I chose to attend the University of Tennessee, where I obtained my bachelors and masters degrees, both in Journalism and Electronic Media.
Throughout my higher education, I had many exciting experiences. I was selected by the Tennessee State Society to represent my state in the 2005 Cherry Blossom Festival. I was a member of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority and the Premier Sharks competitive dance team. I held two internships in Washington, D.C. -- one for Senator Lamar Alexander and the other for Congressman John Duncan, Jr. I also was the communications intern for the Knoxville Tourism and Sports Corporation for a year. I was a production intern and on-air talent for the international home-shopping network, Jewelry Television. I served on UT's Graduate Student Senate and was a reporter and feature anchor for a weekly local news program called "UT Today." I also held internships with CNN in Atlanta and WBIR-TV in Knoxville.
My final semester of graduate school was dedicated to producing, filming and editing a 5-part series documenting two former UT football players' journies through the NFL Draft process. This project took me all over the East coast, allowed me to network with many important contacts in the sports world and advance and expand my skills as a journalist.
This past summer, I traveled to Europe. In less than six weeks, I visited 10 countries. It was an incredible experience that opened my eyes to different cultures and sparked an interest in international journalism.
I hope to use this blog to network and as a tool to inspire others through stories about faith, family and travels.
