As an Assignment Desk Editor for KCBS/KCAL News I have the exciting opportunity to gather and tell news stories. I listen to police and fire scanners to find out what each department is doing out in the field and I call the departments to find out story details. I hear breaking news first. I also have occasional opportunities to go out in the field and gather new stories.

My love for storytelling is what led me into the media industry. I wanted to tell the stories of everyday citizens. I always believed that stories would teach, educate and engage an audience.

The main thing I learned from my experiences at UC Davis is how to tell a great story. My professors not only taught me how to ask the correct questions when dealing with a story, but how to analyze it as well. They taught me to question everything. They taught me how to organize my thoughts and how to make them compelling stories. I learned that without these tools I would have failed very quickly in the media industry.

On a daily basis I am calling public agencies asking questions about a story, or I’m out in the field asking questions and analyzing a story; trying to find new angles to it.

These types of situations don’t just pertain to my job.

If you’re thinking about majoring in English at UC Davis it’s mostly likely because you too have a love of reading, writing or sharing stories.

The tools my professors and peers taught during my time with the UC Davis English Department really taught me how to think outside the box.