St. George, Utah, who now resides in Salt Lake City. During high school, Thurston was the captain of the debate team and won the 3A state tournament in 2016. He also swam and played volleyball for Snow Canyon High School. In college, Thurston has worked as an athletics communication intern for Utah Athletics, the Pac-12 conference, and ESPN. Thurston hopes to one day publish articles for ESPN, Vox, or FiveThirtyEight. His favorite sports include basketball and baseball and his favorite teams include the Utah Jazz, Chicago Cubs, and Philadelphia Eagles.

MY STORY:

• Medical marijuana versus the opioid epidemic in Utah

MY BLOG:

For my enterprise story I wanted to make sure I was writing about something really meaningful to people. I thought about what could make a difference in people’s lives and I decided to write about opioid addiction and if medical marijuana could be a better solution.

I wanted to educate people about opioids and let them know the dangers of taking them. I also wanted to find out if there are better alternatives so people can avoid starting them in the first place. A family friend works as a neurologist in Provo, Utah, and I knew he would be a great source to interview. I also know a medical assistant so I interviewed her as well. My final source was a friend who lives in California who currently uses medical marijuana as a replacement forhis pain pills.

Some issues I encountered was that the neurologist wanted to remain anonymous because medical marijuana is not legal in Utah. I asked him what I could refer to him as and he said Dr. R. The medical assistant also wanted to remain somewhat anonymous, so she said I could use her first name and last initial, Michelle C.

After my interviews it became clear that all three of my sources believed medical marijuana was a better alternative than opioid medication. So while writing this I tried to tell each of their stories in an informative way that correctly represented their beliefs. I wanted to interest my readers while giving them the facts about opioid use and the destruction it can cause.

I really enjoyed interviewing Dr. R because he was so knowledgeable about this topic. I learned a lot about opioid addiction and how common it is in Utah. I was surprised by how many patients come to a doctor just seeking opioids, or to try to sell them. It was also surprising that two medical professionals both thought medical marijuana could really help people, and yet it’s not legal in Utah.

I enjoyed writing this story and I am glad I chose this topic. I think it is really important to spread awareness of this opioid epidemic and show people there are other alternatives to these drugs. If anything I hope my story can stop people from taking them because all it takes is one prescription to ruin a life.

ABOUT ME:

I am 25 years old and currently attending the University of Utah. I love to read and I’m obsessed with Harry Potter. I love traveling and exploring new places. After I graduate I hope to travel around Europe before starting a career. My family is the most important thing to me, along with my cat named Khaleesi.

I will be graduating from the U in fall 2018 with a degree in communication. I have been planning on applying to law school but I am still keeping my options open. I enjoy working with people and working in the business industry. If I don’t end up going to law school I will hopefully start a career in business.

MY STORY: 

• Their brothers’ keeper — Utah charity targets refugee men

MY BLOG:

Every Wednesday and Friday morning, I arrive at the Catholic Community Services of Utah building in Salt Lake City, where a colorful mural depicts likewise colorful people giving and receiving help. I’m an intern there for the Preferred Communities Department, where I assist the star source of my story, Leul Mengistu, with the fledgling Men’s Wellness Support Group.

Can someone say, “conflict of interest?” I in fact reported on the same program I am working to launch. I scratched my head for a bit over whether I was the right person for the feature or some other reporter-in-training should handle it. But then again, I was and am the only student in COMM 1610 with close access to the Men’s Wellness Support Group. So I gave it my scout’s honor to be as unbiased as possible and proceeded to write.

My focus was difficult to drill into. Should I tell the story of a single refugee in the support group? What about a feature story on Mengistu and his program? But there were problems with these: no male refugees were yet recruited and I doubted 850 words could fit a good feature on Mengistu’s past and his program’s future. It was Mengistu who delivered the story’s focus — a local charity was starting something new in the world of refugee resettlement: a curriculum-based program tailored to men. There’s the slice of the ham I wanted!

Leul Mengistu and Aden Batar were the best possible sources for such a story. Both men experienced the difficulty of American integration and were now heading programs to help people like them. I especially loved Mengistu’s quote: “I don’t want them to fall between the cracks.” It proved a good backbone for the story and captured the urgency to help male refugees today.

