Viruses are NOT a Race

In May 2020, I produced a short podcast for my high school history class. My podcast, “Viruses are NOT a Race” debriefs the racist history of the 1917 typhus epidemic in El Paso, Texas, and how Mayor Tom Lea inspired the blueprints for Nazi gas chambers. I conclude the episode with a reflection on the rise of Asian hate during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. My project introduced me to journalism by letting me exercise my interests in research, interviewing, and sharing stories.

This podcast won Honorable Mention in NPR’s 2021 Student Podcast Challenge!

Visiting American Food Chains in France

While studying abroad in Lyon, France, I visited famous American fast-food chains to compare their ambiance. This project let me experiment in visual and audio storytelling while noting the cultural differences between American and French dining culture.

To read more about my French dining experience, read How America diminished the pleasure of dining out

Don’t Drag Me Down

Lyta Blunt is a drag performer and producer at Spectrum Queer Bar in Eugene, Oregon. Her identity as a fat, Black, disabled performer motivates her to represent queer people of color in entertainment. In November 2022, I explored the Eugene drag scene by interviewing Blunt, who was voted Eugene's second-best drag queen.