Interesting sites to check out
News Addendum
Newszine
Reporting & Writing for Online Media
Prints the chaff
Scott Rosenberg's Links & Comments
Copy Massage
Tequila mockingbird
Earth to Michelle
Shahkspeare and Co.
World Watch
Alligator
The Word Spy
Salon Magazine

About me

Spanish is my first language, and it took me forever to speak because I thought I had to translate every word from Spanish to English. In elementary school, I was a member of student council. We were responsible for producing the morning announcements. My favorite positions were announcer and camera person.

In high school, I became involved with the newspaper by accident. I had requested a Spanish class when I was scheduled for journalism instead. Within a few days I was photo editor of the Third Century, mainly because I was the only person with their own camera. I covered every pep rally, sporting event and social function. I was also active in service clubs and honor societies as well as a class officer (My newspaper adviser never told us about conflict of interest.). I graduated from American High School in 1999.

I love coming from such a diverse city like Miami. The mix of people, languages and dialects, and the amazing food is something I can't stray from for too long. But being in Gainesville has also opened my eyes to a different kind of Florida, if not America, that Miami doesn't offer.

College life was a change of pace for me. I lived on campus for two years and then moved into an apartment with friends. I started paying bills, very limitedly, and I became more and more independent. My first job ever was for the Independent Florida Alligator, where I started as a copy editor. I worked there for three years, and now I am focusing on graduating.

Career Goals

I will never forget how content I was as a copy editor for the Alligator. Even as I moved up in the ranks I was never as happy as when I could take a story and make it better. It takes talent and skill to write an article, but it takes just as much, if not more, to present a final product that is seamless. From having to know judgment has no “e” in it to being able to name the seven dwarfs (by the way, yes I can name them all), copy editing presents the constant challenge of having to grasp the gamut of topics. Copy editors are some of the most colorful people I know because of the wealth of knowledge they contain.

I would like to be colorful too. I enjoy the editing process, making sure facts are correct and commas are in the right place. I like coming up with headlines and designing pages. Recently I have become involved and excited about new media. Creating websites and producing stories has introduced me to a new world of journalism and to different ways of presenting information. I am not perfect at it yet, I may never be, but I am enthusiastic. If anything, my eagerness to learn and do well motivates me to be a quality contributor and my obsessive behavior ensures I give nothing but my best.