Extracurricular Activities
Note: This portfolio may contain information that is out of date. For my updated professional portfolio, please click here.
Writer/Editor for the Keukonian
As a writer for the college newspaper, the Keukonian, I had to contribute all types of stories from hard news, feature news, media reviews, and event coverage. I am honored to have earned the Finger Lakes Times Award for Distinguished Journalistic Writing in the Keukonian in my senior year.
Being one of the editors, I had to look over pieces for content, review visual elements, and work with designers on how to place stories. Although I have only been an editor for a short time, I have enjoyed the ability to be more involved with the reviewing process. It has been a way for me to challenge myself to do more than writing and relieve some stress off of other editors, especially when transitioning to an exclusively online format in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Explore the papers below to view some of my work:
Fall 2019 Edition 1.pdfScroll through the paper to find my articles "Highlight on Campus Safety" on page 4 and "Media Review: Hollywood's Bleeding" on page 7.
Fall 2019 Edition 2.pdfScroll through the paper to find my articles "Manifesto Manifests Controversy" on page 1, "Alternative Spring Break Location Announced" on page 3, and "How to Brrrrave the Snow" on page 5.
What I Have Learned
From this experience, I have learned the importance of time management, audience awareness, and thinking visually. With strict deadlines to adhere to, it was up to me to find times to meet for interviews, write, and edit stories. I had to be careful to plan interviews around my interviewee's schedule, but also my own. Writing drafts and finding visual elements early on in the process made it much easier come editing time when the paper was to be sent to the printer. I found audience awareness to be key as we had to keep in mind that this is a student newspaper. Anything that we wrote had to be relevant and answer the student's question of "so what?" For example, my piece on "How to Brrrrave the Snow" in the second edition of Fall 2019 was geared towards students and included how to walk when it's icy, what kind of coat to wear, and tips for keeping a vehicle on campus during the snow season. The advice was student-given for students, so it was not only relevant, but promoted a sense of community among students. Finally, I found that writing an article for the paper was only a part of my responsibilities as a writer. Because of the media platform, I also had to determine what visual elements could be used to draw in readers.
President of Behavioral Science Association
In my junior year at Keuka College, I re-imagined a group that had since disbanded. I created this group as an opportunity for students of all majors to meet and discuss topics related to human behavior. In our weekly sessions, we have academic conversation about subjects such as: serial killers, self-care, transition into college, cult psychology, and a relationship series spanning three meetings. We use what we have learned in classes, in our own research, internships, and personal experience to enhance these discussions and make the content more educational.
We have the opportunity to interact with the community as part of our club, and participate in events such as the One Walk which brings attention to those who have been afflicted by suicide. This event shows community members that we are a resource for those who need help and care about others. We host a rock-painting table every year so students can tribute the loss of a loved one, draw something for themselves, or anything that promotes self-love and love of others. It is an activity we are proud to be a part of every year.
Showing off our rock painting booth at the One Walk Suicide Awareness event.
My fellow BSA members and I at a social event to recruit more members.
My Vice President and I after getting our faces painted at the One Walk Suicide Awareness event in September of 2019.
What I Have Learned
From this experience, I learned the importance of creating a vision, what it takes to create a community, and listening to others. After attending BSA in my freshman and sophomore years, I realized what I liked about the group and what I wanted to change. My goal was to keep the interactions solid between upperclassmen and freshmen by meeting every week and creating a friendly, safe environment. I was this as an opportunity to promote adjustment to campus life for first-year students and community-building for upperclassmen. The campus involvement activities made us more involved with campus events, like the One Walk, and gave us ideas for further community engagements. Finally, I used this experience as an opportunity to do one of the most difficult things in leadership positions: listening. Two years ago, I would have dominated conversations and talked about my experiences and ideas alone. From group discussions and e-board meetings, I learned that I learned more about my club by taking a step back to listen to what others were saying. I find myself posing more questions, clarifying what others are saying more often, and being a more open-minded leader as a result of this position.
My vice president, Ashley Defreitas, and I recruiting members for BSA at the Spring Involvement Fair in February 2019.
Mentor for Relate Living Learning Community (LLC)
Relate LLC group after pumpkin picking in Canandaigua October, 2018.
One of my responsibilities is being a mentor for the Relate LLC. Our job as mentors to first-year students is to guide them along their first year, to make sure they are adjusting well to the college experience, and to help them become more involved in their community. We meet once a week to have dinner with our mentorees where we have activities planned for them.
The first year of the program, a research class associated with it for class credit as well. As a group, we are researching the transition into college, in which we use the stories and experiences of our mentorees to view closely the kinds of emotions they are feeling, and how they are adjusting to life at Keuka College.
Supervised Research class in September, 2018.
Relate LLC group at Bad Axe Throwing in Rochester, NY in September 2019.
What I Have Learned
I am thankful to have had the unique experience of researching first-year experience in my 2018 Field Period before becoming a mentor for this group. I have learned that successful transition into college requires students to feel comfortable in a new environment. The role of Relate LLC in this was to create a space in which students could learn about themselves, others, the college, and how to navigate through a difficult transition. By having "family-style" dinners and games, we were able to create bonds with students that made them feel closer to their mentors and to each other. Meeting once a week made the bonds grow stronger each week and the diversity of the group meant that we never ran out of things to talk about. Overall, creating a safe environment is key when working with first-year students.