Batar surprised me when he dropped this bomb of a quote: “The most welcoming state in the U.S. is Utah.” I doubted him and thought, “Really? The beehive state? What about New York or California? Massachusetts or Washington?” But because it came from the man in charge of the Department of Immigration and Refugee Resettlement, it carried some legitimacy.

I intended for the story to shed light on why the Men’s Wellness Support Group is needed and what Mengistu is doing to start it in Salt Lake City. However, certain grandmothers made the valid point that although the story is about refugee men, it fails to include their perspective. The story’s done and submitted, but if I had another go, I would include a lead about one of the very refugees who currently needs help.

ABOUT ME: 

I’ve given up a lot for stories.

My time, money, grades and even eyesight have been swallowed by my voracious appetite for a good story. My eyesight left when I read books by the light of a Happy Meal glow toy when my parents thought I was sleeping. My grades went after I couldn’t put “Fablehaven” down in elementary school.

In high school, I wrote the beginnings of stories about people trying to cheat fate or run futuristic governments. But my dreams of being a novelist took a turn when I went on an LDS mission and discovered the flesh-and-blood face of stories.

I met people all over Louisiana who suffered. Old ladies whose kids never returned home, fathers who raised children in the shells of battered houses. These people had stories that changed my own. My narrative was no longer about Peter Johnston climbing the academic ladder or Lisa and Jeremy’s son wasting time with a book — it became one of Elder Johnston praying with and for the downtrodden in New Orleans and Baton Rouge.

Nearly a year later, I’m an Eccles Scholar with a major in International Studies at the University of Utah. A main focus of mine is my internship at Catholic Community Services, where I’ve developed a support group for refugee men in Salt Lake City. Theirs is an untold story, and I aim to help them write a better one for themselves in this strange land called America.

I doubt the cards hold a job in print journalism for me. But I am still a storyteller and will both write and build the stories of people who need it most.

Stories have given me so much.

MY STORY: 

• Two single moms open medical spa in Salt Lake City

MY BLOG: 

After reading the syllabus for my news writing class for my upcoming spring semester I was terrified. I had never taken a news writing class and have always had a hard time writing papers for school. This was a whole different kind of writing. The AP style rules that you have to follow, the short paragraphs, it was completely different from what I had grown up learning, and after reading about the requirements for the enterprise story. I was very overwhelmed.

When I was thinking of ideas for my enterprise story I really wanted to do something that interests me as well as other people. I am very into skin care and when I heard a new medical spa was opening up in Salt Lake City I had to find out more.

I got the phone number of one of the owners of the medical spa and contacted her about possibly setting up a time I could meet with her and the other owner of the business because I wanted to do a story on the spa they were opening.

I have never met up with someone I didn’t know and having to ask them personal questions about their life was scary. Coming up with questions that I felt comfortable asking was also a battle. But when I met Devynne at her medical spa she was so nice! She answered all of my questions without hesitation. She was an open book. These experiences made making this article fun and enjoyable.

ABOUT ME: 

My name is Ashleigh Zaelit and I am currently working toward a bachelor’s degree at the University of Utah studying communication. I also have an interest in interior design. After getting my bachelor’s degree at the University of Utah I plan to get an interior design degree.

MY STORY: 

• Can a Mormon be a feminist?

MY BLOG: 

I chose to write about feminism in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints because I was raised in the Mormon church but growing up I always noticed inequalities between women and men, especially when it came to things like leadership. To me, it is important that women are visible leaders. I wanted to see what other people thought.

I located sources in two ways. First, I utilized my contacts and they helped me a lot by pointing me in the right direction. I interviewed Dr. Martha Bradley and Prof. Margaret Toscano because they have both done research on Mormon history and feminism. I also utilized the Facebook group Aspiring Mormon Women to find people who did not have research backgrounds but instead personal experiences with the Mormon church and feminism. This is where I connected with Marjorie Smith and Joseph Peterson.

