Capitol 10K Live Blog

Click on the link below for a live blog from this year's Capitol 10K, written by journalism students in Professor Lasorsa's J310F: Reporting Words class:

http://utjournalism.tumblr.com/

Ricochet Woman: A Profile on Elena Luna

   Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Friday. Get down at Gregory Gym, that is.

  While many students and faculty rushed home on Good Friday, Elena Luna, health promotion junior, found comfort in exercising late that afternoon. With the clinking sound of weights added to bars, feet pounding on treadmills, perspiration proliferating throughout the weight room, Luna embraced the atmosphere as her own. 

Elena Luna (above) often collages "before and after" photos
as part of her progress. Photo courtesy by Elena Luna

Over the past year, Luna has undergone a weight loss journey like none other, acting upon a change in lifestyle of exercise and specific dieting that’s removed her from being “morbidly obese” at over 200 pounds. A member of Sigma Phi Lambda, the university’s Christian sorority, Luna accredits a devotional given last spring as her epiphany for living healthier.

“I remember sitting in chapter meeting one day, and one of the girls was lecturing on sins that the church doesn’t recognize,” Luna said.  “I just really felt like that was God’s way of being like, ‘Hey Elena, look. Your biggest sin is gluttony. You’re worshipping food; you’re turning to this every time.’ and that’s when I really knew that I needed to change my life.”

Luna, who now weighs 155 pounds, remains consistent in her exercise routine of running, weight lifting and especially CrossFit, a core strengthening and conditioning program.

Luna (above) completes planks,
which focus on the abdominal core.
Photo by Olivia Suarez

“My favorite kind of training would probably be CrossFit training,” Luna said. “And I think that that’s the highest level training that I’ve reached so far and also the hardest because it pushes me physically, mentally, and spiritually. It challenges me in all three ways that I need to be challenged because we do some pretty hard things.”

Although Luna mostly trains by herself, she doesn’t rule out seeking help about exercise.

“Anything I do I’m always finding someone who knows something, who knows more than I do, because I always think that there’s someone out there that’s smarter,” Luna said.  “And so if I can find someone and just ask them any question, I’m learning, or I can give them advice.”

In addition to gaining more insight on workouts, Luna also enjoys trying new things, including marathon running. She considers her completion of the Austin Half Marathon earlier this year as one of her biggest accomplishments.

Luna (above) shows the "Hook 'em" sign after completing
the Austin Half Marathon. Photo courtesy by Elena Luna

“I’m such an overachiever that when I decided that I was going to do something, I wanted to maybe go for the biggest thing possible,” Luna said.  “I was the only person in my family to ever run that long of a distance.”

According to Luna, her participation in the race stemmed from an indescribable desire.

“It took me a whole year to prepare for it, but that was my big deal, running a half marathon,” Luna said. “I know that some people never even run a half marathon in their life or people just don’t understand why you can run for 13 miles. It’s just one of those things you know, I can’t explain. I just want to run, and that was what made me want to start doing that.”

Luna and her friend Maykei Nguyen celebrate their completion
of the Austin Half Marathon. The two both ran 13.1 miles.
Photo courtesy by Elena Luna

She intends to complete the full Austin Marathon next year. On top of that, she hopes to reach her new goal weight.

“Taking into consideration with my body height, I should be between 130 and 150 pounds,” Luna said. “The first goal weight I set for myself was 150 and I’m only five pounds away from that. But I changed it to 135 so I see a flat stomach, because I want to be able to wear short shorts or throw on a bikini or just do things I guess girls my age would do.”

Luna also said that the goal at first was “just to be thin” but that it’s transformed into the hope of becoming “strong, both in fitness and spiritually strong as well.”

Even with all of the successes she’s made, Luna said she experienced some difficulty on her weight loss journey.

“There was a time where I went a whole semester without losing any weight and that was a big setback for me,” Luna said.  “It was kind of discouraging because I knew that I was doing everything correctly, yet my body wasn't responding to it.”

Luna witnessing her weight “drop from the 200 pound range to the 100 pound range” triumphed this setback. Having her clothes feel loose is another thing she takes satisfaction in.

Luna's roommate Katie Keith (left) and Luna
(right) both fit in Luna's old rain jacket.
Photo courtesy by Elena Luna

“I track (my progress) by my clothes size,” Luna said.  “I used to track it by the scale, but that’s not always the best method because I put on a lot of muscle, so my weight’s definitely increased. But going by my clothes size or dress sizes I can definitely see that I’ve decreased significantly.”

