long-form writing
quinnipiac chronicle
Of course I wrote for my college's newspaper - what kind of communications student do you think I was? Throughout my second and third years at QU, I served as a staff writer for The Chronicle's Sports, Opinion and Arts & Life sections, both online and in print. I hit the ground running, writing five articles for three different sections in my first week with the paper, being named Staffer of the Week in my first week of eligibility. I wore many hats at The Chron, covering hockey and basketball games when needed, beat reporting for the acrobatics and tumbling team, and always being down to cook up a silly and whimsical piece for an editor on a tight deadline. My favorite articles were written for the A&L section, inspired by my best friend and former editor Neha Seenarine. Once again, I got to write and talk about so many of my nerdy hyperfixations, from an in-depth look at celebrity Wrestlemania appearances to an interview with "Love is Blind" cast member Jeremy Hartwell about the ethics of reality television. I even had my own music column, called "Jen's Jams." Am I even a writer if I don't love an alliteration?
legends of tomorrow
In the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic, I decided to pivot from sports journalism to music journalism - a nice way to say "sports went away during the pandemic and I needed an outlet to keep yapping about things I loved." After a few months writing album and track reviews as a contributor for Legends of Tomorrow, I stepped up as editor-in-chief alongside the zine's founder. Together, we released two print issues featuring interviews with bands including Homesafe, Young Culture, Rich People, Save Face, Kayak Jones, Rarity, and more. We made handwritten notes for everyone who bought one and packed them ourselves in little pink (duh!) bubble mailers, bringing piles of them to the post office to ship out each week. I got to interview some of my favorite bands, meet incredible publicists, designers, photographers and journalists who I still work with five years later, and edit countless articles (this is where I became a certified AP Style warrior). Running this zine for a year as a 17-year-old taught me so much about what it means to have a DIY attitude - it's also where my music industry journey truly began.
girls behind the
rock show
The first time I got to combine my love of music with my passion for diversity, equity and inclusion was with GBTRS. This community introduced me to so many amazing people with just as many intersecting identities as me (if not more!) and taught me that I am at my best in this industry when being 100% authentically myself. I really got to tap into my creative side, writing articles about the intersections between music and other things I loved like film and wrestling. I also got to interview and write about powerful women in the punk and hardcore scene - giving them even more of a platform is something I hold very close to my heart.
national women's hockey league
While my senior year of high school took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, I still had to complete an internship to fulfill my "senior project" course credit. Throughout the school year, I worked closely with the incredible Alyssa LeRae, who I am thankful to call a mentor to this day. Together, we conquered the NWHL's "bubble season," creating and posting content from our couches while some of the greatest athletes in the world played for empty arenas. My biggest project was writing three spotlight articles for Black History Month 2021, featuring Blake Bolden, Saroya Tinker, and Whitney Dove.
puckerup sports
After a few years with Puck It Up!, I found my way on another all-women team in the world of hockey with PUCKerUp Sports. I stepped out of my comfort zone by regularly covering the Toronto Maple Leafs through pre and post-game reports as well as live-tweeting game coverage. I hit some milestones during my time with PU as well, including interviewing CWHL star and transgender activist Jessica Platt, asking Bruce Boudreau a question in a virtual press conference, and getting to write creative pieces like matching up the founding four NWHL teams with WWE's "four horsewomen." Towards the end of my time with the outlet, I started my own podcast with two of the other writers called "Buncha Beauties," where we often discussed all things hockey (and also probably discussed things that had nothing to do with hockey just as often).
fansided's
blue line station
After getting a taste of sports journalism through Puck It Up!, I decided that writing for just one hockey blog simply couldn't be enough. For nearly two years, I wrote for FanSided's New York Rangers site, Blue Line Station. I pitched story ideas to editors and took article assignments from them, covering everything from pre and post-game reports, player report cards, news dumps, opinion pieces, and even a weekly stock market column. This was also the first time I got paid for doing any kind of creative/media work (15-year-old me was STOKED to have more money to spend on Starbucks frappuccinos).
puck it up!
The very first entry in my LinkedIn, the very first article in my MuckRack profile, and my very first big girl writing job. When I was 14 years old, I found Puck It Up!, an independent, entirely women-run hockey blog, through my sports fangirl account on Twitter. I reached out asking if I could write for them, pitching an incredibly niche article idea: why I was glad that Jesper Fast did not leave the New York Rangers in the Vegas Golden Knights expansion draft. Those editors took a chance on a kid with zero experience who just wanted to yap about sports, and it changed my life. 40+ articles and 2.5 years later, I had my first portfolio pieces and began to believe that I could one day write and talk about the things I love for a living. I'll forever be proud of covering the 2018 National Women's Hockey League Isobel Cup Championship at just 15 years old, interviewing players on the ice while internally freaking out that I saw my favorite team win its first-ever title (RIP Metropolitan Riveters).