At first it was difficult to decide on a focus because after the interviews I had gathered a lot of great information. I had a lot of information on the history of feminism in the Mormon church as well as people’s personal experiences. I decided to narrow the focus to personal experiences because I believed this would be more interesting to readers. Also, I wanted to write something that had not been written before, and there has already been quite a bit of writing on the history of Mormon feminism.

The writing process was difficult. It was hard to explain some things related to the Mormon church. Since I was raised LDS, I often forget that some of the things in the religion might not make sense to others outside of it. Also, writing in a news style in which you need to be concise and quick was new to me. Overall, it was a challenging but worthwhile experience in which I got to strengthen my interviewing and writing skills and learn more about a topic I am interested in.

ABOUT ME: 

I am currently a sophomore at the University of Utah studying strategic communication. I work as the campus representative for Universal Pictures and as the social media coordinator at the Bennion Center.

I hope to work in the entertainment industry in the future. I have loved comedy and television for as long as I can remember, and I plan on focusing on these two things throughout my career. I want to create content that is uplifting and funny, while also having honest and accurate representation.

MY STORY: 

• Girls on the Run: empowering girls from start to finish

MY BLOG: 

I have never been as passionate about an organization as I am when it comes to Girls on the Run Utah, so it was a clear choice to highlight the organization in my enterprise story. The nonprofit has been close to my heart for years, and it is important to me others are able to learn about the work it does and how to become part of it themselves.

I was able to get in touch with Executive Director Heidi Moreton as well as Marissa Ulibarri, who served as a coach through the program. Both provided me great information to utilize throughout my story. Understanding Girls on the Run Utah’s vision, as well as having the best sources for my story, made it easy for me to gather and use all the information with ease, creating an informative and effective story for my audience. I watched my writing style and the flow of my piece improve through each and every draft produced. Additionally, gaining important feedback from others was immensely helpful throughout the process.

Completing this story resulted in a greater appreciation for what the organization stands for and everything that is done behind the scenes, giving me a better understanding and becoming so much more proud of the work it does. I am truly lucky to have gotten such insight into GOTR and attempt to shine a light on it. I can only hope by publishing my story this organization will touch more individuals, continue to grow and succeed, and truly change lives.

ABOUT ME: 

Erin Sleater is currently a sophomore at the University of Utah pursuing a strategic communication degree. Though born and raised in Utah, she has an immense passion for traveling.

Erin is a proud member of both Her Campus Utah and Alpha Phi sorority on campus. She serves as the director of media and marketing for Her Campus Utah, and hopes to continue a career through social media marketing as she is happiest when showcasing her creativity.

MY STORY:

• Branding The Leonardo

MY BLOG:

For my enterprise story I wanted to write about the struggles behind building a brand, since college students quickly have to develop a successful strategy for marketing themselves. I wanted to focus on something more abstract than branding a product, and looked for a story about the successful strategy behind branding a person or organization.

Deb Peterson, the chief development officer of The Leonardo, offered me the opportunity to see the unique challenge of branding the museum. She offered great insight behind their strategy and the challenges they face, and explained some of the brand partnerships they’ve established.

The Leonardo currently hosts an exhibit featuring LEGO, and I was able to interview Mariann Asanuma, a LEGO master builder, who travels the world, marketing herself as the “first freelance female master builder.” She brought great insight into how LEGO has used the LEGO movies to reinvigorate the brand with a younger generation, and showed me how her social media presence helped build her personal brand.

The main obstacle that I encountered was trying to find the right sources, and gain access to them in the given timeframe. I quickly learned that in any large organization only a few key people developed the brand strategy, and they usually had pretty hectic schedules. I was able to engage with Deb Peterson through professional connections, and she was then able to get me access to any information I needed.

At the end I had a lot of great information about The Leonardo and the challenges of building its brand. The hard part was to distill the information to stay within the boundaries of the story. The Leonardo, LEGO, and the strategies behind branding are all great topics, and when writing about them collectively I had to focus on the common threads in order to not dilute the story.

The biggest lesson I learned was to always ask myself if I’m still focused on the original story, and what can be added or taken away to clarify the message for my readers.

ABOUT ME:

I hope to turn my passion for communication into a career focused on brand strategy. I have a great appreciation for the science behind verbal and visual communication, and I’m passionately interested in how social media ties into this field.