Luna currently follows the Paleolithic “Paleo” diet, which mimics the diet of cavemen.

“It’s meat, lots of vegetables and nuts, a little bit of fruit, and water: tons and tons of water,” Luna said. “It’s really hard to not eat certain things because they don’t follow the Paleo lifestyle, but it’s definitely rewarding to see how much I've disciplined myself to follow that lifestyle.”

Keith (left) and Luna (right) at the Texas
         Independence Day Run.
Photo courtesy by Elena Luna

While Luna treats herself to the occasional pancake with peanut butter—her biggest temptation—she aims to stay on track, highlighting the importance of eating right.

“You can live in the gym all day long, but if you don’t eat right, then there’s not going to be change,” Luna said. “Your diet can prevent so many things like bad cholesterol and heart disease and diabetes. And yes, working out is good, but your diet is the most important.”

Nutrition senior Daniel Magoon agrees with Luna on that aspect.

"While many people do find positive results with certain diets and lifestyles, across the board, the combination of healthy diets and frequent exercise yields the best (and healthiest) results overall," Magoon said. "You can lose weight by exercising, but if you have a poor diet, the weight will not stay off. It's a balance between the two that creates a person's healthy lifestyle."

Luna's newly adopted lifestyle influences her roommates, as well. 

"Her fitness routines have inspired our apartment to be more health conscious in our eating habits," Katie Keith, communication sciences and disorders junior, said. "I began running with Elena last year when her journey began and have continued to train with her and increase my own workout goals as well."

Although Keith doesn’t engage in the Paleo diet, she altered her diet to make more health conscious food choices consisting of more vegetables, fruits, and protein. 

All in all, Luna is most thankful for the impact her journey’s made on her faith.

“I’ve become a lot more firm in my walk (with God),” Luna said.  “ I've become more humble and I've learned to just cling to God and just know that as long as He’s the center, everything else will fall into place as it needs to be.”

Luna (above) does squat repetitions in the Gregory Gym
weight room. Photo by Olivia Suarez

Luna also seeks advice from Sigma Phi Lambda President Erin Howell.

“This relationship started with her asking me to be her mentor, but I've learned just as much, if not more, from her,” Howell said. “It's been such an honor seeing her grow over the past year, and I know that only the Lord could have instigated such radical change. Because we've been friends for so long, I haven't just seen a change in her body; I've seen a change in her spirit, in her heart.”

The social work senior said that Luna's commitment to physical, spiritual, and emotional health really inspired her "to get up and get moving."

Luna (left) and Howell (right) at the Fall 2012
Sigma Phi Lambda Initiation Ceremony.
Photo courtesy by Elena Luna

"While I'm encouraging her spirtual walk, she's giving me fitness tips and motivation to take care of my body," Howell said.

As Luna's Friday workout drew to a close, she smiled and shared one of the most essential parts of the whole process: loving herself.

One thing I try to tell people is that I don't work out because I hate my body, I work out because I love my body," Luna said. "This is the only place where I'm going to have to live."

UPDATE: Luna no longer engages in the Paleo diet. Her reasoning behind that is simple: lack of satisfaction. 

"I wasn't happy doing it! It was so restrictive and I couldn't enjoy the things that I really like and it just made me miserable," Luna said.

Instead, Luna opts for a more tolerable alternative: moderation.

"Moderation is significant because even too much of a good thing can be a bad thing," Luna said. "If I'm not eating the things I enjoy, then I am not living."

Student Government Passes AR 31

Student Government March 5 and March 19 Discussion of AR 31:

https://soundcloud.com/oliviamsuarez/sets/student-government-march-5-and

(click the link above)

The early bird gets the worm, but does the early Longhorn get the football seat?

Student Government passed legislation Tuesday in support of establishing a general admissions seating section in Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

Proposed on March 5, Assembly Resolution 31 is Student Government’s response to the university athletics department’s promotion of its “come early, stay late” policy. According to the document, football staff and coaches “have expressed concern that few students show up early to football games”.

SG Vice President Wills Brown, one of the authors for AR 31, discussed early game attendance increasing fan and athlete experience.

“I think it’s evident that sometimes our fans get into the games late,” Brown said. “I can only imagine the team doesn’t like it when we all arrive late to the games.”

The general admissions section, will occupy approximately 150 to 300 seats in sections 26, 27, and 28. Although open to everyone on a “first-come, first-serve” basis, Brown identified lowerclassmen as the target demographic.

