Renaissance woman

Before I just got in my car and moved to Austin, I did some research on various magazine publications based in the city. Texas Monthly and Austin Monthly are the two biggest, and I sent my resume hoping to miraculously land some type of job at one of those publications. But, reality set in, and neither could use my services. I was determined to have some link to journalism ready for me when I arrived, and so, I sent my resume and clips to every mom-and-pop magazine I could find on the Internet.

The editor of a local sports magazine was kind enough to give me a call and offer me some freelancing opportunities. It turned out to be an awesome gig for me when I first moved to town. Not only was my editor a great sounding board for me to complain to about missing home, but he gave me the opportunity to write about topics that interested me, and I was able to use my former-athlete status and experiences to write creatively for the magazine's audience.

Through the publication, I scored tickets to my very first Longhorns football game and got to write about my experience for print. I need to figure out how to attach the PDFs of my stories in this post.

Along with my writing gig, I crossed off something that was on my Bucket List since I was 12: working as a Starbucks barista. I don't know if it was my love of coffee or the fact that I spent nearly every night studying at the Starbucks across the street from my college apartment, but I knew I wanted to wear that green apron at one point in my life. Moving to a new city and not knowing a soul presented the perfect opportunity to memorize numerous blends of coffee and mixtures of beverages.

In addition to these forms of employment, I got hired on at a nonprofit to work with high school and middle school girls. This proved to be one of the biggest challenges I ever faced because of my lack of real world experience with tween and teen girls. I realized Pullman and my sheltered upbringing didn't really prepare me for inner city experiences. I learned an extraordinary amount about myself and life in general at this job.

I met a girl at the nonprofit who suggested I offer my tutoring and mentoring services at the University of Texas Athletic Department. So, I did, and I loved it. I worked with a group of girls on the swim team and various other athletes. I got to share my knowledge of writing, journalism and the various experiences and demands of life as a student-athlete. It was perfect.

Inevitably, I met a UT employee who suggested I peruse the UT online job board, and that's how I found my first "big girl" job at the news. I'm sure that's what you'll be hearing about for many posts to come.

All work and no play is not something I condone, so I make it a priority to catch as many concerts and free shows as possible.


(Like this one: Jason Boland at Hill's Cafe in South Austin. Pure magic!)