As a native of Southern Maryland, I spent much of childhood riding horses and playing in the woods with my siblings. Even from a young age, I loved photography and would wander around our farm taking photographs of leaves, glass bottles, and sunsets with a disposable camera. When I was first exposed to photojournalism in college, I knew I had found my niche.

With my graduate studies complete, I am now sharpening my abilities in a yearlong photo internship at The Newport Daily News. From feature hunting to high school sports, I am seeking to improve my work on a daily basis and challenge myself to see everyday life a little differently. In May 2008, I plan to continue my career as a photojournalist wherever the future leads me.

In addition to formal educational pursuits, I have expanded my photojournalism experience by working at various publications at the collegiate and professional level. This includes previous internships at WashingtonPost.com and The Elkhart Truth and freelancing for The Washington Post, Bloomberg and Black Star.

My interest in photojournalism extends beyond the classroom and newsroom; it is a personal journey that I will travel for years to come. Exploring documentary photojournalism, I have pursued two projects. The story of Juanito, of which there are examples on my website, involves an undocumented resident whose family now struggles to provide adequate health care for him after his severe injury in an accident. Additionally, I have recently completed a documentary about the recovery of a local Indiana Marine that was injured in Iraq.