American Way of Life Magazine
AWOL is an investigative magazine at American University. We focus on long-form, slow news and issues that are often not represented in news media. I started at AWOL my second semester at AU, where I was a staff writer. In my first semester, I wrote three stories.
I started by covering period products, which are now free on campus. This was my first time reporting, and I was thrilled to be in the field. My next story, Facing femicide, taught me the most, where I got to work with another writer. I learned structure and organization, both in how I research and write. My last story that semester was about meal plans, which got me into explanatory journalism.
I entered my sophomore year as a staff editor, taking on the role of editing 6-7 stories a semester. I wrote my first story for the magazine: Admissions on trial. I got used to stricter deadlines, word counts and multitasking in my work. Most recently, I wrote Chasing history, which has been my biggest story to date. Through this, I was able to explore how housing, race and class intersect in a local Washington, D.C. neighborhood.
Editing, I've worked with my writers, often educating non-journalists in how to report, write and think a journalist. I've worked hands-on with budgets, data and lawsuits. I've edited health, community and data stories. In our Fall 2023 magazine, I edited or wrote every story featured on the cover. Find my edited stories here.
This organization has given me an outlet for my reporting and a fantastic community to stimulate my curiosity and love for my work.
I started by covering period products, which are now free on campus. This was my first time reporting, and I was thrilled to be in the field. My next story, Facing femicide, taught me the most, where I got to work with another writer. I learned structure and organization, both in how I research and write. My last story that semester was about meal plans, which got me into explanatory journalism.
I entered my sophomore year as a staff editor, taking on the role of editing 6-7 stories a semester. I wrote my first story for the magazine: Admissions on trial. I got used to stricter deadlines, word counts and multitasking in my work. Most recently, I wrote Chasing history, which has been my biggest story to date. Through this, I was able to explore how housing, race and class intersect in a local Washington, D.C. neighborhood.
Editing, I've worked with my writers, often educating non-journalists in how to report, write and think a journalist. I've worked hands-on with budgets, data and lawsuits. I've edited health, community and data stories. In our Fall 2023 magazine, I edited or wrote every story featured on the cover. Find my edited stories here.
This organization has given me an outlet for my reporting and a fantastic community to stimulate my curiosity and love for my work.