Guide to Kate Beispel

Kate Beispel

Freshman, Journalism major

Westport, Connecticut

I constantly get asked why I came to the University of Texas after people hear that I'm from Connecticut. The answer is the same reason that draws most people to this school: the academics, the athletics, and the school spirit, and not to mention, the weather. No more northeast winters!

Here lies one of the many videos we watched during orientation. They constantly use the phrase "what starts here changes the world" and I'm looking forward to watching that happen.

Wynne, as in all I do is win. 

But literally, that's how you pronounce it.

Unlike a majority of the class, I'm not a journalism major. Currently, I don't have a major. I just switched out of electrical engineering, but I haven't decided where I want to go now. I'm not worried though.

So, why am I taking this class? Good question. For multiple reasons, journalism is my passion. Think about it. How fabulous is it that you get to tell stories every single day? Totes fab. 

Then there's the fact that information is powerful, and as a journalist you have the ability to share that information with the public which leads to a better society. Right? I mean, that's what they tell you anyways. Whether that's true or not, I love information and innovation, and I see both represented in this field. 

And lastly, journalism runs in my blood. 

Meet Larry.

Larry grew up in Mt. Vernon, Illinois, home of the Rams.

And now, meet Sue.  
Sue grew up in Freeport, Illinois, home of the Pretzels. Yes, the Pretzels. If you don't believe me just Google it.

They're pretty great. And by pretty great, I mean fabulous. These two started out as journalists, and can you believe it? They met at a newspaper! C'est vrai! 

Growing up in the Davis household consisted of plenty of visits from friends in the industry, and a lot of talk about the "good ol' days." The network with national reporters is truly impressive, but I didn't even think about being a journalist until high school. 


So I found journalism and high school and decided it was by far the greatest thing ever. I was hooked. Seek the truth. Follow the money. Investigate. Tell the stories of the world. It sounded too good to be true, and apparently it was, because my parents did not want me to join the family business. While, they both started out as journalists, Sue and Larry now have different jobs. Sue is the Executive Public Relations Director for Maryville University, and Larry works and an Editor for various projects that come his way.

It looked like journalism was out, but I still decided to take classes in it during college, and that's how I ended up here. And now that I'm not in engineering maybe I'll switch to just journalism. More than likely, I'll end up pursuing Computer Science and Journalism, because while I really like to write, I like to code too. 

I'm obsessed with technology, and love trying the latest gadgets. I'm sure a lot of you have seen this commercial. The Surface is what I use in between classes and when I'm on the go. Microsoft got it right with this one. 

When I'm not in Austin or in Houston with my friends from high school, I go back home. 16 hours by car. 2 hours by plane. Football isn't king in my city. Baseball and hockey rule the land. There's a pretty big monument where I live too. Most people have heard of it, but not everyone. When I went home for break temperatures were well below freezing. There were a few days we couldn't go outside because you could get frost bite in 30 minutes or less. Oh yeah, and that river, you know the one Samuel Clemens grew up around and wrote about in Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn? Yeah, it's right by there. If you haven't guessed it by now, I live in St. Louis. 

The Arch or the Gateway to the West. 

The Cardinals are my life during the summer and the Blues during the winter. Speaking of the Blues, we have 10 players representing six countries in the Sochi Olympics. #LONGLIVETHENOTE

That's life for now, but I don't expect it to stay that way forever. Change is great and after college, I want to live in Chicago, write a book, continue my graphic design work, photography, and travel the world. 

Oh and one last thing. I LOVE social media. 

Twitter

Facebook

Instagram

Fun Facts of Kindell Johnston

Guten Tag! Here are some fun facts about myself, Kindell Lynn Johnston.

My name is spelled different from other Kindells/Kendalls out there because part of my name is after a family member. As you can imagine, Starbucks has a hard time figuring this one out. I am from that typical conservative small town you see in movies. I'm one of the few survivors who got out, thank the Lord! I came to ATX to see the completely other end of the spectrum of what I've always seen and known, and let me tell you, there are SO many adventures to be had out here.  I am a journalism major (shocker) who wants to focus or specialize in photojournalism and get a sports journalism certificate. I am not you typical everyday average 20 year old girl. I love going out on adventures with my friends and taking a gazillion pictures and videos of everything going on. I love being outside enjoying what God made for us. A couple passions of mine include playing sports, working out, taking pictures, going on adventures. Honestly, I'm not exactly sure what I want to do. My dream would be to be able to make documentaries of athletes or missionaries or people who deserve to be known. I often forget I have to grow up, I enjoy imagining I am like Peter Pan and will stay this age forever! Yes, sadly I am that childish that I just reference old school Disney movies...more often than I should. So, this is me.

The EVA-lution of a UT Student

Hi everyone, my name is Eva!

