CLIPS+PUBLISHED work
where impact GROWS
I believe that great journalism is a product of great listening- to people, places, movements, even to silence. Throughout my reporting, I have been committed to understanding these issues, and to help others understand them, too.
All photos featured on this website are my own.
2018 state of the union address
One of my favorite experiences as a reporter was covering the 2018 State of the Union Address in Washington, D.C.
As a Capitol Hill reporter, flagging down congressmen and government officials was a part of the daily agenda- but there was something so special about being under the rotunda, surrounded by media outlets of every kind and professionals in so many industries. Not just being in a room full of change, but being able to have such direct access to members who facilitate change was powerful.
Most importantly, the State of the Union allowed me to see how collaborative journalism can be, regardless of such dividing times in the media and in the country. Asking questions to media outlets of all interests- and seeing how eager so many were to guide a student like myself- was so encouraging, and allowed me to experience, even just for a moment, how impactful journalism can be when opinions stand aside and people across aisles work together.
Is that always the case? Absolutely not. But being in a room of change, and also in the position to deliver a message to the many people who needed information- gave me so much hope and ambition in being apart of the future media community.
Below are photos I shot from the night. You can find my bureau's report from the address under the contributed section below. But beyond that are examples of published work I have produced in a variety of beats, all of which have elicited the same drive to help others and optimistic lens I view journalism with.
Thanks so much for checking them out, and for more, feel free to click here:
political + financial
Trump declares DACA deal dead, blames Democrats for failure
WASHINGTON- President Donald Trump declared “DACA is dead” in a series of tweets over the weekend, blaming Democrats for the failure to find a replacement for the deferred deportation program that he said last fall he would rescind.
Arizona Democrats call Trump’s 2019 budget plan a ‘slap in the face’
WASHINGTON- Some Arizona Democrats were labeling the Trump administration’s proposed $4.4 trillion fiscal 2019 budget “disastrous” Tuesday and a “slap in the face to Americans across the country.”
House OKs harassment bills in wake of charges against Franks, others
WASHINGTON – The House gave final approval Tuesday to measures aimed at protecting congressional workers from sexual harassment and making it easier for them to come forward if they feel they have been victimized.
Arizonans join hundreds paying respects to Billy Graham at Capitol
WASHINGTON- Graham, known as “America’s Pastor,” died Feb. 21 at 99 after nearly half a century of advising presidents and preaching to millions across the globe. He is the only religious leader to lie in honor at the Capitol and one of only a handful of civilians, the last being Rosa Parks in 2005.
MARCH
FOR
GOP lawmakers make ‘surreal’ return to field where gunman opened fire
ALEXANDRIA,Va.- Gloomy skies and a rain-soaked field did not stop Republican lawmakers from returning to practice Wednesday at the baseball field where a gunman opened fire last summer, wounding House Majority Whip Steve Scalise and three others.
OUR
LIVES.
In wake of shooting, educators look at social media impact on students
WASHINGTON – Minutes after a gunman opened fire at a Florida High School last week, live images of the attack were being streamed into the phones of students across the country through social media.
Within hours, those same social media accounts were being used by students to express grief, to send condolences and to rally people across the country to action.
Students, parents, teachers pack D.C. streets at March for Our Lives
WASHINGTON-High school students across the country walked out Wednesday to demand action on school safety, but how far they walked and what they faced when they walked back in varied by school district.
On eve of student walkouts, advocates send silent message of lives lost
WASHINGTON – Thousands of shoes lined the lawn in front of the Capitol Tuesday, a display advocates said represented all the children killed by firearms since the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School six years ago.
Feds no longer collect school shooting data, advocates left to scramble
WASHINGTON – When a 14-year-old fatally shot himself in a Coronado K-8 Elementary School bathroom on Jan. 9, the incident was announced by the Sierra Vista Unified School District and the Cochise County Sheriff’s Department.
But it did not show up in any larger school system database.
borderlands & immigration
As an Arizona native, I have grown up right in the heart of communities directly affected by immigration. As a Washington correspondent, I got to analyze the process behind the hotly debated legislation, and the impact those decisions have made on communities across the country.
Supreme Court voids law allowing deportation in ‘crimes of violence’
WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a federal law allowing deportation of immigrants who commit “crimes of violence” was unconstitutionally vague, a decision hailed by Arizona immigration lawyers as a “promising step forward.”
McCain backs immigration bill blasted as ‘waste of time’ by Trump
WASHINGTON- Sen. John McCain introduced a bill Monday that gives DACA recipients a path to citizenship and calls for beefed-up border security – but it excludes funding for a border wall, causing the president to brand it a “waste of time.”
Immigration court backlog likely to grow in face of cuts, experts say
WASHINGTON – More than 684,000 cases are waiting to be heard in immigration courts across the country – 10,422 of them in Arizona – a number that is only expected to grow after the Trump administration cuts an immigrant legal assistance program this month.
