Photo credit: Brianna Rodriguez

• San Francisco Bay Area native
• USF St. Petersburg graduate
• Majored in Mass Communications with a concentration in Journalism and Media Studies
• Minored in Spanish and Latino Studies
• Web desk intern at the Tampa Bay Times
• Former radio news intern at WUSF Public Media
• Former assistant editor of the Crow’s Nest
• Former freelance reporter at Creative Loafing Tampa Bay

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I never thought I would put my hobby to work during a summer internship at WUSF 89.7. As I finished my first feature story on an Arthur Ashe biography, my editor told me to find background music for my promotional spot.

One song that fits the story theme, instrumental, 30 seconds. I knew then my eight or so years of plunging into music nerdom would pay off.

Within 10 minutes, I chose the opening 30 seconds of “Search for the Land” by Lee Morgan.

At first thought, my introverted nature doesn’t seem to match the outgoing, audacious image of a journalist. But as I started reporting, I realized that observing and engaging deeply with sources became my greatest tool. Understanding why people do what they do is at the core of why I do journalism.

My sophomore year, I started writing for USF St. Petersburg’s campus newspaper, the Crow’s Nest, where I covered a range of campus and community stories. I became the paper’s news editor two semesters later and I’m currently an assistant editor.

For a recent story, I sat with a journalism alumna in her Volkswagen camper van to learn about her year-old records business. Instead of a spiel about the perils of a journalism career, she said her love for music led her to sell vinyl out of a van.

I also freelanced for the local alternative weekly, Creative Loafing, for a year. I mainly covered political protests over the Trump administration’s first year in office. And I profiled a St. Petersburg church which housed the increasing number of local progressive activist groups.

Interning at WUSF 89.7, National Public Radio’s Tampa affiliate, I churned out a daily story two days a week for the All Things Considered newscast that starts at 4 p.m.

I learned to write 45-second stories, capture attention-grabbing audio and seamlessly blend written word with sound. I came to master editing after working with such a slim margin of time.

Ultimately, I learned to tell a better, tighter story.