I am in my third year at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. I am pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Communications. My major is Journalism and Electronic Media with an emphasis on visual communications. I am also working to obtain minors in Business Administration, Cinema Studies, and Communication Studies.
COMMUNICATIONS
I have been a member of the Tennessee Journalist’s staff since January 2008. The Tennessee Journalist (TNJN.com) is the official student publication of the School of Journalism and Electronic Media at UT. In the Fall of the same year, I accepted my current position at TNJN.com of Photography Editor. I have had a wonderful faculty supervisor in Dr. James Stovall, who says the answer to any idea I have is “yes.” I have gained a diverse web journalism skill set through my experiences with the site and I am excited about its future.
I joined the Tennessee Smokies Baseball Club as a Video Production and Graphic Design Intern for their 2008 season. The Smokies are the AA Affiliate of the Chicago Cubs and are located in Kodak, Tennessee. Here I had an opportunity to work with professional recording, editing and switching equipment in a live environment. My fellow interns and I were the first Production interns to use the new equipment, and our team of six started from scratch--creating all of the graphics, videos, and promotional materials and coordinating in-game entertainment. The Smokies production interns put on the best overall show in the Southern League in 2008.
My first communications experience at UT came at the university radio station, 90.3 FM “The Rock” (WUTK) in the Spring of 2007. Here I was a volunteer disc jockey, and became familiar with the operations of a radio station. WUTK was voted “Knoxville’s Best Radio Station” by the readers of MetroPulse magazine while I was on the staff. It was great to be broadcasting and developing my on-air vocal talent through this opportunity. From taking listener calls and requests to promotional giveaways to simply talking over the airwaves, this was a truly fun experience for me.
I have always had my sights set on visual communications since I was a kid. I can remember working on a presentation for my sixth grade class, and for the majority of the project, I took a desktop publishing program (Serif Page Plus 3.0 for Windows, if you are familiar) and created a visually appealing document that could have been developed using InDesign and passed for a magazine feature. Since then, I have been designing and creating many of my ideas, and I have always had side projects to those I am assigned in class. Visual Communications is my calling, and I am enthusiastic about following that path.
MUSIC
I have been a musician since I was seven years old, so I have had a special appreciation for the art form. At one time I played the piano, and I would like to learn how once again. I have played classical trumpet since I was 10, jazz trumpet since I was 13, and I began performing the flugelhorn at age 16. During this period of time I have also been a member of the Blackman High School marching band and the University of Tennessee’s Pride of the Southland Marching Band.
As a member of four of UT’s instrumental ensembles, I have had the opportunity to travel the country. Twenty-two trips, 14 states, two national championships, and one presidential inauguration parade later, I have thoroughly enjoyed my experience with this prestigious organization.
In addition, I have been a contributor to Knoxville’s local music scene as the brass specialist in a variety performance band. The band has since broken up and each of us have gone our separate ways, but the experience of performing live shows in Market Square is a memory I will always keep.
CONTACT
If there is any other information you would like to know about me, please contact me and I would be more than happy to provide more info or arrange a meeting.
