Back from the Break!

A girl scootering around the Washington Memorial in March.

After a brief hiatus to finish up the winter quarter and do some spring break traveling on the East Coast, I'm back to blogging!

Last quarter I took News Reporting, my first ever journalism course, as a start to learning "the tricks of the journalism trade." That class was an enormously enjoyable and eye-opening experience. Three of my articles were published in The Commuter, hopefully enlightening readers to programs and events that they weren't aware of before. My article on the LBCC Student Organic Farm, in particular, made a tangible impact in that it contributed to the formation of a student Gardening Club that is now using parts of the farm again.

So this quarter I'm taking Feature Writing to continue my journalism journey. I have several goals for this quarter:

• I want to learn what it takes to write a good feature article, especially how to use words and images to evoke thoughts and emotions rather than simply inform.
• I plan to further improve my skills as an interviewer. I've come a long way from being hesitant to even talk to strangers at an event, but I would love to be able to better guide future conversations to find those amazing insights that we can all benefit from.
• I hope to develop work habits that will allow me to be a more productive and adept writer.
• Finally, I want to keep honing my photojournalism abilities and find ways to merge photojournalism with feature writing that increases the impact of both.

For me, the quarter is jam packed with all sorts of events and activities, both related and unrelated to journalism, so once again wish me luck! May the spring bring to you and yours a profusion of new growth and goodness as well.

-Hathai