Allison Formeller Email & Phone Number

As soon as I could pick up a pencil at about four years old, I knew I wanted to write. Now, that's what I do for a living.As a first-generation college graduate, my college experience was probably a little different than most -- but it ensured that I worked hard and and jumped at every opportunity I could to learn more and prepare myself for the future. As a part of two small newspaper staffs (ECC's The Observer and NIU's Northern Star), I learned a lot about the technical stuff -- how to design pages, write in AP style, how to edit copy, and how to manage staff members. Of course, I also got to use my skills and creativity to better connect with the campuses and communities we served, which led to me spearheading the creation of two podcasts where my co-hosts and I would interview staff and students and talk about breaking news stories or topics relevant to college life. As a kid who was just learning how to write, I never thought I'd end up being a journalist, much less a podcast host, and now an aspiring public relations specialist. While I still have a lot to learn, I'm passionate about communicating, even if that means learning another language (seriously -- I'm actively completing three language trees on Duolingo!).