Pound drums up fans with rockin' workouts
January 16, 2019
After not writing for The Villager for 3 months once school and my volleyball season had started, I received an email from an editor asking if I could write a story about Pound workout classes that have become popular in the Twin Cities. The Pound workout is a fitness class that was created in 2011 that uses drumsticks and high interval training movements to burn calories. To understand the Pound community and workout culture, I attended a workout before writing the story. I interviewed the owner of the gym who is also a certified Pound teacher with other local Pound teachers.
The best teacher
August 15, 2018
Interested in learning about the gap year experiences of my old peers, I pitched a story to the publisher about interviewing students who graduated from who my school who were either planning on taking a gap year or had just finished their gap year. After I researched the increase of gap years at my high school, in addition to national data about the increase in gap years, I convinced the publisher to let me write a story. I interviewed four students and learned about the myriad of countries and opportunities they were able to pursue. I also enjoyed shedding light on the experiences of my peers to the broader community.
Music lovers find enchantment beneath branches of ancient oak
August 1, 2018
This story is one of my favorite stories I have ever written. I was inspired by my mother's good friend who hosts a backyard concert with his husband every other weekend during the summer. I interviewed the couple in their backyard over the summer and interviewed neighbors who help them run the show throughout the summer. I also met with singers who had performed at the venue before. I was incredibly struck by how communal the concerts were in the neighborhood and I attended a concert before writing the story to understand the culture.