Freelance journalism

I’m a whole-hearted believer in original and enterprise reporting. As a self-professed ideas machine, a story that speaks to my heart must be pursued to its end. When pitching stories, I find the most pleasure in exploring untapped angles and making unexpected patterns. Please take a look at some of the stories I’ve freelanced for a number of outlets. 

How Chicago’s tea community is stirring up the way we connect — The Chicago Tribune

Published on May 21, 2024

It’s so fascinating the way stories beget stories. What started off as just a profile of one tea shop owner led into a fascinating rabbit hole, where I learned so much about how the timeless drink could form modern-day connections. Eventually, I decided to make my first enterprise pitch to the Chicago Tribune, where it became the online piece attached
and a full print in the newspaper!

Political bobbleheads get the nod of approval from visitors to the RNC — The Wisconsin State Journal

Published on July 19, 2024

While I was reporting at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on a class trip, I discovered that Milwaukee was home to the largest bobblehead museum in the world! A gut instinct knew they housed political bobbleheads, and I thought it’d be a creative and fun idea to explore how popular the sales of those figures were in connection
to their real-life counterparts. The State Journal found this business story fun, and it became both a Top Story and an Editor’s Pick.

Law enforcement came from all over the country for the RNC and stayed in college dorms — The Wisconsin State Journal

Published on July 18, 2024

Before the convention, I learned that thousands of police officers were going to be staying in colleges across Wisconsin. My research showed that students from CWRU didn’t like this during the 2016 RNC, so I wanted to investigate this year’s response. It involved a lot of communication with school and city officials beforehand, and during the actual convention, I had conversations with several officers and students on the spot.

Henry Fuhrmann Profile — AAJA.org

Published on July 2022

In honor of AAJA’s 40th anniversary, I wrote a profile about journalist Henry Fuhrmann for the AAJA Oral History Project as a J-Camp 2021 member. As a member of the association for nearly 33 years, Fuhrmann credits its network for the many connections and memories he has built. He also spearheaded the charge for the removal of the hyphen between ‘Asian Americans’ for the AP Stylebook.