Life of a Journalist: Top 5

As first published in the September 14th edition of The Western Carolinian...

For this issue's column, I thought I would share some insights, memories and all around fun with a Top 5 list of the greatest stories I have worked on as a journalist for this paper. I have covered it all from the "Before They Were Educators" series to serious coverage of scandals and issues plaguing Jackson County. Here are just five of my favorites.

1. SGA Illegal Voting
In the spring of 2011, I learned from a staff writer that the Student Government Association President and Vice President results for the election were delayed because of illegal voting. Fifteen votes during that election were deemed illegal. I was permitted to attend the investigative committee and write an article on the investigation and election, which determined TJ Eaves was President and Alecia Page Vice President. What I did not expect was runner-up Doug Bridges calling me on my cell phone late one night for an in-depth interview about his side of the story. Due to some finagling by former Editor-in-Chief and current Journalism Adviser Justin Caudell, we delayed printing long enough to get both stories in the next issue. The article took many late nights and long hours, but at the 2012 N.C. College Media Association Conference, Caudell and I received an Honorable Mention award for the story.

2. Food Shortage in Jackson County
This was a very moving story that involved many people, who I cannot thank enough for their assistance and dedication to their work. Amy Grimes at The Community Table in Sylva helped in pulling their records and giving me numbers of statistics from their organization. Also, Alison Hixson and Leigh Puttus at MANNA FoodBank in Asheville assisted extensively in making sure I had all the factual information I needed by emailing me various links and research. That article became the longest piece I had ever written and one that I am the proudest of.

3. "A Chorus Line" preview
Since my introduction to "CATS," I have been obsessed with Broadway musicals. For that reason, I began at The Western Carolinian as an Arts and Entertainment writer. One of my first stories was interviewing Charlotte D'Amboise, who directed Western Carolina's production of "A Chorus Line." D'Amboise made me feel right at home with her even though I was extremely nervous as we settled  into a small table at Starbucks in the Courtyard Dining Hall. Enthusiastic about the show, she gave me a great interview. After we wrapped up and I was back at Walker Hall working on the article, I realized that D'Amboise had worked with my all-time favorite Broadway actor Michael Gruber! I still smile remembering my dropped jaw as I put the pieces together. Think of all the interview questions I would have asked if I had known that before the meeting!

D'Amboise and Gruber

4. The Freshman Fifteen, Pound 9
It is not often that I get the chance to be funny to in my writing. My big comedy break came through my editorial column that I wrote as a freshman known as "The Freshman Fifteen." The craziest thing about that column was that there was a banner created to go with it (as seen below), and it was printed in the paper nearly every time. However, the banner only read "The Freshman" with a fork and knife framing the words that sat on a plate. No one ever fixed it, and I don't know if anyone ever said anything about it. It was always just plain funny to me! In "Pound 9," I wrote about what two weeks of my life were like suffering from bronchitis while having to attend classes and walk to the Courtyard Dining Hall for nourishment.It was the most miserable two weeks of my life. I renamed my laptop Kayne West because of its attitude, discovered a website of jigsaw puzzles and became addicted to Pixy Stix. It was a heck of a two weeks, documented for all of WCU to read.

5. The "Rodgers and Hammerstein Gala"
In January 2010, I attend the "Rodgers and Hammerstein Gala" at the former Fine and Performing Arts Center, otherwise known as FPAC. The performance, beautiful and entertaining, was not what made the event stand out. No, it was actor and musical theater student Jonathan Cobrda. During the first number, Cobrda purposefully fell from the stage nearly into the lap of an elderly woman in the front row. It was not until the house lights came back on during intermission that everyone saw the large pool of blood surrounding the woman. Cobrda had accidentally bumped into the woman's ankle and reopened her stitches from a previous injury. Completely unaware, she sat in the dark bleeding until intermission. EMTs arrived and carried her out on a stretcher as the small audience watched on with open mouths. Cobrda continued his performance in the second act without a hitch. Over a year later, I met Cobrda in a Ballroom Dance class. He introduced himself, and I smiled.
"I know who you are," I replied. "You're the one who made that poor woman bleed when you fell off the stage."
The look on his face was priceless, and he laughed. We have been good friends ever since! 

Jonathan and I after a Ballroom recital

Food Shortages Cause Concern for Local Food Banks

I worked extremely hard on this article. It meant everything to me to convey this serious issue in the correct way, and I hope I did that. I like to think so since MANNA FoodBank shared the link on their Facebook Wall!

"Food shortages cause concern for local food banks" as originally published in The Western Carolinian.

"Imagine not knowing where your next meal will come from. You may live in a civilized town or go to Western Carolina University, but with school bills and housing you cannot afford to purchase a healthy, well-balanced meal three times a day.

The food insecurity rate of Jackson County.

For Jackson County, this is true for a number of citizens every day.
According to MANNA FoodBank, who provides food to non-profit agencies in 16 western North Carolina counties, 15.8 percent of Jackson County’s population falls under the food insecurity rate. That is 6,180 people who go hungry, and many of those are children.
Due to the economic and job crises, MANNA FoodBank and The Community Table in Sylva have seen a rise in numbers of how many people need food.
Alison Hixson, director of communications and marketing at MANNA, said that last year 25,196 pounds of food were given to The Community Table, which is a 9 percent increase compared to the year previous. Through the whole of Jackson County, Hixson said there was a 15 percent increase from the previous year of distributed food.
Amy Grimes, executive director of The Community Table, agreed that numbers have risen. Last year, The Community Table served 16,741 meals and provided 2,008 food boxes.
“We are certainly busier, especially in the wake of higher fuel and food costs,” said Grimes. “We continue to see new faces each week, folks needing help with the most basic need, nutritious food, so that they can also afford other necessities of medical care, rent, utilities, etc. Many folks have transportation issues, too. Especially in our rural area this can be a big problem.”

While some say that Jackson County is undergoing a food shortage, Grimes remarked that is not the case but said it falls on other problems.
“Technically, there is no shortage of food in our county, or anywhere in the world,” said Grimes. “The problem is distribution and lack of resources. The economic crisis has sharpened the divide though.
“In 2009, our numbers began to increase dramatically, and they only continue to rise,” Grimes continued. “We doubled the amount of food we provided in one year’s time. That was only possible with community support, for instance Wal-Mart began donating excess items to The Community Table. Without their weekly donations, we simply could not keep up with the need that is out there.”
Grimes added that usually The Community Table sees a slower flow of people during the summer. However, last summer that did not occur for the first time, and Grimes and the staff believe it will not happen again this summer.
Children are the ones who suffer the most as they cannot get the nutrition they need for healthy physical and mental development. The child food insecurity is 26.2 percent, according to the 2012 Map the Meal Gap."

Read the rest of the story HERE at The WC's official website.