Favorite story written this semester: I hope this doesn’t have to be my own because my favorite story this year was the one Paolo Cisneros wrote about the cow chase. Just imagine a cow running down Second Street being chased by a bunch of guys in a truck with a lasso!

Best interview I did:

Probably the moms I talked to for the alumni moms story in the Mom’s Weekend Supplement. I always love talking to alumni and comparing experiences at the University, and the moms were all so cute and excited about being quoted for the paper.

The priceless quote that will hang on my wall:

“They’ve grown up with orange blood,” Marj Freese in the alumni moms story about her sons growing up with the University. It was the perfect thing for my story.

The story I was most passionate about:

The Cathy Acevedo profile piece. I was really nervous about doing this one because she was so loved by so many people at the University, and I wanted to portray her accurately and not upset anyone. I wanted people who knew her to enjoy the story as a tribute to Cathy.

Moment that I loved my job:

Any time my story ran on the front page, and every time I left the newsroom after an edit. Such a feeling of relief knowing that I got a little bit of a break, at least until the next story came up.

Moment that I hated my job:

Honestly, I don’t think I ever hated it, but it would stress me out when I was covering a story that I didn’t really care about and had tons of school work to do at the same time.

I would love to investigate this person’s life further:

Kellie Stevens, a senior swimmer and the roommate of Mallory Craft, who I profiled for the Graduation Guide.

They were both really sweet and I talked to Stevens to get information on Craft, but felt really bad that I didn’t interview her as well.

If I could do one story over again:

The Day of Silence rally. I wish the story had some opposition and I should have contacted some student groups that might have opposed it. I guess I should have thought that there would be opposition at the Day of Silence rally.

What I’m looking forward to covering in the fall:

I’m really excited about incorporating more art and graphics into stories; that sounds like a lot of fun. I’m also starting to get really excited about covering the election.

I work here because:

I worked on my high school’s yearbook for three years and when I came to college, I realized that I really missed being in a newsroom, working on deadline and being stressed out.

Working at The Daily Illini has taken the place of the yearbook.

The hardest story to write:

The Cathy Acevedo work I did. The writing wasn’t hard, but the interviews were.

I had to constantly remind myself to be respectful and sensitive, and to choose my words carefully.