Rutgers Student Finds Career Passion Through Community Service

Imani Seung

October 13, 2016

Digital News Writing & Reporting

Professor Tom Davis

Rutgers Student Finds Career Passion Through Community Service

            Rutgers student, Lauren Rowe, has dedicated much her teen years to activism and community service. It is within her volunteerism that she was able to discover her passion for design and fashion.

Rowe attended Burlington Township High School. Here she was very involved in extracurricular activities. She was a member of the Future Business Leaders of America, or FBLA. There, she was given an annual task of creating a business plan. Rowe often credits this club as giving her presentation and oratory skills, which she used to showcase her work in the organization.

She was also a member of the internationally recognized KEY Club. Through this and the Top Teens of America Association Rowe did much community service work.

These organizations gave Rowe the opportunity to volunteer at soup kitchens, hold and organize food and clothing drives, and also coordinate lectures for teens from local business owners and leaders in their community.

She stated that she believes that her work through these organizations gave her a love of community service and helping others.

She found her work at Top Teens to be slightly more fulfilling as she played the role of a mentor to younger students. Rowe felt her job with this organization was much more hands on, a quality she finds important in all her work.

During her junior year Rowe and her fellow peers decided to host a fashion show at school to raise money for Top Teens of America. The night of the show some seamstresses and outfit consultants were unable to attend and Rowe took it upon herself to fill their shoes. The show ran smoothly and had, unbeknownst to Rowe, awoken an unknown talent.

During her senior year after thoroughly enjoying her experience in the previous year’s charity fashion show she also partook in her school’s Fashion Club. Although she had found her love for fashion consulting the year before here her fascination for design came to light.

As she recounted her days as a member Rowe discussed the process of learning how to sew and draw, skills she found useful later when she attended the fashion program at Montclair State University.

Early on in her first semester at Montclair State Rowe found that she did not like the track she had she chosen within the fashion program. Although she did thoroughly enjoy the design portion of her curriculum she did not enjoy the process of making the various clothing items herself.

Finding herself becoming quickly disinterested Rowe switched to a different track within the program. Rowe went on to studying the distribution and marketing processes of fashion, something that she had not studied before in high school or college.

The change in her track did not bring Rowe what she wanted. At the end of her first semester she found herself very unhappy once again and began to look for other options. Finally she decided that transferring from Montclair State to Rutgers University would be the best decision for her.

Transferring to Rutgers brought its own set of challenges. The university did not have a fashion program so Rowe found herself settling for a secondary passion of hers, writing. As a journalism major Rowe found happiness in her curriculum, something that her program at Montclair State did not provide.

Now in her senior year at Rutgers University and just months shy of graduation Rowe has not made any definitive plans. With an interest in fashion and design, a minor in English, and a love for volunteering Rowe has made plans to fuse her interests and perhaps pursue a career in fashion journalism. While also planning to continue her lecture series she began with her chapter of Top Teens of America.

            Not too sure about what the next phase of her life will bring Rowe is looking forward to what the future holds.

Rutgers Student Excels in Dance

Dance Between the Lines

By ANGELICA MORALES  October 20, 2016

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ The curtains open and the audience roars in excitement as she spins across the stage into the arms of another dancer.

It’s the end of another day as a dance major for Madison Quo.

At 20, the Galloway, NJ native of Chinese decent is a student in the Mason Gross Dance Department in Rutgers University, which prides itself in its one of a kind dance ensemble.

Before she could read and write, dance was her first form of expression. Dance was not just a hobby, but an outlet and a way of life for Quo.

“Dance is my passion. I’ve been dancing for fifteen years now,” Quo said. “I know almost all dance forms except ballroom and tap.”

The experience did not match to how “dance” made her feel. Dance brought her a happiness unlike anything else. She knew from that moment onward that dance would become a part of her destiny.

“It’s cliché and almost every dancer will tell you this, but dance is an escape from reality. It’s an outlet for our emotions. I feel happy and at home whenever I’m in a dance studio.” Quo remarked.