Border deployment may only involve 2,000 Guardsmen, no work on wall
WASHINGTON – The National Guard will send half as many troops to the border, who will serve longer and engage in limited support roles – but not work on a border wall, officials said Monday.
indian affairs:
bears ears & sovereignty
Claims of better tribal school oversight draw lawmakers’ skepticism
WASHINGTON – A Bureau of Indian Education official told lawmakers Wednesday that his agency is making “strong improvements” in the oversight of tribal schools, despite a long history of problems and proposed cuts to the bureau’s budget.
Tribes Say 'No Thanks' to Plan for Scaled-Back Bears Ears
WASHINGTON (AP) — Leaders of five tribes accused lawmakers Tuesday of "cherry-picking" tribal members to support an 85 percent reduction in the Bears Ears monuments, and said proposed tribal management of the new monument would be in name only.
Tribes Call on Washington to Respect Native Sovereignty
WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal tax overhaul passed in December is "completely unacceptable" to Native Americans, just another example of what can happen when tribes are not included in federal decision-making, a tribal leader said Monday.
House gives final OK to bill extending AMBER alerts to Indian Country
WASHINGTON – The House gave final approval Monday to a bill that will give tribes direct access to funds that will let them quickly post AMBER alerts over text messaging, radio and television to counties within reservation borders.
ARIZONA & COUNTY NEWS
ARIZONA & COUNTY NEWS
Covering local and state issues has shown me the direct effects national legislation has on smaller communities. Whether it's elections, transportation issues, or education reform, I love translating convoluted national topics to accessible local stories through both hard news and multimedia.
National report card ranks Arizona near bottom of states for highway safety
WASHINGTON – A Bureau of Indian Education official told lawmakers Wednesday that his agency is making “strong improvements” in the oversight of tribal schools, despite a long history of problems and proposed cuts to the bureau’s budget.
Arizona: False alarm like Hawaii’s unlikely; people should still prepare
WASHINGTON – A Bureau of Indian Education official told lawmakers Wednesday that his agency is making “strong improvements” in the oversight of tribal schools, despite a long history of problems and proposed cuts to the bureau’s budget.
Arizona fourth- and eighth-graders trail U.S. on math, reading scores
WASHINGTON – Math and reading test scores for Arizona’s fourth- and eighth-grade students fell below their peers nationally in 2017, according to a national student achievement report released Tuesday.
Maricopa County again leads nation’s counties in population growth
WASHINGTON- Maricopa County once again saw the largest population gains among the nation’s nearly 3,200 counties, according to 2017 population estimates released Thursday by the Census Bureau.
Hispanic Caucus vows to stop Census citizenship question ‘at all costs’
WASHINGTON – More than 684,000 cases are waiting to be heard in immigration courts across the country – 10,422 of them in Arizona – a number that is only expected to grow after the Trump administration cuts an immigrant legal assistance program this month.
Lesko, Tipirneni win hotly contested CD8 primary
WASHINGTON-Former state Sen. Debbie Lesko had a commanding lead over a crowded Republican field in the hotly contested special election to replace former Rep. Trent Franks, R-Glendale, according to unofficial returns from the Secretary of State’s office.
Infographic made on rise of Maricopa County population following new Census report, broken down by county.
washington d.c. & local
Work produced or assisted in for WUSA-9, a CBS affiliate. I was in charge of story research and digital content creation for reporters, also helping with revising scripts and production assistance for shoots. I saw night side production, utilized logging and transcribing into Edius and learned how to be more comfortable with Adobe Premiere and
washington d.c. & local
New bill pushes for transparency in charter schools
WASHINGTON- A new piece of legislation introduced Wednesday would require information from D.C. Public Charter Schools to be more accessible to the public, following intense scrutiny from council members and the public that D.C. Public Charter Schools were trailing behind in nationwide transparency standards.
6 firefighters injured in 2-alarm Baltimore fire
BALTIMORE — Six firefighters were injured in a two-alarm east Baltimore rowhome fire.
The fire was reported around 8 a.m. Wednesday in the 400 block of N. Glover Street, according to Baltimore fire officials.
All six firefighters were taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, officials said. One firefighter sustained second-degree burns, officials said.
Defending Stanley Cup champion Capitals will visit White House Monday
WASHINGTON — The Capitals are going to the White House.The team confirmed to our Mike Wise that the defending Stanley Cup champs will visit the White House on Monday.
The Capitals' dubious Game 7 history forgets one key fact: Braden Holtby in goal is often glorious
WASHINGTON — Facing elimination on their home ice in the first round, the defending Stanley Cup champions need to rely on their most clutch performer in the crucible of their season. Since 2012, that player has been their Vezina-winning goaltender.