Editing
I am the editor-in-chief of State Press Magazine, ASU's only student-led print publication, for the 2024-2025 school year. We released our first issue, The Active Issue, on Oct. 4.
For this issue, writers took the concept of “active” and picked apart what it could represent. Two writers highlighted different advocacy efforts that have continued despite months, or even years, of activism. One writer hit the sidewalks to find out who has the most overactive imaginations on campus while another writer shared their experience as a childhood actor. In an insight piece, a writer shared his perspective on the internet’s fast-paced dissemination of information, and one writer focused on the concept of hyperactivity by covering the process of attaining SAILS accommodations with ADHD. Finally, our feature story dives into what it’s like rushing a sorority, discussing the pitfalls of bid day.
As editor-in-chief, I guided reporters and our multimedia team through the four week process of producing content for the magazine. I helped reporters pitch and source, I edited all seven stories weekly, I coordinated multimedia assignments, and I guided the magazine's production.
Our next issue comes out very soon, so stay tuned!
Prior to my position as State Press Magazine editor-in-chief, I was a managing editor for the 2023-2024 school year. During that year, we published six issues that made up Volume 24 of the magazine, which you can find below. Click the covers to view the digital issues.
In my role as managing editor, I assisted the editor-in-chief in guiding reporters and editing articles. I also pitched multimedia ideas and wrote stories and interactive elements. Finally, I had a smaller role in overseeing the magazine production.
News
This piece was written as a State Press Magazine digital exclusive, and it is about the ethics of ASU's presence in Hawaiʻi. I really enjoyed researching and writing this piece because I got to connect my hometown to my University. I also got to cover a topic that The State Press hasn't covered before which was really important to me because I feel like there needs to be more awareness about the ongoing colonization of Hawaiʻi.
This piece was written for State Press Magazine's spectrum issue, and it is about period stigma and menstrual education. I really enjoyed writing this piece because I was able to practice balancing my narrative voice with my informative voice. I started the story off with a personal anecdote to describe the feelings surrounding periods, then I got more into the questions about period stigma. I also spoke with an organization that helps combat period poverty, and that meant a lot to me because I was bringing more awareness to a topic that The State Press, and even journalism in general, doesn't really have consistent coverage on.
In State Press Magazine's spectrum issue, I wrote about organizations that help girls and young women learn about the music industry. While I was covering this community, I could just feel the importance of support and connection they foster, and I really wanted to capture that essence in the story.
This piece was written as a State Press Magazine digital exclusive that accompanied the release of our Culture Issue. My hope for this piece was to explore campus culture from the perspectives of the statues that stand upon it. I really liked the reporting process of this article because I spoke to a lot of different people and conducted a lot of research on a topic I knew nothing about.
For the final project of my JMC 301 class, I wrote a long-form article detailing the animal overpopulation issue in the animal welfare community. I really enjoyed writing this article because it gave me a taste of community/solutions journalism. What made this article successful was the amount of people I talked to and followed up with because this allowed me to analyze the issue from all perspectives. I hope to continue reporting on this community in the future, as I feel like it doesn't get much coverage.
In the summer of 2022 I got the amazing opportunity to freelance for Lonely Planet. As a journalist, I’ve made it my mission to represent underrepresented communities and uplift their voices. When I got the chance to report from Hawai’i for a worldwide travel company, I saw the importance of covering tourism while including the Native Hawaiian perspective—something you don’t see much of on travel websites. I feel so honored to have covered the issues surrounding tourism in Hawai’i, provided insight to foreigners who may not have known about our long history, and to be given the platform to uplift Native Hawaiian voices.
In State Press Magazine's consumption issue, I wrote about how ASU campus harvests have undergone changes. This article really forced me to exercise my reporting skills because the story was begging for various sources and information---I think more than a usual story. This article also provided me the opportunity to take my own photos and do some in-person reporting (which I haven't done in a long time because of the pandemic), so it's fun looking back at the adventure it sent me on.
In this update story, I checked in with the Arizona Safer Bars Alliance to gain insight on how their bar safety initiative was going. This story was impactful to me because I haven't had the platform or opportunity to talk about sexual harassment and assault before.
Reports
This is one of the pieces I wrote for Lonely Planet's latest "blue spine" guidebook on Maui. I wrote a few chapters and essays for that guidebook, but this article is the most significant to me as it is a topic I truly care about.
