2.28.12

Let's be careful of our web presence.

I Googled my name tonight. Yes, how humble it is of me.  It's important, though, for me to always keep check of my web presence.  It is vital especially in this time of life where potential employers and internship directors will be triple checking everything I post online.

I was reminded because of stumbling on this webpage:  http://www.theantitheftdevice.com/stolen-laptops/students-laptop-stolen-others-items-missing-mov

The website, which I had never seen before, has one of my news stories embedded in it.  I'm not affiliated with that site and have no idea what their mission/values are.  The story is about laptop theft in college dorms and the site is about preventing computer theft.  I see how they relate.  But I'm now on their site, so somehow a viewer's perception can be different than reality.  In this instance, I didn't cause that.

Tags have power on the internet.  I never dreamed my video would end up somewhere like that site.  It definitely shows you never know how one thing traces to another.

So, just a reminder:  enjoy the fun; be careful.

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Panorama Photography - Careful, There's Snow

It happened to snow late one night.  The scene was perfect.
This panorama is made of 6 photos.

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Alone in New York

A short film can quickly capture emotion.  Take a look at one of my favorite cities.  

The Big apple seen from an emotional point of view. 

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Portraits - the 9

Our next project involved taking portraits.  I took roughly 3,000 photos over 3 weeks and here are my top 9 from the project:

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Prayer station volunteers seek to help community

People at the Trinity Worship Center on South Church Street in Burlington are taking their ministry outside of the church walls.


Cars passing by the church can see signs telling them to stop by if they need prayer. But the place where prayer happens is not in the church building itself, but under a tent.


There is nothing fancy or elaborate in the prayer station’s set-up. But what visitors will experience are the people under the tent and the work they are doing.


Jack Hensley and his wife first put up the tent 40 years ago.


“It’s very simple,” Hensley said. “You just see the need, put the station out, put a sign up and pray.”


Carolyn Kingman, one of the volunteers at the station, had personal motives for prayer at first, but now she says her focus is somewhere else.


“We wanted to setup a prayer station ministry for people with needs that would come in prayer,” Kingman said.


“For about three months it was all about me,” she said. “And then I realized one day that I was praying for others’ circumstances and other people, and I haven’t prayed for myself in a couple of weeks. From that point, I though, ‘now it’s time to pray for others and help others pray.”


But Kingsman doesn’t want the praying to stop there.


“Hopefully it gives them the inspiration that they too can pray for others,” Kinsman said. “They don’t even need a sign, or a tent or a chair. They can just do it.”


The prayer station is open every Thursday from 4:00 p.m. to dusk and every Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

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Elon student organization raises awareness of veteran’s service

I reported on Team Hero, an organization that makes care packages for soldiers overseas

More than 20 students and community volunteers spent their Veterans Day helping the Team Hero organization build care packages to be sent to veterans.


Team Hero is a student organization that raises funds for veteran and military support. Clara Martin started the program last year and is grateful for the help at the drive.

“I loved how excited the volunteers were and it was heartwarming to see them share my passion for supporting members of the military,” Martin said. “It was great to see how much they really cared to put together a care package for a total stranger that they will probably never meet.”

Vietnam veteran David Burnett Jr. joined the volunteers because he remembers receiving support when he was overseas.

“It makes me feel proud that people are thinking about troops overseas,”  Burnett said. “It felt good to know that somebody back home was caring about us.”

But Martin has a greater purpose for Team Hero than simply hosting events.  She hopes students involved gain a better appreciation for those involved in the military.“The goal of this event was to remind students, faculty and staff that Veterans Day needs to be remembered, and the least we can do is say ‘thank you.’” Martin said.

Team Hero raises funds for Paws and Stripes, a nonprofit organization in New Mexico.  The nonprofit provides service dogs for wounded veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury at no cost.  Martin set a goal last year to raise $2,000 for Paws and Stripes, enough to sponsor a veteran to enroll in the program.  She said they raised more than that, allowing not only a veteran but also a dog to enroll.

Reaching her goal encouraged Martin to organize this month’sVeteran’s Day care package drive.

They used close to 450 student donations, which were assembled into over 70 packages. She also plans to host a softball tournament to generate more support for Paws and Stripes.

“The more people that know about Team Hero, the more veterans and active duty service members receive the attention and care they deserve,” Martin said.

To learn more about joining Elon’s Team Hero, visit their blog at elonteamhero.blogspot.com.

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Anchoring: Phoenix14News, January 23rd Newscast

Watch me anchor in the Phoenix14News January 23rd newscast.


Part 1

Part 2

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Anchoring: Phoenix 14 News, January 16th Newscast

Watch me anchor in the Phoenix14News January 16th newscast.

Part 1

Part 2

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Anchoring: Phoenix 14 News, January 9th Newscast

Watch me anchor in the Phoenix14News January 9th newscast.

Part 1

Part 2

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New Student Professional Development Center

I took a tour through the new Student Professional Development Center at Elon University. The space is home to Career Services.

Career Services has moved into the new Student Professional Development Center in Moseley Center. With the move to the heart of campus, the office has a new energy to help students. The upgrades will propel the center to be the best in schools similar to Elon.


“The visibility of career services has improved, and we should see more interaction from students because of that,” Tom Brinkley, Executive Director of Corporate and Employer Relations, said.  


