About me
I'm the data/graphics editor at Politico, where I manage a team of data and visual journalists who cover political news.
What Else I Do
I'm an adjunct lecture at the American University School of Communications the Washington program for Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.
Since moving to Washington in 2014, I've been an active member at the National Press Club. I have served as the vice chair of the Young Members Team there and helped produce the politicians vs. press NPC Spelling Bee each year since I joined. I also mentored interns with fellow committee members at the D.C. street newspaper Street Sense.
In my spare time you can find me training our rescue dog Bandit, playing football on the National Mall, catching up on Netflix shows everyone else saw five years ago or at the National Press Club for Taco Fridays.
Things I Used to Do
- CQ Roll Call data reporter, 2015-18
- National Press Foundation Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship, 2016-17
- Scripps Howard Foundation Wire multimedia fellow, 2014-15
- Washington Center for Politics and Journalism Semester in Washington, 2014
- Mustang News managing editor for news at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, 2013-14
- USA Today collegiate correspondent and intern, 2013
- Redwood Middle School yearbook staff photographer (where it all started), 2005-06
Bio
I'm the data/graphics editor at Politico, where I manage a team of data and visual journalists who cover political news. I was previously a data editor at NPR, where I reported, wrote and produced data presentations for NPR.org and the radio. Before that, I was a data reporter at CQ Roll Call and the multimedia fellow at the Scripps Howard Foundation Wire in Washington, D.C. I am a graduate of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. In addition to CQ and Roll Call, my work has been published by USA TODAY, Bloomberg, dozens of Scripps News properties and NPR member stations, and other news outlets across the country.
My first experience covering national news came in January 2013, when I was hired as a collegiate correspondent for USA TODAY. I covered the intersection of millennials and current events, from politics to media to country music.
My experience covering higher education stemmed from my first two years as a reporter for the Mustang Daily, the student newspaper at Cal Poly. There, I focused on government and administrative issues in the CSU system. My award-winning story on a freshman that was hospitalized the night after receiving an invitation to join the Alpha Phi sorority led to policy changes in Cal Poly’s sorority pledging process. Other accountability reporting led to changes at my university on issues such as sexual assault and student campaign regulations.
After writing as a correspondent for USA TODAY, Gannett asked me to intern at its headquarters in McLean, Va. In addition to contributing more reporting to USA TODAY College, I began to learn how to code and use data in my reporting.
During my time internship, I also began planning for a new student media convergence at Cal Poly, which would later be dubbed Mustang News. Students emphasizing in print, digital and broadcast came together to drop Mustang Daily’s print-first mentality and create a digital-first news operation. As the managing editor for news, I led the news coverage and served on our leadership team.
Also at Mustang News, I started a training program for first-year students interested in journalism. Named The Day After, I provided weekly feedback to freshmen writing follow-up stories to supplement the editorial content published in Mustang News.
I graduated cum laude in June 2014 with a major in news-editorial journalism and a minor in statistics. Faculty chose me for the Outstanding Senior award in the Cal Poly journalism department, as well as for other annual scholarships and awards.
