Made: Covering the President

I was honored to be selected to cover President Obama's speech at the annual Associated Press Luncheon. The Newspaper Association of America arranged for students to cover its annual conference including the AP Luncheon. I was the student chosen from Howard. It was a dream come true. I live tweeted from my account during the speech. My fingers were flying in an attempt to accurately quote the President on Twitter.

My White House Press Badge, yay! 

The President used the speech to launch into his platform for his 2012 agenda. The speech first pointed out the flaws in the new Republican budget. He then walked the audience through his own budget and all the reasons it better served the American public. Below is my timeline with quotes from the president including the hashtag #NAAmXc.

The pictures below are just for my personal collection. I had to use my phone; the secret service didn't clear me to use my camera. 😥

I was much too far away to take pictures of the
President himself but I could see the screens.

Made: I'm 21

Last week I turned 21! My birthday is on the 4th, the same day as the President of the United States, Barack Obama. I was so glad to hear from so many of my family and friends. I didn't go out and get debaucherous or drunk or anything like that. I just went for dinner and drinks with some friends of mine. Call me nerdy, but it just not my cup of tea. I'll put up pictures late; the one I have is simply dreadful. My family in Chicago is throwing me a party on Friday. I'm so excited! It'll be a great way to end the summer. *sigh*

MADE: Forbes Byline

Earlier this year I went to meet with one of the editors Forbes magazine, Janet Novack. She really liked my story so she agreed to publish it. Today at 6 p.m. my story goes live as a part of a retirement package.

Here's the link: A Second Career on the Farm

Check it out!

(6.3.11) P.S. Mrs. Harris, the woman I featured in this story, read my story and loved it. She told me it was a "show stopper" and that I had chosen the right career path. As a journalist, there is nothing I enjoy more than to hear that people enjoyed something I wrote. To hear it come from Mrs. Harris really truly made my day. I hope everyone else who read it enjoyed it just as much.

Words - so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne

I try to use my words for good. LOL.

Made: I DID IT!

It's done. It's over. After four months of consistent hard work, I have completed and PASSED JOUR:201 Reporting and Writing. It was probably the hardest class I have taken since the start of my career at Howard University but it really was a wonderful experience. I have learned a lot and my reporting skills have improved tremendously. Most of the time I hated it but it was worth it. Thank you all for going on this journey with me. I will keep posting, I am applying to become the assistant copy chief at my school newspaper, The Hilltop. So, there's much more to come. Til the next time.

Made: The Front Page

I did it! On Tuesday, my first story for The Hilltop titled Two Week Cherry Blossom Festival Officially Starts was published on the front page. I was so excited; I felt that I had really accomplished something. Then when the story was published online it was and still is the top story that you see as soon as the Hilltop's Web site comes up. I'm quite proud. Check it out.