“I think the most eager fans are the freshmen and the sophomores who, unfortunately, have the worst seats,” Brown said. “I mean, anyone can buy, but I presume mostly freshmen and sophomores will buy. It will give them the chance to have some of the best seats in the house.”

Connor Hughes, legislative aide under Wills Brown and another AR 31 author, explained the reasoning behind seat selection in the three specified sections.

“We reserved those seats because first of all, those are the seats (UT) Athletics told us they wanted us to use, but also because they’re quality seats,” Hughes said. “Students aren’t going to get there early if they’re going to be in some upper random end zone. No one’s going to do that.”

Students interested in AR 31’s opportunities should expect a minimal cost in addition to the purchase of a Longhorn All-Sports Package. The extra fee has yet to be determined.

“I honestly don’t know; it might be $10 to $15” Brown said. “I don’t expect it to be much extra, but that’s up to UT Athletics.”

Reserved season tickets can still be purchased in case students don’t get ahold of general admission seats for their game of choice.

The university athletics department plans admitting general admission ticketholders early enough to watch the players warm up, indicating in AR 31 that attendance during that time “positively affects performance of the football team”.

“Ideally, I would hope the students will be able to get into the games an hour ahead, maybe an hour and a half,” Brown said.

Hughes said that since the general admissions section is a “first-come, first serve” ordeal, the ticket stand will open about 45 minutes before the game, and wristbands will also be included.

“It’s going to be a high-demand place, so the wristbands will just make sure that it’s kept in control and we know whose actually got a ticket there and things like that,” Hughes said.

Although both Brown and Hughes envision a successful future for general admissions, its initial start remains their priority.

“This is more of a pilot, and if it works, probably in a few years we well step it up and hopefully we can get another section, maybe another hundred seats after that,” Hughes said.

The existence of general admissions systems in comparison institutions–Texas Tech, Kansas State, Iowa State– influenced AR 31’s composition. However, there’s no intention of eliminating the current hierarchy system.

“I know that would anger a lot of people, so that’s not the plan,” Brown said. “I mean, if it really was that successful, (UT Athletics) can expand it some more, but I think there would need to be a limit.”

Advertising sophomore Alex Huggins prefers the stability the hierarchy system offers compared to his experience at Texas Tech University.

“Their general admissions is fun, but hell. You have to arrive at the game long before the 90-minute timer starts, just for a seat,” Huggins said. “The experience was great, but I did miss some functionality.”

 He doesn’t ignore the faults of reserved seating though.

“I think the system at UT works, but could be better, if offered at a cheaper, ‘first come, first serve’ option,” Higgins said.  “People would love that.”

Brandon Lorenzana, mechanical engineering sophomore, believes showing up to games prior to kickoff remains beneficial for ticketholders.

“I think it does give a better experience, especially with a group,” Lorenzana said. “As a fan, by coming early, you get a feel for the atmosphere and you avoid the rush of people coming in closer to game time.”

 Lorenzana agrees with the university athletics department on student presence impacting the football team.

“For the athletes, I would imagine seeing more people come early to the games would give them a better sense of what and who they’re playing for,” Lorenzana said. “Knowing that people are coming early could give them a sense of their fans’ dedication and could potentially encourage them to play even better and fight harder for every yard.”

As far as which seating structure he believes works best, Lorenzana shares mixed feelings for both.

“I wouldn’t be in support of a complete general admissions structure,” Lorenzana said. “There should be general admissions for UT, but at the same time there should also be good seats available to those people wanting to get in through general admissions.”

Audiology freshman Raven Rodriguez isn’t holding her breath about AR 31 being implemented.

“Personally, I wouldn’t pay to see the players warm up. I consider the players to be just like any other students and do not hold them at a celebrity level,” Rodriguez said. “For those very invested in college athletics, I could understand how arriving at the game early would increase experience, but personally I just like attending the game itself.”

Rodriguez said her seats last season weren’t “brilliant, but not in the rafters either.”   

“I could honestly care less where I sat at a football game,” Rodriguez said. “The whole point of the game is to have fun, and if you’re in the good company of friends, it’s not a hassle to watch the game from a little bit farther away.

AR 31 will be sent to administration for approval following its passage. In the meantime, Brown expects the legislation to take effect soon.

