Objective |
Paid or unpaid internship, or employment, at a local or regional newspaper.
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Education |
Third year at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst:
- 9 Journalism courses taken with a grade of A earned in each (for a 4.0 Grade Point Average in Journalism). Courses are 3 credits if not noted otherwise:
- Journ 225: Readings in Journalism with Steve Simurda
- Journ 300: News Writing and Reporting with Chris Yurko (4 credits)
- Journ 335: Principles of Public Relations with Charles Marram
- Journ 310: The Press and the Third World with David DuBois
- Journ H01: Honors colloquium for Journ 310 (1 credit)
- Journ 345: Media Criticism with Steve Simurda
- Journ H01: Honors colloquium for Journ 345 (1 credit)
- Journ 397W: Introduction to Web Journalism with Richard Newton
- Journ 392E: Editorial and Column Writing with Howard Ziff (2 credits)
- Overall GPA: 3.63
- Other fields relevant to reporting in which I have taken multiple courses include Economics, Political Science, Legal Studies, Environmental Science, Resource Economics, Sociology, History, and Literature. In addition, the comprehensive Mgt 300: Principles of Management helped me understand more about the perspective and operation of businesses.
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Skills |
I am good at newswriting: the art of assembling a story from the available facts. I am a thorough investigator and can gather information from people and institutions; from reference materials, books, other newspapers, and online resources (such as THOMAS for Congressional bills); and other sources. I consider fact-checking important enough to be an independent skill, and I am good at it. An important ability for journalism which I have honed in other classes is understanding, and then explaining or interpreting, statistical data. Finally, correct grammar and spelling come to me naturally, but I always look up sentence structure or words of which I am unsure. Some other skills applicable to journalism include:
- Computer Skills
- Extensive experience with Windows and Macintosh; significant experience with UNIX and DOS.
- Excellent word processing skills; well versed in Lotus Word Pro, ClarisWorks, Corel WordPerfect, Microsoft Works, and Microsoft Word.
- Skilled in the use of databases and spreadsheets for many tasks, including computer-assisted reporting and sociological research.
- Web-savvy with any browser; able to use general and specialized search engines to their maximum potential.
- Foreign Language: some Spanish, still learning.
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Employment |
I have not been employed in journalism or a related profession, but I do have experience with working:
- Pre-1998: J&F Variety, Natick (no longer in business); Lil Peach convenience store, Natick, stocker and cashier; Pizza Plus, Natick, delivery person.
- 1998-2000, summers and vacations (35 hours/week): Sears, Natick, shoe department (commission). Extensive interaction with customers involving the use of interviewing skills.
- February to May 2000 (6-10 hours/week): Web assistant, Massachusetts Daily Collegian.
- May 2001 to present (10-20 hours/week): Webmaster for startup company DEM Custom Computers. Includes content creation (i.e., tight writing).
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Activities |
Some of my non-school, non-work activities help equip me for journalism work at a newspaper:
- 1996-1998: Reporter, Op-ed editor, Art editor, and Assistant News Editor on Natick High School paper.
- 1998-present (college): Periodic contributions to the Massachusetts Daily Collegian; active in various clubs and groups (organizational and communication skills); regular attendance at speeches, events, lectures, and Pizza and Prof nights (learn about a different topic each week).
- Volunteer work: A Place to Turn food pantry, Natick (1995-1999); Connecticut river litter cleanup with Masspirg (2000); Natick Town Forest cleanup with Students for Planet Earth (1998).
- Travel: 46 U.S. states plus Canada, Switzerland, and Israel.
- Leisure activities include reading, creative writing, photography, short-wave radio, soccer, running, hiking, and cooking.
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References |
References from professors and employers available on request. |