Covering critical stories across multimedia, creating global connections.

I am a graduate of the University of Iowa School of Journalism and Mass Communication with a minor in International Studies, currently serving as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in Taiwan.

Reach the World •

Taiwan's Monkey Business

Many of Taiwan’s famous animals are famous for their elusiveness. Most wild creatures, like formosan black bears, wild boars, clouded leopards and pangolins, live deep in the mountains. Not only because of the lush greenery there, but also because only a handful of indigenous villages sit that far away. Most of these creatures prefer to stay away from humans. But one glaring exception comes in the form of the Formosan rock macaques of Kaohsiung’s Shoushan Mountain [g - ow - shung show - shan]. F...
Reach the World •

Exploring Taiwan's Night Markets

Night markets are a huge part of Taiwanese culture. They can be found all over the country -- some are very large and crowded, with lots of tourist customers, while others are quite small and mainly attract visitors from just their local community. During my time in Taiwan, I have visited over a dozen night markets, big and small. At each of these night markets, you're sure to find some iconic Taiwanese meals and snacks, most from local cooks and farmers. Though local specialties may vary betwee...
Little Village •

The First Lady born in Boone, Iowa

A quaint yellow house in Boone, Iowa — a community of just over 12,000 — appears relatively unassuming from the outside. But on Nov. 14, 1896, one of the most influential women of the 1950s was born inside. Mary Geneva Doud would go on to become Mamie Eisenhower, the wife of the 34th U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower. 
Mamie was born the second of four daughters to John and Elivera Doud. Her early years were spent in Cedar Rapids, where her family moved when she was 9 months old. The Douds lef...
Little Village •

Touchscreens and touching grass go hand in hand for the City Nature Challenge, a crowdsourced survey of local wildlife

What do you see when you walk out your door? This isn’t a mindfulness exercise; scientists want to know.Johnson County residents will join folks in more than 600 cities and counties in the worldwide City Nature Challenge this April. It will be the community’s third time participating as one of only two Iowa counties — Polk and Johnson — in the challenge.The City Nature Challenge began in 2016 as a competition between San Francisco and Los Angeles, and has since blossomed into a global event cove...
CIMBA Italy •

Why I’m So Happy to be Taking Italy Live - and Why I Think Everyone Else Should Be Too

Coming into a summer session at CIMBA out of a very busy semester, I didn’t have as much time as I would have liked to delve into the culture and the language that I would be experiencing in Italy. Fortunately for me, when I sent in my list of preferred classes, I put down Italy Live. And I am so, so glad that I did. Even barely a week in, I feel that I’m among the luckiest on campus to be a part of this class- here are my top 5 reasons why:‍Italian is not as commonly taught and learned in the U....
Little Village •

Iowa's abortion law is dangerously vague, Iowa health providers, advocates and Democrats warn

University of Iowa student Aubrey Stark remembers coming home from elementary school to see her usually lively pregnant mother, Mandy Stark, ill and bedridden.“She was in so much pain,” Stark said. “[Her condition] was not safe for her at all.”
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