the record, July 2006

I was interning with the news desk for the record of north jersey the summer after my first year of college. My first byline was about the Colombian Independence Day festival that year in Hackensack, New Jersey. I interviewed local groups and attendees at the festival.

the record, October 2006

After my internship, I was subsequently hired as a news clerk in September with weekend shifts. In my second month there, I covered a late breaking story about a brawl at a church on a Friday night, with reported casualties over the following Saturday. The piece ended up on the A1 of the Sunday edition.

the history of donuts

Published April 15, 2013

Donuts are a popular pastry in Japan. Lesser known is the history that launched the fried confection, so we went out to interview owners of the oldest donut shops around New York, such as Peter Pan Donuts in Greenpoint.

We also traveled to newer doughnut shops, such as Dough’s HQ in Brooklyn and Doughnut Plant.

I also ate a lot of donuts, as to be expected.

Hal meyers, the American magician that performed in North Korea

Published April 23, 2014

This story landed in my lap thanks to my alumni newsletter. I had read about his experience traveling to North Korea in 1991, and knew that this was an amazing story to share with a Japanese audience.

the fight for the equal rights amendment

Published May 22, 2013

As Japan was preparing for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to announce a chance to process of passing amendments, The Chunichi Shimbun asked the New York bureau to find a similar case involving the vote for new amendments. We decided to focus on the nearly century old battle for the equal rights amendment in the U.S. For this story, we traveled down to New Jersey to visit the Alice Paul institute, a museum in the childhood home of a major leader in the women’s suffragette movement.

2014 midterm elections: raising the minimum wage in wisconsin

Published November 3, 2014

The New York bureau’s responsibilities were varied and sometimes meant we picked up special political stories to support our D.C. colleagues. The midterms in 2014 gave us the opportunity to read up about the ballot initiative in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to fight for a livable minimum wage. We visited the nonprofit “Fight for 15” to speak with the heads of the organization, alongside volunteers and supporters.

interview with Leila zerrougui, the United Nations special representative of the secretary-general for Children in armed conflict

Published March 8, 2015

I helped to end my boss’s tenure at the New York bureau with a few feature stories at the United Nations. Chief among my pitches was an interview with Special Representative Leila Zerrougui and her important work reporting on children being used as soldiers in armed conflict. We talked a lot about the conflict in South Sudan, specifically in the city of Juba and the plan to release and rehabilitate 3000 children.

the history of clam chowder

Published November 15, 2013

With another food feature down, we were asked to write up a new piece—this time on something warm and comforting. My boss and I chose to travel up to Boston to write about the hearty and comforting New England Clam Chowder. This story took us through Downtown Boston to interview chefs about the New England staple. We spoke with chefs at Neptune’s Oyster in the North End, Legal Seafood in the Seaport, and at the historic Union Oyster House. Topping off the trip was a long interview with two historians about the creation of clam chowder, and its use as tourist propaganda in the early half of the 20th century.

It should be noted that I also ate a lot of clam chowder.