I was born at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, but when I was 3, my family moved from Lawrence to southwest Kansas. I grew up in Liberal, and in 2000, I started at Knox College in Galesburg, Ill., where I earned a bachelor's degree in English in 2004.
The first person I ever interviewed was Darin Headrick, my middle school principal when I was in sixth grade. He’s now the superintendent of Greensburg schools leading a rebuilding effort amid the devastating 2007 tornado.
Aside from my West Middle School newspaper class, I picked up my interest in journalism as a summer intern reporter at the Southwest Daily Times in Liberal. My editors joked about their method to teach me fairness and objectivity. I covered the school board while my dad started serving his first term.
After I graduated from Knox, I worked for one year as a reporter in Liberal until I returned to Lawrence to attend journalism graduate school at Kansas University. That July of 2005, I also began working as a part-time reporter at the Journal-World.
In June 2007, I started work at The World Company full-time, and I have mostly worked as a general assignment reporter, meaning two things: I get to either cover whatever I want or whatever my editors tell me to for our Web site, the newspaper and 6News.
In my spare time, I follow KU sports teams, try to tackle my reading list, and watch way too much football. I refuse to give up on the Kansas City Chiefs.
You can also follow me on Twitter, where I try to provide updates on court proceedings, political speeches and news.
Recent Stories
New KU students under 22 will be required to take alcohol-education class
Freshmen, transfer students must complete online program
New Kansas University students will need to pass one extra course this semester on top of their regular load of classes.
Storm shortens festival
Severe weather weakens before reaching area
A severe storm moved into Lawrence Thursday night as expected, although it had weakened from earlier in the day in central Kansas. The storm did cause an early end to the opening day of the Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival at Clinton State Park. About 7:45 p.m. festival organizers along with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office began to warn festivalgoers to seek shelter where they could.
Music festival prep continues
The tie-dye shirts are showing up in bunches. Clinton State Park will soon be Douglas County's second-largest city. The fifth edition of the Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival returns to the park Thursday through Sunday. "You get to the point (after four years) where it all seeks that common flow and things tend to go pretty well - knock on wood," said Jerry Schecher, manager of the state park.
Wakarusa music festival considers venue change
Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival promoters are exploring their options. "We're investigating the opportunities of places to host the event is all, and we've done that annually, so there's really no news until after Thanksgiving probably," said Brett Mosiman, the founder of the festival, conducted the past three Junes at Clinton State Park.
Spencer to show off Spooner's prizes
Artifacts have been out of sight since anthropology museum's closing
Some of Kansas University's more than 10,000 collected ethnographic artifacts will begin showing up in an exhibit this summer at the Spencer Museum of Art.
When the music's over
Only 14 arrests made at four-day event; visitors say last year's police presence kept 'riff-raff' out
The thousands of mostly happy campers started taking down their tents Sunday evening in between hearing more from some of their favorite bands at the Wakarusa Music & Camping Festival.
School of Rock the Vote
Civics lesson teaches teens value of political issues
Dozens of Lawrence teenagers cast votes Wednesday and here's what they decided:
Gallery displays 50 years of photojournalist's career
A variety of Bill Snead's photographs from more than a half century of shooting are now on display at the Lawrence Arts Center.
Former KU football player, poet helps to make a play on words
Poetry slam provides opportunity to share verbal works of art
He towered over the 50 students and volunteers Thursday evening at the Van Go work site, 715 N.J.
TV series has Lawrence seeing stars
Must be that Midwestern hospitality. The city and state rolled out the red carpet for Hollywood on Saturday, welcoming a crew from the upcoming CBS show "Jericho" with hordes of media, elected officials and expansive crop art made just for them.