“I will go meet with UT Athletics and Teri Pierce, she does marketing, and I’ll sit down with her team and we’ll kind of discuss moving forward,” Brown said. “The hope is that it will be ready for fall of 2013.”

Banned and Challenged Books

Famed American writer Edmund Wilson once said, “No two persons ever read the same book.”

Wilson’s quote maintains relevancy to modern society, as The American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom is set to release the Top Ten Most Challenged Books List of 2012 in April.

According to the ALA, a challenge “is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A banning is the removal of those materials.”

The annual list— which includes both classic novels like Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” and modern bestsellers like Suzanne Collin’s “Hunger Games” trilogy — is compiled by the OIF from submitted challenges across the United States for the past year. Sexual content, offensive language, violence, and religious offense are the primary reasons for book opposition.

Dr. Veronica Covington, adjunct assistant professor at the University of Texas School of Information and  professor of children’s literature, explained the steps of filing a challenge in schools.

“Each district has a policy that they follow for challenged books. All provide the challenger with forms to fill out,” Covington said. “One of the main things is that they must read the book in its entirety and give reasons for the objection. Once this form is turned in, then a committee is formed according to the district’s policy.”

Carolyn Foote, Westlake High School librarian and district librarian for Eanes Independent School District, confirmed this process.

“The committee consists of a parent, librarian, teacher, student, and administrator,” Foote said. “The committee then makes a recommendation to the superintendent.”

Serving as Westlake’s librarian for the past 20 years, Foote notes minimal experience in censorship within Eanes ISD.

“We haven’t had very many actual challenges filed in the 20 years I have been here, and have only had to convene four committees to review titles for kindergarten through 12 grade,” she said.

While bans are nonexistent at Eanes ISD, Foote acknowledged the possibility of transferring books between schools.

“Occasionally parents do raise concerns about a book being available at the wrong grade level, and with libraries having so many titles, sometimes they are borderline ‘middle school’ or ‘high school’ appropriate and might be reassigned, but that is rare,” Foote said.

Covington, whose knowledge on censorship stems from her career as an English teacher for 20 years and a librarian for eight years, shared a similar situation.

“While being a librarian at the high school level, none of the books presented to the committee were taken out of the library,” Covington said. “At the junior high level there were several titles that were removed from the junior high library and sent to the high school.”

Even with the books shuffling around, not all are satisfied. Parents Against Bad Books in Schools is a pro-censorship organization based in Virginia set on  identifying “bad” books.

PABBIS refused to comment on the story because they do not participate in college news stories.

Both Foote and Covington said they understand parents’ discretion on books for their children, but oppose censorship overall.

“Every parent has the right to comment upon or have preferences regarding their own child’s reading,” Foote said. “However, they don’t have the right to impose their views upon other people’s children—that’s when the actions venture into the realm of censorship.”

Covington said librarians are “not the reading police.”

Kerry Malter, library media specialist at Dalton Elementary School in Baton Rouge, La., noted the inevitability of censorship despite her stance against it.

“Society will not allow us to continue without censorship,” Mather said. “Policies and procedures will not allow educators to allow students the freedom to access information and reading preferences.”

Malter also stressed the importance of prior preparations to students of parents who express disapproval, deeming it “necessary in this profession.”

Round Rock Independent School District provides parents with information about books selected in the English Language Arts Curriculum beforehand, based on an approved reading list.

“The list is very extensive and includes all of the commonly taught titles in high school as well as some non-traditional titles, too,” Megan Kinney, an English teacher at Cedar Ridge High School, said. “I just finished teaching ‘Of Mice and Men’ and will be teaching ‘Fahrenheit 451’ and ‘Lord of the Flies’ later on this semester.”

Kinney said parents are supposed to sign a permission slip allowing their child to read the books from the list.

“If they don’t approve, then they are supposed to list the titles they object to, and we must come up with an alternative assignment for that student when we read that book,” she said.

Even without facing parent opposition during her first year of teaching, Kinney adopted the idea of implementing “literature circles” just in case.

“Literature circles are where a small group of students read the same novel while other groups of students read other novels,” Kinney said. “The students complete the same assignments and projects but for the title that they are reading.”

Lila Welchel, an English teacher at Bowie High School, stated that disclaimers are included within the school’s summer reading lists.

“We encourage parents to read the books along with their children,” Welchel said.

Never having dealt with bans during her time working for Austin Independent School District, Welchel said teachers “let a kid read a completely different book” if parents or students consider the original book offensive to their beliefs.

