Where are you from, and what were you doing before enrolling in graduate school?

I grew up in San Diego and did my undergrad at UC Berkeley, where I was the managing editor of The Daily Californian. 

After I graduated, I spent a year interning in journalism at CalMatters and NPR in Washington DC. I then moved to LA to begin as an education reporter at EdSource, where I have continued to work throughout my masters program.

How did you learn about the degree program, and why did you choose USC Annenberg?

After working professionally for a couple years, there were certain skills I knew I wanted to develop, particularly related to investigative reporting and narrative storytelling, both print and audio. 

I applied and was accepted to several graduate programs but ultimately decided to pursue my masters at Annenberg because it would allow me to focus on those specific areas, while still giving me room to experiment with new mediums and modes of storytelling. I was also drawn to the smaller class sizes and the level of mentorship I knew I would receive from the professors here. 

What have you enjoyed most about the degree program?

The professors here are truly wonderful mentors. With their guidance, I feel like I’ve found where my heart lies as a reporter. 

I love that I’ve been able to balance going deeper into certain areas (investigative and narrative journalism), while also having room to explore new skills, like longform audio editing and data journalism. It’s amazing to want to learn something — and then be able to approach faculty members, ask to learn and be able to!