I refined my abilities as a print reporter working for the South African publication Daily Maverick. There, I worked as a crime reporter specializing in international affairs and had the opportunity to cover the Sudanese civil war and the case of Gerco van Deventer, a South African man held hostage in Mali for over five years (stories attached below). The chance to expand my scope of work outside of sports was incredibly enlightening and opened my mind to avenues outside of athletics.

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With the Chicago Dogs, I worked as the team's primary beat reporter. On top of writing daily game stories, the ability to be around a professional clubhouse every day allowed me to uncover original feature and profile pieces on members of the organization. 

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I hit the ground running at Northwestern as a staff writer at the Northwestern athletics blog Inside NU before my freshman year. At Inside NU, I went on to work as an editor and the Director of Staff Engagement. I primarily focused on covering football (the left photo was during my coverage of Northwestern football's game at Wrigley Field in 2021), basketball and softball. These consistent reps led to my blossom as a feature writer, seen in my Taishan Holmes and Peter Riesz profile pieces below.

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In 2022, I was awarded "Best Profile Story" from the AEJMC 2022 Student Magazine Contest. The award was for my profile story on Holmes, a former Northwestern football player. Titled "From Division II walk-on to Big Ten football: Taishan Holmes is the ultimate underdog," the piece highlights Holmes journey from a Division-II walk-on to a Big Ten football starter.

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