Education
American University
July 2021 -- July 2022
Masters of Arts in Journalism through the School of Communication Journalism and Public Affairs program, with a specialty in International Reporting
-
Learned to execute international investigations, data-driven stories and policy news
-
Further developed multimedia reporting skills
-
Pitched and launched a weekly news podcast to go with community news reporting on The Wash
​
​
Western Kentucky University
Aug. 2016 -- May 2020
Bachelors of Arts in Journalism and Arabic double major
Political Science minor
Acceptance and completion of degree in the Mahurin Honors College
​
-
Courses on news writing, investigative reporting, media literacy, multimedia production, international affairs, Islam, Middle Eastern politics, Arabic language and culture.
Danish School of Media and Journalism
Jan. 2018 -- June 2018
Multimedia and World Politics International Program
-
Courses on risk reporting, reporting on the European Union, incorporating multimedia elements, news writing, investigative and foreign correspondent reporting and world politics lectures.
Work Experience
-
Covered energy and environmental policy from a federal, state and local level
-
Met tight deadlines for several daily publications
-
Pitched and executed daily and long-term stories
-
Developed and maintained source relationships
-
Covered policy areas on the Hill through bill tracking, hearings and discussions with lawmakers
-
Produced about 5-7 stories a week
-
Assisted with Power Switch, the daily, public newsletter that showcases POLITICO Energy and E&E News content
-
Internship extended from six months to a year
​
Skills
​
-
Congressional and White House correspondence
-
Data-driven journalism
-
Experience in international investigative reporting
-
Writing in AP Style for breaking news, community news and investigations
-
Intermediate experience in R, SQL and Excel for data analysis
-
Incorporating FOIA requests and records into reporting
-
Training on Datawrapper and Knightlab tools for data visualization
-
Poynter ACES Certificate in Editing
-
Podcast development and editing
-
Understanding and proficiency in Adobe tools
Languages
-
Intermediate-level Arabic writing, speaking and reading ability
Awards
-
Selected for the competitive POLITICO Journalism Institute for the 2020 cohort.
-
2019 Multimedia Story of the Year Award - Fourth Place. ACP Pacemakers.
-
2019 Kentucky Press Association:
-
Third place for Best Investigative ​Story and Enterprise or Analytical Story.
-
Led a news team for coverage which placed first for Best On-Going/Extended Coverage
-
Led a news team for two stories which placed first and third for Best Breaking News Coverage
-
Second place for Best Graphic
-
-
Reported on federal politics and policies for a North Texas audience
-
Covered historical moments like the passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the speaker of the House election, the State of the Union and the reversal of Roe v. Wade.
-
Learned to navigate Capitol Hill and conduct formal and informal interviews with lawmakers.
-
Pitched and executed my own analysis-based stories
-
Produced daily stories while working on long-term projects
-
Found and cultivated sources in various subjects
-
Produced data visualizations for the bureau when applicable
-
The internship was extended past the original 10 weeks
Read all my work from The Dallas Morning News
​
American University - Washington Post Practicum
Jan. 2022 - June 2022
-
Assisted national politics desk editors and reporters with investigative research
-
Maintained a database tracking Jan. 6 Capitol attack arrests and sentencing
-
Produced thorough, accurate research on "big lie" candidates in the 2022 midterms under deadline
Aug. 2020
-
Selected for a competitive spot in the 2020 cohort.
-
Received feedback on story pitches from POLITICO editors and American University faculty
-
Learned skills on developing sources and reporting on politics and policy from D.C. journalists and editors
-
Program was moved online due to COVID
Lexington Herald-Leader -- Intern
May - Aug. 2019
-
Balanced daily breaking news stories with long-term investigations
-
Covered courts beat and used court records for sourcing
-
Filled in as the morning shift, breaking news reporter
-
Created data visualizations, photos and videos to enhance stories
College Heights Herald -- Editor in chief
Dec. 2019 -- May 2020
-
Led an editorial board and newsroom to maintain a daily digital presence and publish a weekly print product
-
Established a new workflow and structure during COVID-19 pandemic
-
Maintained a team to remotely produce constant coverage, daily newsletters and a final print product during quarantine
College Heights Herald -- Digital managing editor
May 2019 -- Dec. 2019
-
Managed wkuherald.com on a daily basis
-
Helped edit and produce roughly ten stories a day
-
Produced and pitched content for the website and social media
-
Launched a weekly lifestyle newsletter
College Heights Herald -- News editor
May 2018 -- May 2019
-
Created and organized weekly print and daily digital stories for the Herald news staff
-
Pitched, assigned and edited stories for the news section, typically 20+ a week
-
Led multiple full-staff breaking news events and investigations
'Top of the Week' podcast -- Host and producer
October 2018 -- December 2019
-
Co-founded and hosted the "Top of the Week" podcast, a weekly collaboration between two WKU student media organizations, the College Heights Herald and Revolution 91.7.
-
Reported top stories from the week with a co-host.
-
Interviewed sources and reporters in a podcast format
-
Produced scripts and edited audio for the weekly episodes
July -- Aug. 2018
-
Pitched and produced articles covering daily city news and long-term investigations
-
Managed and produced the first podcast for the news organization