Dance has helped Quo move on from very low points in her life. It was a perfect distraction to when negative came in her life.

“Last year, I had some drama with a close friend and it was really distracting me from my studies. It was stressing me out and would get me super emotional,” Quo mentioned. “That was also the time I started taking dance classes at school in Mason Gross, so I really enjoyed going to class because it would be my one time where I could forget and be free.”

Quo is trained in multiple dance forms but Contemporary is her favorite dance style. It’s a newer style that has become much more popular in recent years. Quo’s technicality often shadows her emotional connection to a piece. It is the vulnerability of contemporary that excites her.

“I'm better at doing tricks (kicks, turns, leaps, etc) than the artistry part of dance. Movement comes easily to me as opposed to feeling the music or showing emotion to the audience,” Quo confessed.

It’s much more than technique that makes the cut. Dance can not evoke a lasting emotion if it is not accompanied with feeling.

“Ricky Ubeda (professional dancer) is honestly just perfection in everything he does. Any dancer can do a really big leap or a high kick but he does those and more. He’s really flexible. He’s a good example for all guys to dance since the dance world is typically socially unacceptable for boys,” Quo adds.

Now in her third year in college, Quo has realized her dream. In the process she has also realized just how risky her dream may be. Dancing professionally comes with an expiration date.

“It’s almost embarrassing to tell people I’m a dance major,” she confessed. “My mom, for example, didn’t want me to be a just a dance major. She’s concerned with it being too hard to make it professionally, and she’s absolutely right. The dance world is competitive and tough.”

There’s no stopping her dream however, she wants to continue growing and becoming a better dancer. Ultimately, she hopes to find a perfect balance between writing and dance.

“I hope to live in NYC with a writing career and hopefully dancing. Maybe I’d combine both,” she admitted. “But I also hope to have a family and be happy overall.”

Rutgers Student Interns Her Way to the Top

By: Maiya Robinson

Oct. 16, NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. - After several years in college, Katelynn Simmons has managed to acquire three years of internship experience, when most people are lucky to see a semesters worth. 

Her internships thus far have included work in editing, publishing and HR.

Her most memorable internship, however, involved working in the school district of her hometown of Newark.

 There, she went to schools ranging from k through 12 and read and spoke to student classes.

She continues to go back now as a volunteer because she enjoys spending time with the kids, who remind her of the endless possibilities that are out there.

The 22-year-old is a fifth year senior double majoring in English and Journalism and Media Studies.

Simmons said she hopes to become a technical writer one day and eventually work in a publishing house or magazine.

“I want to publish short stories and novels when I’m older,” Simmons said.

Though she has had multiple internships and has acquired valuable skills, she has had a hard time getting some experience in technical writing.

“They all want you to have experience but that is exactly what I am trying to get,” Simmons said.

Though none of Simmons internships focused on technical writing, she has not allowed that setback to deter her mindset.

 “…I am grateful for the experiences I’ve had.” Simmons said.

Her experiences have helped mold her professionally but academically Katelynn has expressed her frustrations.

When asked what her biggest regret might be in her college career, she responded with one word: “Rutgers.”

Simmons had the opportunity to attend Howard University, a historically black college, and wishes she had gone there.

“Rutgers is not what I expected,” Simmons said. “It is diverse but it is not inclusive.”

 Attending Howard could have helped Simmons gain insight into her own culture, history, and possibly could have granted her a more fulfilling college experience.

Up until now, Simmons has been an introvert all of her life. She was bullied in elementary school and in result did not perform as well as she would have liked.

“It started there,” Simmons said. “I wish I did well in school at a young age so that I could have went to a private school. Then maybe I wouldn’t have ended up at Rutgers.”

Though Simmons does not find Rutgers to be inclusive, she hopes to reflect inclusivity in her writing one day.

Her goal may be to become a technical writer, but she does enjoy the creative side to writing.