      I can hear your groans now. “Ugh, did she SERIOUSLY make a pun of her own name in the title?” “Gah, I hope I never have work with HER for a group project.” Don’t worry. I'll try to keep my cheesy word-play to a minimum in projects (but casual conversation is fair game). Judging by the first few days of lecture, we're going to have a great time this semester, and I can't wait to get to know you all! Here is a little bit about me.

      My mom is a writer and my dad an archaeologist. We moved to small-town Texas from Sheffield, England when I was seven, and I enjoyed a few shining months as the most popular third-grader at Dublin Elementary School (my extreme popularity slowly faded with my accent and foreign intrigue; by that summer I was just like everyone else). Even though I wasn't born there, I consider Dublin my hometown.

      Dublin, Texas, if you haven't heard of it, is a central Texas town of 3,696 people, two stoplights, and way too many homeless cats. Our claim to fame is that we are the home of the world's first Dr Pepper bottling plant (which no longer bottles Dr Pepper, due to a tearful, economy-crushing lawsuit), and we sell our own delicious chain of sodas made with Imperial Sugar.

      I spent my high school years juggling long hours of practicing clarinet and piano with other activities, which included running cross country, studying for academic UIL, scrolling through Twitter, and having tea parties with my five best friends. Music was always my favorite though, and my best memories are of days spent playing with the All-State Band, which I was a part of for three years in a row. I still play in college as a member of an ensemble, which meets directly after this class all the way in the music building. The director must think I'm such a mess, always arriving late and breathing hard, but there is absolutely no way to walk from BMC to MRH in under ten minutes.

Here is a recording of one of my favorite songs that I played at All-State, Yosemite Autumn.

In addition to music, I also enjoy exploring and being muddy, as illustrated in the photo below.

Here's a picture of me with some of my tech-savvy best friends. They sure do look excited to be hanging out with me.

And here is my dog James, who actually pays attention when I'm taking pictures.

      Although I’m not a journalism major (I’m currently undeclared under CNS), I am considering switching due to the fact that I have an insatiable curiosity to know a little bit about a lot of things. The possibility that I could have a career collecting stories, facts and secrets and then sharing them with the world is so exciting, and I can't wait to see where it takes me.  

First Impressions Are Not My Strongsuit

Hi! My name is Kiera and if I'm being honest introducing myself is probably in the list of top ten of things I dread the most. I never know what parts of my life to include which usually results in me sounding like a babbling buffoon. So here goes nothing (you've been warned).

My Background

    I grew up in your typical middle class suburban home. My mom is a kindergarten teacher, my father a terribly embarrassing, nerdy engineer, and my sister an unruly 14 year old who does in fact believe the world revolves around her. I'm from Dallas but am already starting to refer to Austin as my home (don't tell my mom). Oh and I have the two cutest dogs in the world. You may think yours are cuter but you're wrong.

in case you needed proof

5 things that define me

  1) What I want to do with my life honestly shifts with the latest movie I've watched or book I've read. I was convinced (maybe still am) that I would grow up and become Sandra Bullock's character from the Proposal. A fiery, no nonsense book editor in New York that *spoiler alert* marries the strapping Ryan Reynolds.

2) Netflix is my best friend and worst enemy - those ten seconds between episode are never long enough for me to realize I should probably do something productive.

3) I love playing volleyball no matter how uncoordinated and clumsy I am. Fun fact: In eighth grade I actually broke both wrists warming up for a game. I wish I could  show you a picture of my practically mummified self but 13 year old me was too mortified and forbid any long lasting evidence.

4) I am the queen of awkward encounters hence the lack of stellar first impressions.

5) Finally, I love music more than people and often decide to narrate my life by singing about it in a full blown musical fashion. 

And I will leave you with possibly the best advice I could give. Watch this video.   

Oh Look, An Introduction

My name is Jack.  I'm a junior and recent transfer to the UT Journalism school who's going back to the basics this semester in order to pick up a couple credits that couldn't transfer.

I originally come from the Chicago area, but, being from a military family, I've spent some time living in various places around the eastern half of the U.S. as well as a couple summers in southern Germany before winding up in Austin.  In my spare time I'm a short story writer, reader, armchair philosopher, underfunded travel enthusiast, and semi-professional that-guy-who-knows-all-kinds-of-mildy-interesting-stuff at every party you've ever been to in your life, which is probably why I don't get invited to many parties anymore.  In my not so spare time I do web development and editing, so this course is right at home for me.

If you're interested as to why I'm studying journalism and you're actually still reading this, I suppose I'll give you a quick summary.  I consider myself a facilitator and a communicator who's interested in everyone and everything, which is also why you probably shouldn't ever get into a deep conversation with me unless you really like telling your life story.  Growing up in different places with different people has taught me how to blend into any crowd and I came to learn that lots of different people have lots of interesting stories to tell.