The 5,000 square foot Student Professional Development Center is the new home to Career Services. It is located in the former campus bookstore. The space contains a welcoming lobby, the Elingburg Room for large-scale events, a recruitment lounge, sufficient offices for their growing staff, and more.  


Several interview rooms are an important addition to the new center, where employers can conduct interviews with students for potential job positions. Two of the rooms will be equipped with web cameras for remote interviews. A classroom has even been added for job-enhancement courses. Career Services has expanded their selection of transition courses to about 25 classes, with a plan to add more in the fall.  

“Our goal is to address the needs of the students at a higher level than ever before,” Brinkley said. “We think again, the combination of all these developments and all the effort and commitment the university has made will help prepare students for a long-term career, not just a first job.”


“It’s a very good resource to tap into,”  senior Kristin Greene said about Career Services. 


Greene has been taking advantage of Career Services since freshman year, and she has been visiting for an important reason.


“I am a first generation college student, so I didn’t know where to start and I didn’t really know what kind of direction I needed to be taking.  I come from a small town in North Carolina.  I was raised by my grandparents, neither of whom went to college,” Greene said.  


Greene started out needing help with career-oriented tasks, such as creating a cover letter or resume. Now she also gets life-advice from the Development Center staff.  


“This entire area of college and moving into the professional world were very new to me so I needed that extra push into the right direction and put on the right track,”  she said.
Thanks to the help she’s received at the center, Greene says she feels confident about entering graduate school very soon.  


“I want to make sure I’m getting as much help as possible in making sure I’m doing the right thing and staying on top of the things I need to be doing,” Greene said.


The staff of the new Student Professional Development Center encourages all students to make a trip into the office and schedule appointments for career help.


If you would like to see the new space yourself, an open house for students is scheduled for February 8, 2012.

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Music is Life

Can music actually be defined? Through this short, artistic documentary, our group examines how the concept of music impacts individuals.

Our project is unique because the content of our piece is based on actual interviews from the public.

Group final project for freshtv, an accelerated training program that prepares students to be successful in the many areas of communications. The program consists of a series of workshops that are designed to set students up to have the base knowledge and contacts to be successful in the beginning of their college career.


December 7, 2011; Elon University, First-year student

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Hard News example - newspaper

Example of hard news story for newspaper.  Facts and events are fabricated.

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Occupy Protesters Seen as Modern-Day Foot Soldiers

November 1, 2011           

OCCUPY PROTESTERS SEEN AS MODERN-DAY FOOT SOLDIERS

By Brian Mezerski

NEW YORK, NY - Protesters living in Zuccotti Park have been demonstrating for the past 47 days as part of the “Occupy Wall Street” movement.

Those involved in the movement are fighting against the destructive power of major banks and multinational corporations.  Many are upset with the role Wall Street has played in creating an economic collapse that caused the biggest recession in current times.  Uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia inspired this aim to expose how the richest 1% of people is controlling the economy.  There is a looming fear of how the global economy is foreclosing on the future.

“Occupy Wall Street” is a people-initiated protest that began September 17^th in New York City’s financial center.  The demonstrations have spread to over 100 cities in the United States and in over 1,500 cities globally.

Protesters of the “Occupy Wall Street” demonstration can be seen as current-generation “foot soldiers” of the Civil Rights movement.  Everyday people of the Civil Rights movement had willingness to stand before water hoses, risk police batons, and march through streets.  These peaceful protests were the forces that led to the movement’s success.

“Occupy” demonstrations around the world are likewise being organized using the tool known as a “people’s assembly.”  This method facilitates collective decision making in an open, participating and non-binding manner.  Just as those of the Civil Rights era united in their beliefs for improving quality of life and equal justice, leaders of the Occupy movements are raising the consciousness of the country on the fundamental issues of poverty, income inequality, and economic justice.

Protesters from both groups – those in the Civil Rights Movement and those in the Occupy Wall Street movement – rally for their specific cause.  Although both events are seen as large-scale demonstrations, every person adds their individual voice to the greater impact of the movement.  If protestors do not unite, then their ideas may never be heard.

Foot soldiers are known as those individuals who, despite playing significant, powerful, and historic roles in any movement, remain largely obscure.  It is crucial to recount the stories of these foot soldiers, for although their efforts have not been well documented or widely publicized, their courage and contributions have nevertheless transformed our nation.

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Top 5 - 1000 Photo Project

The project was to take 1000 random photos so we start to get a "photographer's eye."  I chose to use my 2005 Canon digital camera and see what I could capture.  Below are my top five choices.

I was happy to do this task because I've wanted to learn proper photography for a long time.  At this point, I have extremely much to learn.  I am happy, though, that I am now starting to learn.


January 2012

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FreshTV - Starting Over Short Film

This project was for FreshTV, an entry-level advanced program for first-year students to become acclimated to the techniques and processes of the communications industry.  We had 7 hours to complete this project during which we had to create a short film idea, find resources, shoot, edit, and present the film.

November 6, 2011

Ever suffer from heartbreak? This short film portrays how one man deals with his breakup.

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Anchoring: Phoenix14News - Nov. 17, 2011 Thursday Update

Watch me anchor in the Phoenix14News November 17th Thursday update.

One of my first opportunities to anchor for Phoenix14News.  The Thursday Update is a quick online-only opportunity for the campus to get the week's news. 


November 17, 2011; Elon University, First-year student

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