Hello! I’m glad you found my page and I hope you take the time to read the reasons why I decided to run for the Student Representative position. As a Midwest girl and coming from the “Show Me State”, I hope to show SPJ what the students want and let them be heard on the national level.

Platform:

“To inspire successive generations of talented individuals to become dedicated journalists.”

As a part of SPJ’s mission statement, I found this section to be the hook, line and sinker for me. Across America, there are various student chapters, pro chapters and SPJ communities that provide a place of belonging. This organization allows journalists of all ages to come together to work towards common goals and further one another’s knowledge.

By hosting conventions, journalism workshops to locally pairing up chapters, we remind and inspire each other to encourage and maintain the rights under the First Amendment, provide the general public timely and accurate information as well as creating a proactive environment for journalists to work. I feel that it is my mission to ensure that all journalists find their niche and then turn that passion into inspiration for other journalists to chase and succeed in their dreams.

At different points in our life, we find ourselves being unsure of a direction or pathway to take. The beauty of journalism is that it is a free outlet for many individuals to voice their opinions, ideas or newsworthy information.  As journalists, we invented thinking outside of the box. Our jobs range from print, broadcast, to online. That may seem small till you think about hyper local newspapers to The New York Times, amateur radio to national radio and television stations, to my personalwebsite all the way to cnn.com.

I believe that SPJ is the place to inform and inspire journalists to find their career and hobby outlets. As an organization, we can help others find what their truly passionate about and then turn that passion into a lifelong commitment to become dedicated journalists.

SPJ Bio:

In the fall of 2013, I became a member of SPJ and pursued my time to help create astudent chapter at Lindenwood University.  I was elected treasurer of the LU Chapter and have been a representative at various campus  and community events. Our chapter has also held a Journalism-Lab, First Amendment Free Food Festivals and open meetings for other students to check out our organization. I have had the pleasure of attending the Ted Scripps Leadership Institute and the Region 7 Conference. I look forward to attending #EIJ14 in Nashville and reuniting with old and new members. I love meeting new people and as an ambitious new member I cannot wait to network and listen to other’s stories and recommendations. I want to become the student voice and have the opportunity to represent SPJ student chapters coast to coast. As a Midwest girl and coming from the “Show Me State”, I hope to show SPJ what the students want and let them be heard on the national level. I hope to earn your vote to become a Student Representative for the 2014-15 year.

  Qualifications:

Presently: A storm spotter for Illinois and Missouri for the National Weather Service, Writer for The Legacy, Anchor for LUTV News and sideline reporter for Lindenwood Men’s Basketball.

3.8 GPA and Dean’s List

Previously: 2013 Lindy Award Winner, 2012 Elliott Publishing Summer Internship, 2011 Youth to Washington Winner, 2011 FBLA 1st Place for Immerging Business Issues, 2010 Adams County Fair Queen.

Read my full resume here.

  Thank you for generously taking the time to read over my candidate page and I hope to earn your vote to become a Student Representative for the national board. I’ll see you soon in Nashville!

Voting will take place electronically via email during the Excellence in Journalism 2014 conference, Sept. 4-6. (Even if you don’t attend the conference your still eligible to vote!)