In the summer of 2022, I was able to participate in a 5-week news writing course taking place in South Africa through Saint Joseph's University. While the trip left in 2022, I had been enrolled in the program since 2019; Covid-19 had impacted travel globally causing the course to be delayed. I knew this trip would provide me with both professional experience as well as a once-in-a-lifetime travel opportunity, so I held onto hope until we got the go-ahead a month after I walked in graduation.

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With this course now being a sort of capstone for my undergraduate education, I wanted to blend my passions of education and communications to create work that would reflect my dedication to theee fields. The course was centered around news writing, so I addressed my interest communications studies by interviewing sources and photographing a variety of subjects. As for education, I decided to write most of these news articles surrounding educational topics including special education

public schools and how schools overcame technological roadblocks during the pandemic. Additionally, I conducted research on the strategies used within the US and South Africa to support autistic students.