Paid or unpaid internship, or employment, at a local or regional newspaper.

• 9 Journalism courses taken with a grade of A earned in each (for a 4.0 Grade Point Average in Journalism).  Courses are 3 credits if not noted otherwise:
• Journ 225: Readings in Journalism with Steve Simurda
• Journ 300: News Writing and Reporting with Chris Yurko (4 credits)
• Journ 335: Principles of Public Relations with Charles Marram
• Journ 310: The Press and the Third World with David DuBois
• Journ H01: Honors colloquium for Journ 310 (1 credit)
• Journ 345: Media Criticism with Steve Simurda
• Journ H01: Honors colloquium for Journ 345 (1 credit)
• Journ 397W: Introduction to Web Journalism with Richard Newton
• Journ 392E: Editorial and Column Writing with Howard Ziff (2 credits)
• Overall GPA: 3.63
• Other fields relevant to reporting in which I have taken multiple courses include Economics, Political Science, Legal Studies, Environmental Science, Resource Economics, Sociology, History, and Literature.  In addition, the comprehensive “Mgt 300: Principles of Management” helped me understand more about the perspective and operation of businesses.

I am good at newswriting: the art of assembling a story from the available facts.  I am a thorough investigator and can gather information from people and institutions; from reference materials, books, other newspapers, and online resources (such as THOMAS for Congressional bills); and other sources.  I consider fact-checking important enough to be an independent skill, and I am good at it.  An important ability for journalism which I have honed in other classes is understanding, and then explaining or interpreting, statistical data.  Finally, correct grammar and spelling come to me naturally, but I always look up sentence structure or words of which I am unsure.  Some other skills applicable to journalism include:

• Computer Skills
• Extensive experience with Windows and Macintosh; significant experience with UNIX and DOS.
• Excellent word processing skills; well versed in Lotus Word Pro, ClarisWorks, Corel WordPerfect, Microsoft Works, and Microsoft Word.
• Skilled in the use of databases and spreadsheets for many tasks, including computer-assisted reporting and sociological research.
• Web-savvy with any browser; able to use general and specialized search engines to their maximum potential.
• Foreign Language: some Spanish, still learning.

I have not been employed in journalism or a related profession, but I do have experience with working:

• Pre-1998: J&F Variety, Natick (no longer in business); Li’l Peach convenience store, Natick, stocker and cashier; Pizza Plus, Natick, delivery person.
• 1998-2000, summers and vacations (35 hours/week): Sears, Natick, shoe department (commission).  Extensive interaction with customers involving the use of interviewing skills.
• February to May 2000 (6-10 hours/week): Web assistant, Massachusetts Daily Collegian.
• May 2001 to present (10-20 hours/week): Webmaster for startup company DEM Custom Computers.  Includes content creation (i.e., tight writing).

Some of my non-school, non-work activities help equip me for journalism work at a newspaper:

• 1996-1998: Reporter, Op-ed editor, Art editor, and Assistant News Editor on Natick High School paper.

• 1998-present (college): Periodic contributions to the Massachusetts Daily Collegian; active in various clubs and groups (organizational and communication skills); regular attendance at speeches, events, lectures, and Pizza and Prof nights (learn about a different topic each week).
• Volunteer work: A Place to Turn food pantry, Natick (1995-1999); Connecticut river litter cleanup with Masspirg (2000); Natick Town Forest cleanup with Students for Planet Earth (1998).
• Travel: 46 U.S. states plus Canada, Switzerland, and Israel.
• Leisure activities include reading, creative writing, photography, short-wave radio, soccer, running, hiking, and cooking.

References from professors and employers available on request.