Welchel supports the freedom of choice, regardless of all the precautions.

“As a teacher of English, I want to be able to read books that my students are going to be able to connect to and enjoy and also have a high level of literary knowledge,” she said.

Covington predicted more challenges linked to religion for future ALA “Top Ten” lists.

“As the United States becomes more 'right-winged,' we as teachers, librarians, and professors have seen an increase in challenged books,” Covington said.

These trends fail at stifling her desire to read the listed books, however. 

“I actually want to read titles that are challenged to see if they merit the reasons given by those who object,” Covington said. “Unlike the parents who tell their kids not to read that book, I want to know why.”

  

Paraphernalia and the Police

Even the Big Bad Wolf couldn’t get away with huffing and puffing unscathed.

A student resident at Jester West received a court appearance citation for possession of marijuana on Jan. 23 after University of Texas Police Department confirmed its odor from the first floor and confiscated the water bong containing a charred substance.

The incident in Jester West is the most recent of three cases for student paraphernalia-related possession this semester. Other incidents occurred at San Jacinto and Moore-Hill dormitories on Jan. 16.

Layne Brewster, University of Texas police officer, acknowledged the concentration of marijuana-based situations occurring on the southern part of campus.

“We don’t get too many out in Kinsolving or Littlefield or anything like that. It’s your high-traffic dorms usually,” Brewster said.

Coreen Newman-Coronado, area manager of Jester City Residence Halls, explained the Division of Housing and Food Service’s involvement in paraphernalia discovery.

“At the point where we’re aware that a student has paraphernalia, typically we would call UTPD and they would come and work further with the student and disposal, confiscation, and legal citations or anything that would happen here,” Newman-Coronado said.

Once at the scene, Newman-Coronado said she, other area managers, hall coordinators, and resident assistants involved only stay as much as allowed.

“It’s better for the student and the police that we’re slightly removed from the situation for the student’s confidentiality or for whatever the police need in their process,” Newman-Coronado said. “We don’t have the same level of training the police have, to really determine that, so we rely on our experts to make that judgment.”

Small containers are common places for hidden paraphernalia, according to Brewster.

“You know you find it in whatever little containers that will hold it. Coin purses, stuff that you wouldn’t question,” Brewster said. “When we do arrest someone, and we do the search after, we have to look through everything because you never know where they’re going to hide it.”

Drug paraphernalia — equipment such as syringes, roach clips and hashish pipes — is classified as a Class C misdemeanor and includes a $250 fine. UTPD, who works alongside the Justice of the Peace Court, Precinct Five (JP5) for these cases, noted some exceptions.

“If they have a higher crime, then the paraphernalia is usually not written up, they’re not charged with the paraphernalia, they’ll be charged with possession,” Brewster said. “Or if it’s a DWI, and the paraphernalia was found and searched incidental to arrest, they won’t end up charging.”

Brewster added that JP5 doesn’t stack charges.

“They’ll go with the highest one, highest two, and drop the smaller ones. The paraphernalia is confiscated and destroyed,” Brewster said.

The consequence for possessing these items doesn’t stop there, though. The particular residence hall staff writes an incident report detailing the situation, which is later reviewed by a professional staff composed of hall coordinators and area managers such as Newman-Coronado.

“And then, based on the information on the report, most times we would refer that to the Office of the Dean of Students, and then they would look at it from an institutional rule violation kind-of standpoint,” Newman-Coronado said.

Penalties on students with paraphernalia possession are based on what the Dean of Students determines.

“Depending on the circumstances, for drug kinds of violations students can be considered for removal from the residence hall,” Newman-Coronado said. “So if a student were to be suspended of course they’re going to be removed from the residence hall. But in cases where they may not be suspended, that could still be a part of the consequence or the outcome.”

The DHFS Residence Hall Manual, which is posted online, confirms the possibility of both outcomes. It states: “Any student in violation of the University’s regulations pertaining to drugs who is not suspended or expelled should expect, at minimum, to lose the privileges of living in and even entering the residence halls.”

Scenarios concerning repeated offenders aren’t nonexistent, but occur less frequently.

“You might have a group of students that hang out in a courtyard or in an area that there always seems to be the smell of marijuana as the RA goes by but they can’t prove it,” Brewster said. “And it’s really seasonal, because the UT population is transient; they come to school, they graduate, so they leave and it just fluctuates.”

Actions are still taken when such incidents occur.

