About Me
Every weeknight that I can remember, my parents would put PBS "NewsHour" on the TV. From 6 to 7 P.M. we sat and listened.
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It was Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff's voices who shaped how a story should be reported to me, how the facts should be examined and the scope established. It was their work that lead me to steal my mom's New York Times and Washington Post subscriptions late in middle school and start reading about Richard Engel and Richard Seymour in high school. I'm obsessed with the opportunity to be like those who shaped my formative years, to give voices to the stories I know are being missed.
I entered college with no doubt I was going to major in journalism. In my studies I've been introduced to traditional reporting techniques, finding and conducting interviews, working on a deadline, and analyzing data to create a visualization. Minoring in Audio Technology provides expertise in audio editing and recording through DAW's ProTools and Logic and a deep understanding of audio storytelling. Meanwhile, minoring in Political Science has built a strong understanding of the world's complex political systems and a means of how to navigate political communications: writing speeches, targeting audiences, and crafting messaging.
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Outside of coursework, my Balkan Insider internship provided essential experience running social media platforms, analyzing data, and creating infographics to support Balkan Insider stories. Data journalism freelance opportunities at the Sun Journal in Maine and Tampa Bay Times have also built on my strong data skills and given an insight into working within the newsroom on the data side of stories.
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Currently I have begun the process of applying to law school and have started looking for ways to pursue my passions of storytelling with my political and musical interests.
What I'm Listening to
Current favorite album: if You Feel by Xavier Omär
With so few full releases in 2021 my current favorite is still a 2020 release from October. My first listens of Omär came from his collective works with Sango and this album branches out well from that collab reaching out to a similar R&B crowd and using similar smooth production. Omär shows off his technical skills throughout, pitch-shifting his voice and finding fresh ways to play with the sound to keep the listener interested. "Find Me" and "More Than Less" stand out as the best blends of his vocals and production, while well picked features from Masego and Mereba both bring an added layer of soul to their respective songs.
Current favorite artist: The Kount
Unlike other artists, The Kount isn't always focused on releasing his music as an album or through a major streaming service, he's a producer who is making a name for himself on Twitter showing off his methods with impressive one minute beat videos. Other artists like Marc Rebillet, Kaelin Ellis and Luna Li are gaining publicity with similar strategies, but few can compete with the sounds that the Kount is able to play with and the range he produces. Every single kick and snare hit or bass riff is important to a producer's record, this is even more so the case for The Kount who releases his own sample packs for others to create with. His full length LP's are also impressive pieces of work.
Album to bring back: The Jungle is the Way Out by Mereba
Mereba has been making more of a name for herself this past year featuring on a number of different artists' records and producing an album alongside her group called 'Spillage Village', which includes EarthGang, JID and 6lack. The Jungle is her only studio album, released in 2019. It features a wide range of talent that shows off her vocals, rapping and poetry while maintaining a folksy feel throughout. It feels very comparable to an album that use to hold this position, 'All We Need' by Raury.