Simmons said her passions include poetry, short stories and traveling abroad to immerse herself in other cultures.

In regards to books, her favorite genres are SYFI and Fiction because both allow for creativity and imagination in their storylines, which are not always welcomed in technical writing.

“It is an escape for me,” Simmons said, “The books help build my imagination and they remind me not to take life so seriously.”

After college, Katelynn plans to continue at her current marketing internship and possibly receive full time employment there.

Even though no internship opportunities for technical writing have presented themselves, Katelynn has not given up hope and is still following her dreams.

Rutgers Student Gives Back to Latin America in More Ways Than Spanish TV

By Tim Catalfamo

Osorio loves studying culture & Latin America

Ethel Osorio, a Journalism major at Rutgers University, is someone who hopes to work for Spanish TV and give back to Latin America with her Spanish upbringings and education in more ways than reporting.

She dreams of leaving the United States and returning to her native country of Honduras because she has always had a passion for the Latino communities’ culture, customs, and traditions.

Osorio says that the idea of pursuing a career at a Spanish TV network and covering areas of Latin America interests her because she loves telling stories.

“I love journalism because I love telling stories. Every time my family gets together, we tell stories and I just love it. We are storytellers.”

In addition to having a passion for telling stories, she said she realizes the need for good reporters covering positive stories in Latin American countries mainly due to the unfair and biased reporting that exists due to governments controlling some of the media.

“Many journalists in Latin America are bribed by the government in power in order to pledge their allegiance to them. This causes many of the news stations to be corrupt and misleading. I would love to provide the people with news they can trust. I would like them to trust me.”

Reporting on Latino culture isn’t the only thing Osorio hopes to accomplish in her career. She one day hopes to help open a bi-lingual school to help elementary school children learn and become well-versed in both the English and Spanish language.

She wants the school to not just be for wealth Latinos but also for those who are less-privileged and make up Latin America’s poor community.

Osorio believes that those children should be given the same right to a good education as those who are wealth so they can better themselves some day and have an opportunity to grow to their full potential.

However, the one thing that drives her more than anything else is Latin American culture and the idea of someday covering it for a living.

“I’m just so into culture and language. Growing up as a Latina, I have always felt the need to give back to my community and dedicating myself to uncovering stories in this part of the world is how I aim to do it.”

Rutgers Student Scores Independent Health Internship

By: Edwin Roman

Taylor Blume, a junior at Rutgers University desires to lead a career within the realm of health and fitness and has already taken steps to do so.

Taylor scored an internship over the summer at V Well Health, which had duties that consisted of blogging. She actually scored the interview for this internship on her own without a scout or any help from school. 

Blume actually posted her resume on what is known as the #1 jobsite, Indeed.com - and was contacted by the head of V Well Health and was offered an interview for a position as a blogger. She went right on to her interview, and was hired without any reference letters - solely based on her drive and personality, she said.

            She served as a content creator for the website. “V Well Health is a fitness corporation that served to give people of their community customizable menus,  shopping lists and delicious, family-friendly recipes, exercise videos and personalized workout plans for every age group”, she said.

            V Well Health also provides daily tips and access to experts such as dieticians, fitness experts, and life coaches with real challenges supporting you 24 hours a day.

            She was very consistent with the content published to the blog. Working side by side with the owner of the company, Taylor really outdid herself by proving that with no experience she was able to publish such consistent and educated material to readers.

            The internship is now over as it was for the summer, and things seem to be going great for the New Jersey native. She’s back in school for the fall semester, focusing on her studies, and even putting all the skills she learned at V Well Health and put them to good use.

            With priority to boost her image, brand and online presence, she has set up an Instagram page which boasts nothing but inspiration and positivity to help and try to get others as motivated without losing hope as she too knows what that felt like.

            Taylor feels that many people feel discouraged when trying to get started with fitness and healthy eating habits, and now she can be accessed from virtually anywhere at the tip of your fingers by opening up an app like Instagram that can keep you motivated and pushing toward your goal.