A lot of my close relatives were impacted by the deadly Aug. 8, 2023, wildfire in Lahaina. News organizations parachuted in and out of Maui to get their stories; however, I saw a desperate need for people around the world to understand the wildfire conversation from the Native Hawaiian perspective and to understand the importance of wai (water) to our ʻāina (land). Therefore, I wrote and pitched this story for Lonely Planet.
This piece was written as a State Press Magazine digital exclusive, and it is about the ethics of ASU's presence in Hawaiʻi. I really enjoyed researching and writing this piece because I got to connect my hometown to my University. I also got to cover a topic that The State Press hasn't covered before which was really important to me because I feel like there needs to be more awareness about the ongoing colonization of Hawaiʻi.
This piece was written for State Press Magazine's spectrum issue, and it is about period stigma and menstrual education. I really enjoyed writing this piece because I was able to practice balancing my narrative voice with my informative voice. I started the story off with a personal anecdote to describe the feelings surrounding periods, then I got more into the questions about period stigma. I also spoke with an organization that helps combat period poverty, and that meant a lot to me because I was bringing more awareness to a topic that The State Press, and even journalism in general, doesn't really have consistent coverage on.
In State Press Magazine's spectrum issue, I wrote about organizations that help girls and young women learn about the music industry. While I was covering this community, I could just feel the importance of support and connection they foster, and I really wanted to capture that essence in the story.
This piece was written as a State Press Magazine digital exclusive that accompanied the release of our Culture Issue. My hope for this piece was to explore campus culture from the perspectives of the statues that stand upon it. I really liked the reporting process of this article because I spoke to a lot of different people and conducted a lot of research on a topic I knew nothing about.
For the final project of my JMC 301 class, I wrote a long-form article detailing the animal overpopulation issue in the animal welfare community. I really enjoyed writing this article because it gave me a taste of community/solutions journalism. What made this article successful was the amount of people I talked to and followed up with because this allowed me to analyze the issue from all perspectives. I hope to continue reporting on this community in the future, as I feel like it doesn't get much coverage.
For my local government story assignment in my JMC 301 class, I attended a City of Phoenix Street Transportation department meeting where they discussed revamping McDowell Road. In the article, I talk about their various plans to improve the safety and aesthetics of the area. Because this article was due the day of the meeting, it really pushed me to practice efficient reporting. This was one of my first day turns, so it was great to finally get that experience. It was also cool to get it published in AZ Big Media in a timely manner.
In the summer of 2022 I got the amazing opportunity to freelance for Lonely Planet. As a journalist, I’ve made it my mission to represent underrepresented communities and uplift their voices. When I got the chance to report from Hawai’i for a worldwide travel company, I saw the importance of covering tourism while including the Native Hawaiian perspective—something you don’t see much of on travel websites. I feel so honored to have covered the issues surrounding tourism in Hawai’i, provided insight to foreigners who may not have known about our long history, and to be given the platform to uplift Native Hawaiian voices.
In State Press Magazine's consumption issue, I wrote about how ASU campus harvests have undergone changes. This article really forced me to exercise my reporting skills because the story was begging for various sources and information---I think more than a usual story. This article also provided me the opportunity to take my own photos and do some in-person reporting (which I haven't done in a long time because of the pandemic), so it's fun looking back at the adventure it sent me on.
In this update story, I checked in with the Arizona Safer Bars Alliance to gain insight on how their bar safety initiative was going. This story was impactful to me because I haven't had the platform or opportunity to talk about sexual harassment and assault before.
In my very first attempt as a reporter for State Press Magazine, I wrote about the ASU theatre department and how they have been functioning alongside a global pandemic. I didn't intend to get my first story printed in the magazine, but it ended up matching the theme of the month, and I was thrilled to see my story in the first pages.
Satire
For State Press Magazine's The Development Issue, I started thinking about my past coverage to see if there was a developing story I could write for the issue. That's when I realized a lot has happened since my first satire and there are a lot of things I'd like to add. Therefore, I wrote "How to talk to a Hawaiian, pt. 2."
The food delivery robots on campus always compelled me---I always wondered what they go through. Therefore, I decided to write a piece imagining their lives. I've always loved pieces that write from the perspective of inanimate objects, so it was fun trying one out for myself. After this article was published, the Starship company actually reached out and said they loved my piece, which made me really proud of it.
I didnʻt even know satire was within my realm of capabilities until I pitched a simple dos and donʻts list of what to do when you meet a Hawaiian---it was mainly just a compilation of the questionable encounters I've had as a Hawaiian now living on the continent. My editors at the time thought it would be impactful and fun if I wrote it as a satire in the format of WikiHow. I loved the idea, had fun writing the piece, and now enjoy writing the occasional satire.