‘I validate your pain’: A new suicide prevention program on Cape Cod is rethinking mental health care
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During Summer 2019, it was absolutely thrilling to serve as a metro reporting intern at The Boston Globe, where I was quickly immersed into major stories spanning Boston and surrounding New England communities. I specialized in health-related topics, building upon my passion for destigmatizing mental wellness. Many of my stories — some of which I had the opportunity to pitch myself — were published on the front page of the metro section, and several times, the front page of The Globe. Oftentimes, I closely collaborated with veteran journalists to bolster their reporting, which allowed me to strengthen my writing and sourcing techniques.
In the story to the left, I explored an innovative program on Cape Cod, known as A Caring Connection, that's designed to curb alarmingly high suicide rates in Massachusetts. After pitching the initial idea to my editor, I spent weeks building trust with the program's director, who later connected me with volunteers and suicide-attempt survivors. Given a rare, delicate lens into recovery and hope, I managed to preserve the program's confidentiality while telling the poignantly personal tales of those involved. |
Amid turmoil at Hampshire College, just 15 take the leap to join freshman class
Boston Globe readers were eager to read more about this flailing liberal arts college, where loss of accreditation — not to mention, threats of bankruptcy and a dwindling student population — loomed over the start of the fall semester. Advancing the narrative, I pitched this story to highlight the risk-taking freshmen who nevertheless stayed faithful to their dream school. |
Nigerian community mourns loss of cab driver shot in Boston
Aside from deadline pressure, this story was incredibly difficult to write, as I had to approach mourners as they waited outside of a church — inquiring if they personally knew Luckinson Oruma and were willing to share details about this beloved family man. Ushered out of the church before the wake even began, I wove together anecdotes I'd collected from close friends to successfully complete this grueling assignment. |
A bumper crop of discord over popular Plymouth farm
In a perplexing squabble of town, county and state government officials — without any clear winners or losers — I chronicled the dispute over Plymouth's county farm by focusing on the individuals, including young children and families, facing the brunt of the eventual outcome. By visiting the farm, rather than only talking to sources by phone, I gained richer details and sources that are incorporated throughout this piece.
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