My most recent story (click here) details the announcement of Special Olympics Missouri’s new partnership with MU, MU Healthcare and the UM System. And honestly, I’m pretty proud of this piece!

In lecture we consistently talk about taking a story a step further and putting a face to the news. For this story, I talked to a few athletes and heard their stories in how Special Olympics has impacted them. Many said Special Olympics was their family. All were so compelling, but Kristina’s story really struck me. Could you imagine not being able to see the lines in the pool? Crazy. And the fact that she met Nelson Mandela, Muhammad Ali and Barack Obama, to name a few.

Special Olympics is an organization that is also near and dear to my heart and I think this partnership is a great way for the UM System to increase inclusion and outreach. I think it’ll be exciting to see this partnership grow.

My reporting of this announcement was honestly really fun for me. I talked to so many people, it didn’t feel like I was extracting a story. I was connecting with people. The more I cover events, the more comfortable I have become in reporting and interviewing sources. And this was another event I felt this at.