I would post a some photos I've taken, but sadly my old laptop just died on me and took all the digital copies of my pictures with it.  If you need an idea what I look like, its approximately something like this.


To conclude, here's a picture of cake from Wikipedia because everyone likes cake; if you don't like cake, I don't like you. 

Just kidding, we're cool regardless.

Here's a little bit about me.

Greetings, friends! My name is Morgan Yarnik and I am new to blogging. I am a freshman at The University of Texas at Austin and have been recently admitted to the Moody College of Communications (as of the Spring 2014 semester). I'm officially a Journalism Major (yay!) in pursuit of becoming a broadcast journalist. I'm 18 years old, but I'm pretty sure I've always known what career path to choose... News.

My family:

Before I get too ahead of myself, I want y'all (yes, I say y'all) to get to know more about me. I'm proud to say that I'm a native North Texan, born and raised in the booming suburb of Frisco, Texas. I live with my dad, mom, and younger sister. We are a Christ-centered, fun, loud, and sometimes spazzy family (I'm on the far left).

Morgan, Phil, Shanna, and Rachel

How we spend our time:

I love my family dearly. Before I went off to college, we would always eat dinner together, relax at home, go have fun, or travel to the lake every once in a while to get away from the distractions of such a fast-paced, suburban lifestyle. My family goes to Lake Bob Sandlin where my aunt and uncle own a lake-house. It's where we bond more, relax, and have fun out in the middle of no where in East Texas. Here's my view from the dock on the lake.

Lake Bob Sandlin (2004)

Now about me... My parents always push me to try hard in everything I am involved in, like school and sports. No matter what I choose to do, they tell me to follow my dreams and to never give up. I know not everyone has the same family as I do, but I can't thank God enough for where He has placed me.

My dreams:

I can always remember one dream that has continued to stick in my heart: I want to become a Broadcast Journalist. I used to watch the news as a kid and wondered how newscasts worked. Watching stories that tugged at my heartstrings inspired me to do the same. In high school, I was a part of two news programs, Titan TV and Frisco ISD-TV. They are both award winning shows that have shaped who I am as an aspiring journalist today. I have learned the basics of journalism such as anchoring, camera shots, editing techniques, producing, and writing. Here's a Frisco ISD-TV show from my senior year where I co-anchored!

Journalism competitions:

While I was a part of both news shows in my school district, I learned so much. One of my favorite things about being in broadcast was getting to network with such wonderful, creative people. I also loved getting to compete in local, state, and national journalism competitions. Last March, I had the opportunity to attend the 2013 Student Television Network Convention in Los Angeles, California. It was the best experience of my life. I was chosen to present awards at the ending ceremony. I also competed in the anchoring competition!

These are my "presenter" friends from STN 2013.

The next chapter of my life:

I am so blessed to have a family that loves me unconditionally, a foundation in journalism from two wonderful programs, and now a bright future that's ahead of me here at UT. I'm proud to call myself a longhorn and I can't wait to learn even more about the art of journalism. It's so important to become a well-rounded, original, and talented professional journalist; I want to do just that.

Cats, Crafts, and Capital to Coast

 

My name is Deanna and I'm currently a freshman aspiring to double major in Journalism and Asian Studies. I've lived in Texas most of my life, but I was born in Agana Heights, Guam and lived in California for six years after that. My dad is Mexican and my mom is Filipino.

I've been enrolled in nine different schools, not including UT. Despite having to constantly make new friends, I'm still pretty awful at it. I've always been somewhat shy, and even though I do like talking to people, I feel as if I can express myself best through words. Besides writing, my interests include crafting, baking, running, and cat-loving.

I love to make things. Back home, I have a bunch of bins under my bed filled with yarn, fabric, stuffing, and various other "DIY" materials. I've made scarves, pillow cases, blankets, and a few plush animals. Because I didn't bring much of my crafting items here, I miss having all those things at hand. I also miss being able to bake as often as I used to, since its not as convenient or economical for me to buy certain ingredients and to get the kitchenware I need.

I also like to run. My parents both run marathons and my sister was in track, so I guess the running bug sort of rubbed off on my once I came to college. I only started running last summer, so I haven't completed a whole lot of races, but with the running club at UT, I've been able to go to a few. The toughest race I've run so far has to be the Capital to Coast Relay, which was a 223 mile relay race from Austin to Corpus Christi. It lasted about two days and wore me out like nothing I've done before. It was a huge accomplishment for me and I hope to challenge myself more with races like this in the future.

I'm excited to see what this semester, and especially this class, has in store for me. I can't wait to get more hands-on journalism experience. :)

A little bit about myself.

Oh hi there, my name is Reanna Sioux Zuniga and I'm a freshman at the University of Texas at Austin. I'm studying journalism in the Moody College of Communication right now, and I'm not exactly sure where my life is going to go, but it's all about the journey right?

