Published College Work

As a student at The University of Alabama, I began working for The Crimson White (the school's student-run newspaper) in August of 2016. I served as a Staff Reporter for the news desk from fall of 2016 through fall of 2017. In addition to working for The Crimson White, I wrote for UA's Service Learning Magazine during the fall of 2018 for class credit. After strengthening my writing, I was then promoted to Assistant News Editor at The Crimson White in January of 2018. I learned that editing content provides great exposure to other great writing, so I used this opportunity to continue to develop my own capabilities. I finished my college journalism career as News Editor during the 2018-2019 academic year. I managed a team of 10 reporters, which included leading weekly budget meetings and editing stories for web and print daily. This job gave me the special opportunity to be a leader and a mentor. As News Editor, I was able to sharpen the skills of young journalists as they work to pursue a career in the media field. Shortly before graduating in 2019, I received UA's Most Outstanding Student in News Media Award.

The Crimson White •

Bad Track Record: Students struggle to navigate train schedules in campus commute

With an umbrella in her mouth and the pouring rain pelting her entire body, Maggie Rickstad climbed a little metal scaffolding and shimmied across some bars. With a long drop below her, she had to jump. Rickstad, a junior majoring in political science at The University of Alabama, found herself on top of a train car last year. Rickstad lived in the South10 apartment complex, located on 10th Avenue next to the train tracks. The train stopped outside her apartment, blocking her path to campus on
The Crimson White •

College students struggle to report domestic violence

When domestic violence encompasses both physical and verbal abuse, victims can encounter any combination of violence ranging from belittling, insulting and shaming to hitting, kicking and weapon use. The partner is left by the wayside, isolated, in fear, often times for their life and in desperate need of help. Domestic violence, where the perpetrator feels a need for control, can encompass all of these. The National Domestic Violence Hotline celebrated being in operation for 20 years this year
The Crimson White •

Campus group works to end “pervasive” culture of sexual assault

This weekend, Not On My Campus will be hosting a walk to grab the attention of the administration and the student body. Pictured are Helmi Henkin and Madeline Anscombe. Caroline Builta, a junior majoring in telecommunication and film and sexual assault victim, said that there are two eye witnesses of Brock Turner sexually assaulting a woman, and he was only sentenced to six months in jail, his case is the “very epitome” of why women do not report sexual violence. According to RAINN.com, the na
The Crimson White •

VP for diversity, equity and inclusion discusses goals for UA

After uprooting her life and moving cross-country from snowy Lafayette, Indiana to the humid Tuscaloosa, Alabama, G. Christine Taylor became the first vice president and associate provost for diversity, equity and inclusion at The University of Alabama last month. Taylor has served nearly six years in a similar role at Purdue University. In addition to bringing over 20 years of experience seeing campuses work on some of these issues, Taylor’s experiences also qualified her for the position. She
The Crimson White •

OLLI offers classes, socializing, travel to retirees

The phrase “happy wife, happy life,” does not end soon after the wedding bells toll. In fact, well into retirement Philip Malone has found the phrase to be truer than ever. After retiring earlier than planned, Malone’s wife was getting nervous about having him around the house all of the time. With a need to satisfy his wife’s wishes and an open mind, Malone decided to attend an OLLI bonus program at The University of Alabama. After enjoying his time there, he decided to sign up for classes – n
The Crimson White •

Ironwoman: University student takes on the Ironman World Championship

She began by lining up in the Pacific Ocean ten before the start. Packed so tight next to her competitors, she could hardly move as they treaded water. Doubt filled Jessica Lambert’s mind as she got ready to participate in the 140.6-mile Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. First, the professionals went. Then the men’s group went, then finally the women’s group. Once the race started, it was so aggressive that she could hardly take a stroke. Competitive athletes were on top of each other
The Crimson White •

Conversation continues after UA student’s racist comments go viral

Around 100 people, including both students and staff, gathered for a discussion about racism at an open weekly conversation on Wednesday in the Ferguson Center, in response to malicious videos exposed on Monday. Lane McLelland, director of Crossroads Community Center, said this is a place for students to talk about experiences and impacts on their lives and is an inclusive, sharing space for listening to each other. “The change that we wanna see on our campus, the change that will say that eve
The Crimson White •

Conversations about sex enhance long term relationships

Because they are in a long distance relationship and do not see each other often, conversations regarding sex keep Sarah Chillag and her partner happy and help their relationship go smoothly. Because sex is a common act in long-term relationships, conversations regarding it are important in keeping the relationship healthy. While some sexual conversations can be uncomfortable, the ability to have them is significant. “It’s important for every couple to be able to talk about sex because it real
The Crimson White •

UA professor monitors Olympics for coverage’s gender gap

Beginning research in the mid-1990s as a graduate student at Indiana University, Andrew Billings has monitored the Olympics for gender gaps in coverage for over 20 years. Billings, director of the Alabama Program in Sports Communication and Ronald Reagan Chair of Broadcasting, has been looking for how much coverage the Olympics is dedicating to male and female athletes. Monitoring the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics has led to new findings. He said that for the longest time, men were slightly shown
The Crimson White •

Students overcome mental health stigmas: “Our diagnoses don’t define us”

Living with bipolar disorder as her primary diagnosis, Helmi Henkin is not ashamed of her mental health condition. In fact, she is deliberately open about it because of the stigma that surrounds it. “I feel like representations of us in the media, or just people’s stereotypes in general, are either we’re these manic pixie dream girls from ‘Looking For Alaska’ or something, or just we need saving or we’re emotional rollercoasters … or we’re represented as these monsters who ruin our own lives or