Personal Statement

For most of my life, I made up worlds in my head. I wrote stories about them, captivated by the magic and make-believe, until graduation pulled me into one with bills to pay, degrees to earn and inequalities to contend with. A journalism major was my gateway into writing again – I covered how my college dining hall stayed sustainable during a pandemic, how sudden increases in utility bills disproportionately affect low-income residents and why the highest at-risk population in my county neighbors the wealthiest university. As the impact of my words grew, so did my desire to do more with them. Working for the Drake Community Press tied my talent for science journalism to my desire for social change. Nitrate levels and flood ratings have faces and names tied to them, and through my stories, I’m asking Iowans to acknowledge that water quality isn’t just environmental – it’s inequitable.