Here's my a little bit about my journey so far:

I've lived in Texas my entire life, but somehow I've managed to not have a southern drawl. About six years ago my family moved to a small town called Rockport. The chamber of commerce likes to advertise Rockport as the Charm of the Texas Coast, but I like to call it a fishing community with a drinking problem.

It's a quaint little small town, and the seafood is great! That's one thing I really miss about home. Also the sunsets are gorgeous.

I love going to football games, but basketball is really the sport that takes my heart. If' I'm ever yelling at a TV screen it's probably because I'm watching basketball.

I have an animal obsession-- if it's alive and can move around there is a good chance I'll love it (except bugs and insects, those aren't cool). A couple years ago I watched a documentary on elephants, and somehow over time they have become my favorite animal. And now I donate to a wildlife trust that helps rescue and raise young elephants in Africa who were orphaned because of illegal poaching.

Oh yeah, and this is me.

You can follow me on twitter here if you like!

Ally from Cali

My name is Alexandra Claire Triolo, but I've shortened that monstrosity down to Ally. I am from Hollister, California, and contrary to popular belief, it is nothing like the store. Hollister is a small farming town in Northern California nestled thirty minutes inland from the Monterey Peninsula. My family owns a cattle ranch, agricultural trucking company, and lots of hay and seed. I grew up sitting on my dad's lap while he drove the tractor around my grandpa's orchard. I also love to go hunting.

These are pictures of me duck and deer hunting. I shot this buck on my ranch this summer.

This is a picture of my ranch and cattle during feeding time. 

I realize these pictures may be a little shocking, but I'm a "girly girl" too. I learned how to apply false eyelashes by the time I was six through my ten year rendezvous on a competitive dance team. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNL02jiGvkg <---- Here is a link to a video of one of my dance performances. I also learned how to distinguish each fork from one another while dancing the box step through my attendance of cotillion. I guess I was sort of an enigma growing up.

Once in high school, I transitioned into tennis, swim, and student government. There is  only one high school in Hollister. It boasts a livestock barn, "Hollister Haybaler" mascot, and a top athletic program. Think Friday Night Lights on steroids. Many of my best friends and I have gone to school together since kindergarten, some even since preschool. That is why I chose to attend The University of Texas at Austin. I needed to be forced outside of my comfort zone, and honestly, I wanted a clean slate. Anyone who's from a small town can resonate with me on that one. Now that I'm away however, I look back upon Hollister with a great deal of fondness and tenderness. Below are pictures from my tennis season.

I'm so appreciative to be in attendance at the University of Texas at Austin because I truly believe there is no better place in the world to help students make their dreams come true. I'm a bit wishy washy about what I want my career to be, but I know I love to talk. I hope to be accepted by the Archer Program to intern for the White House media team, and spend a semester participating in UTLA to try my hand at broadcast entertainment news. Last semester, I had a fling with Texas Student Television's Sneak Peak entertainment news show that I hope to rekindle once I'm ready. (It's not you TSTV, it me.) I'm currently a Staff Writer for the Daily Texan's Opinion Column, Director of Lectureship Fundraising for my sorority, Delta Gamma, and a member of Young Life and Cru.

A Brief Introduction to Selah Maya

Shalom!

My name is Selah Maya, and I'm a first-year journalism major at UT Austin. I'm not quite sure what I want to do with journalism, but I've always loved storytelling and learning. I was very involved with my high school's newsmagazine, but I'm not currently doing anything with any publications on campus. 

I am involved with other things on campus, though, like Littlefield's Residence Hall Council. Fall Ball, Littlefield's big event of the fall semester, had a '20s theme this year. I worked at the mocktail bar for the first two hours of the party and discovered I had a passion for mixing fake alcoholic beverages. 

I also do quite a bit with Texas Hillel. I write for their blog as part of the marketing committee. We did some cool marketing campaigns last semester for some of Hillel's Shabbats. My favorite was probably an Instagram mustache contest we did for Hillel's No-Shave November Shabbat. I also wrote a blogpost on some great Jewish mustaches of the 20th century, a task which involved an incredible amount of research on mustaches. 

Anyways, as an ending note, here's the song "Let It Go" from Frozen in 25 different languages.

Hey everyone, my name is Allie Fleming. I'm currently a freshman with the dream of one day being a reporter on ESPN. Sports have always been a huge part of my life. In my opinion there is nothing better than watching athletes push themselves to their absolute limits. Sports inspire passion, patriotism, and loyalty like almost nothing else.

Personally I am a huge fan of horse racing, football, basketball, swimming, soccer, volleyball, and anything to do with the Olympics

To help me achieve my future goals I have joined the sports department in TSTV. It is a small first step on the road to what I hope will be future professional success in the world of broadcasting.