“What we do is continue to call the police and make sure the Office of the Dean of Students gets that additional report so that they can add that to the totality of information they’re looking at to respond to the student,” Newman-Coronado said.

Whether caught or not, paraphernalia possession remains strongly discouraged.

“Follow the laws, don’t bring it on campus, and be responsible. That’s basically it,” Brewster said.

Journalism Alumni Advise Aspiring Journalists

Four University of Texas School of Journalism graduates conversed with current students on Thursday, January 17. The alumni- Jazmine Ulloa, David Muto, Jackie Vega, and Suzanne Haberman- shared insight on their college experience, career moves, and opportunity-building.

Jackie Vega, a 2008 graduate and digital reporter and content producer at KXAN- Austin, formerly interned at the television station before working there full-time. She explained to the students the significance of acquiring the right internship.

“You want to do an internship somewhere so you can get a real life, hands-on, in-the-market industry experience,” Vega said. “If you’ve got an internship, if you’ve got the tenacity...the energy…the motivation, the drive and the determination to get your foot in the door…then you can get a job.”

Vega also advised the interaction with others working in the journalism field.

“At least have a conversation with somebody who can pull strings or somebody who is making the decisions,” she said.

Less drawn to reporting, Muto worked at The Daily Texan at the copy desk for two years and interned at The Texas Tribune prior to graduating in May 2010. He attributes his internship and eventual hire as the Tribune’s copy editor and editorial assistant to networking.

“One of the reasons I actually got the Tribune internship was because I knew people who were interning [there] after it launched and they just referred my name to the editor,

Evan Smith, and he got in contact with me,” Muto said. “I probably would not have sought that out had that not happened, so yeah, I think internships are great.”

  Muto indicated the uncertainty of post-internship job availability to the students, but noted ideal qualities in case such a transition should occur.

“I think some things to keep in mind are that you want to be assertive, you want to stand out definitely, but I also think that if you want to make yourself indispensable, you need to do so quietly,” Muto said.

Following her internship at the Austin-American Statesman, Jazmine Ulloa remained in close contact with those who worked there, and now works as their courts reporter. Ulloa stressed the value of colleague interaction to the student audience.

“Don’t burn bridges because it can come back later,” Ulloa said. “There wasn’t a job  when I graduated [in 2009], but I came back to it and it was because I made friends with editors there…they were the ones letting me know that jobs were out there before they were even posted.”

Texas Co-Op Power magazine writer and 2008 graduate Suzanne Haberman worked as a freelance writer during her college years.

“I worked all through college so I didn’t have time for a regular internship…so I sought out freelance-writing opportunities at different publications around Austin [including Orange] and wrote articles as often as I could,” Haberman said. “So those developed more skills than networking, I think, but those became just as reliable as knowing someone.”

Haberman recommended that students considering freelance-writing aim for depth in stories fit for respective publications.

“The first thing to do really is to delve in and try to understand the magazine or newspaper or whatever venue it is, that way you’re suggesting a story that is along the lines of what they would of actually published. And go from there,” she said.

Along with work experience, the panel discussed intuition about staying in journalism to the audience.

“It’s normal to feel like you can’t do it, and it’s normal to think that you’re questioning, or thinking about this career twice,” Vega said. “Don’t let that be the determination but also, do pay attention to that feeling.”

Kayla McDaniel, a recent UT School of Journalism graduate, decided to take her journalism degree and go into law school, and is currently working in the Office of the Governor.

“Though I started out set on being a broadcast reporter, I found myself more and more attracted to the legal field,” McDaniel said. “When I’d cover something at the Capitol, I was so interested in telling stories about policy makers and legal processes…I [then] decided I wanted to be on the other side-creating the policies and fighting for my cause.”

Journalism senior Ashley Meleen agrees with Vega on continuing journalistic engagement.

“If you feel like something isn’t right for you, you shouldn’t feel like you have to continue,” Meleen said. “If you’re not passionate about something, the difficult times are going to be even more difficult and you’re not going to enjoy it.”

Meleen admits altering some aspects to her journalistic plans, focusing on multimedia instead of news reporting in college, and doesn’t regret those decisions.

“It’s allowed me to try different things and find aspects that I really enjoy,” she said, “and I think finding something you love is the ultimate goal.”

Call Me Carilloneur: A Profile of Austin Ferguson

A profile of Austin Ferguson, Student Director of the Guild of Student Carilloneurs. Video by Olivia Suarez and Rebecca Salazar.