Before coming to the University of Utah I spent some time in the military, and worked in Iraq as a political and foreign influence analyst for the 101st Airborne Division. The work was fascinating and sparked my interest in professional communication and brand strategy.

I’m currently a sophomore student at the U, with a double major in business and strategic communication. When not in class or at work I spend my time at the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute where I love working with startup companies on their brand identities.

During the next few years I intend to develop my ability to elegantly tell the stories that fascinate me and tie into the industries that I’m focused on, hopefully in ways that reward and fascinate my audience.

MY STORY:

• All Rhoads lead to the Olympics

MY BLOG:

When initially told about our enterprise story, I was unsure of what I would write about. I thought about the project for a while. My biggest concern was choosing a subject for which sources would be difficult to locate. It was just a few days before our story pitches were due that I decided to write about my friend, Will Rhoads. I had known Rhoads since I was 13 or 14 but had never really gotten in-depth details about his ski jumping career. I wanted to use this project as an opportunity to get to know my friend even better than I had before.

Sources were relatively easy to get in touch with. Rhoads would be my primary source and getting in contact with him was as simple as sending a text message to him. I told him about the project outline and he said that he would be honored to help me out. While I was interviewing Rhoads, he mentioned several other sources for me to explore, one being his former coach and the other being his mother. Since Rhoads knew these two people very well, it was easy for me to reach out and get in touch with them for interviews.

I believe these were the best sources for my story because they were all closely involved with Rhoads and his development in the sport. My primary source, Will Rhoads, was a phenomenal source because the story revolves around him. He is the Olympian and was able to provide firsthand information about his life. My second source, Clint Jones, was another great source because he was the one who shaped Rhoads throughout his youth. Jones had known Rhoads for years and was able to provide insight not many people were privy to. My third source was Rhoads’ mother, Christine. She was able to provide a parent’s point of view in regard to Rhoads’ early developments and struggles in the sport.

I only faced one real obstacle while writing this story, which was timing. When the project was initially assigned, and we needed to begin exploring options, Rhoads was already in South Korea preparing for the Olympics. I was unable to know whether I could write my story about him until a week or so before our first significant due date for the project. Even after I was able to conduct the interview with him, I still needed pictures for the story. After the Olympics, Rhoads needed to travel to Norway to finish the regular ski jumping season. I wasn’t able to meet with him in person to get my story pictures until three days prior to our publishing date. Even though our timing was tight, Rhoads and I were able to complete everything necessary in order to complete my story.

During the interview process I was provided a lot of information. In order to write my story, I decided to write a spotlight on Rhoads and his athletic career rather than focusing on one highlight in particular. Because I was interviewing people directly associated with Rhoads, there were times I was provided with three different perspectives of the same event. It was interesting to see how Rhoads viewed a particular moment of his career as compared to his mother or former coach.

The writing process proved to be somewhat difficult for me. I had never written a journalistic article before which made the transition to AP style a challenge. The only extensive writing I had done were scholastic essays about topics that could be easily researched online. Writing an article and needing to do primary research along with interviews proved to be a new and unique experience. I learned that with practice, like most things, AP style becomes easier. I would say that I am still far from proficient, but I am learning more and more with every passing assignment.

Unfortunately for the readers of my article, there are many hilarious details that I was unable to include in my story. Because I have known Rhoads for so long, there were things he disclosed to me during interviews that needed to remain off the record. Because I was a friend of his, he was able to “be real with me” in a way that he typically couldn’t with a professional reporter. Out of respect to my friend, I am leaving these details out of my story and blog.

Not much surprised me while writing this story. The only thing that surprised me was listening to the lengths competitors are willing to go to in order to maintain their competition weight. I am a foodie and could not imagine having to restrict my diet to the bare minimum in order to maintain a certain body weight.

In conclusion I would say that this article was a good way for me to be introduced to journalistic writing. I was able to cover a story that was interesting and provided me an opportunity to learn even more about a good friend. If anyone out there ever gets the chance to meet Will Rhoads, I would suggest getting to know him as best as you can. He is a unique individual with an incredible charisma and bright sense of humor. I am happy to call him one of my good friends.

