The Writer's Desk

I recently received my Masters degree in journalism and mass communication from Point Park University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I have a B.A. in English (with a concentration in drama and film studies) from Clarion University of Pennsylvania as well as an A.S. in Theatre Arts from the Community College of Allegheny County.

I have been published in Allegheny West Magazine, M.D. News, Pittsburgh Magazine,  and Associated Content, as well as student newspapers at all three of my colleges (apparently I am a professional student too!).

I love live theater. I have performed and worked behind the scenes of a variety of stage shows at the Community College of Allegheny County, including The Crucible, You Can't Take it With You, and Spoon River Anthology. 

I'm an avid reader and enjoy everything, from chick lit to suspense, although my favorite genre is young adult lit. While I don't have a favorite author, I am quite fond of J.K. Rowling, Scott Westerfeld,  Ted Dekker and classic authors such as L.M. Montgomery and Lousia May Alcott.

I also love to read about what's going on in the world. I believe it's important to look beyond ourselves and our own problems and become aware of what's happening elsewhere.

I'm also a bit obsessed with the social networking world, especially Facebook and Twitter. I think it's fascinating to see how businesses now use social networking as a way to reach out to their existing customers and bring in new ones.And no longer do you have to read the news online at their Web site - now you just join the newspaper of your choice on Twitter and get daily news updates that way. It's really quite interesting.

My favorite line from the television show Heroes is, "Do you ever get the feeling that you were meant to do something extraordinary?"

In one word....yes. And I can't wait to find out what that is.

Point Park is famous for its Conservatory of Performing Arts, which attracts students from around the United States. Many of its actors and dancers have gone on to work in the ballet, opera, local theater and Broadway. One former dance student, Neil Haskell, made it to the top four on the Fox reality show, So You Think You Can Dance?

But what many may not be aware of is that the university also has one of the most extensive journalism departments in the country.

The Point Park journalism department is currently home to the quarterly Journalism & Mass Communication Educator, one of the two major, international, scholarly journals published by the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. Its editor is Dane S. Claussen, who is also director of the department's graduate program.

The department is also one of only a few journalism programs in the United States with a journalism student-staffed news service.

Finally, Point Park is home to the Innocence Institute, which was founded by Bill Moushey. The Institute investigates individuals who claim to have been wrongfully convicted  As of mid-2007, it was one of only two journalism-oriented innocence institutes in the United States (the other is at Northwestern University); all of the others are affiliated with law schools. Moushey was the Finalist for the 1997 Pulitzer Prize in National Reporting.  

More about the Institute and the cases that have been overturned thanks to the hard work of Moushey and Point Park journalism students, can be found here.

Whether you're interested in print, broadcast, the web, investigative reporting, or photojournalism, Point Park University has something for everyone, whether graduate or undergraduate.