As neighborhood news coordinator, I oversaw the weekly Neighbors section of the daily newspaper, including creating a popular email newsletter.When not working with writers, photographers and copy editors to create content for the local section, I wrote long-form stories about the community on a variety of fascinating topics, from older people finding new love near the end of life to small-time magicians striving to find their footing in the modern world. I also maintained the daily events calendar and led planning sessions.

I worked as a general assignment reporter for a handful of suburban weeklies in the Portland-based regional newspaper company: The Forest Grove News-Times, The Beaverton Valley Times and The Tigard/Tualatin Times. In 2009, my efforts were recognized with a promotion to news editor at The South County Spotlight in Scappoose, Ore., where I oversaw staff writers and freelancers and served as the weekly paper’s photographer, copy editor and page designer.

I and a peer were the first Portland State University students to be chosen for the prestigious University of Oregon-based Snowden Internship Program. The program placed me for four months at the Southern Oregon/Northern California daily newspaper, where I was a full-time reporter covering numerous beats.