ABOUT ME:

“This is your captain speaking. I want to thank you for choosing to fly with us today.”

I have dreamed of saying that sentence for as long as I can remember.

I have always wanted to be an airline pilot. Both my mother and father worked for Delta Airlines and I was fortunate enough to fly for free most of my life. Because of this, I have been able to travel the world and experience things I otherwise would have only been exposed to through BBC or Discovery Channel documentaries. It is my passion for travel and fear of remaining stagnant that fuels my desire to one day fly for a living.

Ever since I was young, I have found enjoyment at altitude. Looking out the window and seeing a sea of clouds, or city lights against an otherwise dark earth brings a sense of peace over me. I have always felt “at home” in the sky. Being able to fly for free has given me the opportunity to visit places like Rome, Paris, Kenya, South Africa and Australia just to name a few. The idea of making a career out of travel is what I find appealing. I cannot imagine spending my life working in the same office, with the same people, at the same location nearly every day until I retire. I want every day at work to have the potential of showing me something new.

Currently, I am finishing my junior year at the University of Utah. Throughout my time at the U, I have gained innumerable experiences and lifelong friendships. I am expecting to graduate in the spring of 2019 with a major in strategic communication. I have always had an interest in videography and hope to work in the field of marketing until I am able to establish myself as a commercial airline pilot.

I am eager to finish my education at the University of Utah so that I can start down the road to a career as an aviation professional.

MY STORY:

• Arts Pass benefits University of Utah students, staff, faculty

MY BLOG:

News writing is much different from what I had originally expected. I thought it was only about crime, new technology, and the weather channel. I have come to find out that news has to be a story that people want to read and feel they should share with friends and family. The audience wants to gain knowledge in an entertaining light which comes from the style of writing presented.

This style of writing was hard for me to master at first. I had a difficult time trying to find a balance between entertainment and factual evidence. I usually separate the two realms into research papers and writing for popular culture however, I found a way to combine the two for this article.

My first step was to do research on my broad topic of the different advantages of the UCard that is given to faculty staff and students of the University of Utah. After finding there are so many different advantages I narrowed my topic down to the Arts Pass developed by the College of Fine Arts. By researching more into the different aspects of the Arts Pass, I found that I had a great topic to write about.

This research also gave me more insight into how I wanted to shape my article, who I wanted to interview, and how I wanted the outcome to look. However, because I already had an idea of my direction it was hard to conduct my interviews without bias.

During my interviews I was very surprised because even though they all started with the same questions, they all ended with different outcomes. I interviewed people who were both younger and older than I and who are from different majors within the U. This was my favorite part because I was able to learn more about their involvement with the Fine Arts which was much different from my involvement. I liked their different opinions because even though they were different I found their interviews enhanced my story only further.

Overall, this article was very challenging to me because I had to learn many new rules, tactics, and themes. Although incorporating different opinions became difficult at times, I found that I flourished in figuring out a new organizational pattern. This class has taught me to incorporate entertainment with factual evidence to make my article exciting and intriguing for my audience to read.

ABOUT ME:

Writing was not my original passion in 2014 when I first began at the University of Utah. I wanted to become a physical therapist because I love being able to work with all types of people. However, after a few failed science classes I knew it was time to search for a field of studies that I felt confident in.

I took a few different communication courses to broaden my studies and found that I flourished in the studies of people. The ability to communicate with people and learn to build mutually beneficial relationships excites me. Expanding further beyond person-to-person experiences resulted in my newfound passion for writing and rhetoric.

One of my strongest attributes comes from the vast subjects of my writing pieces I hope to one day publish. I believe that moving from Palos Verdes Estates, California, to Salt Lake City broadened my horizons into learning more about myself and the new community where I now reside. It has also greatly influenced what I choose to write about.

Most of my writings this semester have been closely related to the many writing courses I am enrolled in. From creative storytelling to news writing I have only found room to improve. I found a passion in telling my own life stories because they are personable and true.

These personal stories help me communicate to my audience in hopes of finding a common ground to become relatable. I want my audience to know that I am a person just like them with passions and fears. But, I overcome my fears through research and find passion in my writings as a result of hard work and dedication.