Week 1: not bad.

During the final days of Week 1 of reporting, I was able to crank out a preview for Igala Day(article linked). I'm excited to cover the actual event today, because I think that this relates to more of what I want to do in the future. I am able to explore another culture and not only textually explain it but also visually. 

I'm going to be working on my first video of the summer. It's kind of scary for me because I haven't really done a video for the Missourian yet. I also think this is a great time for me to work on videos because I have so much time to work on it. In reality, there's not that much I can lose. If I get the article gone, but the video falls through, I still have a story with photos. That video is just an addition to the story, but if it comes out good, it'll really compliment the story well. My source, Chris Adejo, was really nice and answered all of my questions. He is really glad that I'm covering it, so I'm glad that it will be a welcoming experience. 

Growing up in the eastern suburbs of LA, I was never really exposed to discrimination. I knew what racism was, but I never necessarily felt it directly. My neighborhood, schools, and work all had such diverse people, I never felt like I would ever have to face racism. When I moved to Boston to go to school at Emerson College, it was just... different. After moving to Columbia, I think that I have gravitated more towards showing that diversity is what makes a community strong. Helping our neighbors no matter where they came from or what they look like. I think that's why I really wanted to cover Igala day. Also because I know the food is going to be amazing and the music is going to make me want to dance. 

Also, I was able to write the preview with a better idea of how to even start writing it after the lecture on framing. It was easier to grasp the concept of framing after Scott Swafford broke it down in class, and it gave me less anxiety about writing the article. Since I framed the story about Igala day being an opportunity to pass down Igala culture to American-born children, I hope to continue to frame it in that way at the actual event with text and a short video. Update on how that goes will come soon!