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First, read "Finding Great Ideas." Your assignment is to
go on another “journalistic walkabout” on the BYU campus and surrounding
community. You should be getting used to these. Go explore something you have
never seen before or visited. Talk to at least one person you have not
previously met. Channel your inner Mike Kelly. Don’t come back until you have
at least three good story ideas. I want you to write a 500-word blog about your
experience. Use this blog to pitch your story ideas to us. And I want you to be
prepared to share your ideas in class. We’re going to talk about them.
Due: Jan. 20 @ 5 p.m.
Blog #3
ReplyDeleteKenzie Carlston
Upon looks she seems middle-eastern, based on speaking you might guess European, according to attitude and demeanor you might say American.
Today I interacted with a few students, new to me, coming and going from classes, waiting in line for a Jamba Juice and joining a different statistics lab. Although all of people I spoke with have different and meaningful stories, I was most touched by an experience off-campus.
My sister, Julia, had a new roommate move in with her for the fall semester. Her name is Aleena. I met her today.
Aleena has lived all over the world but has primarily been raised in Germany. Although she’s grown up in Europe, Aleena identifies herself as Muslim because of her biological and cultural background. Her parents were both born and raised in Iran; as a family they believe and practice strong Muslim beliefs.
Aleena moved to America independent of any friends or family. Her parents still live in Europe. Aleena learned English in school from her primary education in Germany. After school, she decided that she wanted a new experience. Interested in film studies, Aleena wished to explore the opportunities America might have in store for her. She had no idea where to start. Aleena grabbed a map and pointed to Utah.
She looked up flights to Salt Lake City, after googling the state capital. She booked a one-way ticket out.
Everything was pretty random from there. Aleena found that BYU had a language program that international students could attend and then apply to the school. Lucky for her, BYU loves international students, has low costs, and has a great film department. It all seemed meant to be.
Aleena has lived in Provo for over four months now. She loves it. She is doing really well in school and looks forward to attending BYU next fall.
While speaking with Aleena, I discovered a few really interesting things about her. Aside from the fact that she decided to move to America all by herself as a young adult and picked her new home based on the location of her finger on a map.
Aleena is immersed in the Provo scene. She has become good friends with my sister and goes to social events regularly. When I asked her if she was dating anyone she answered, “No, I don’t date”. At first I thought she was taking a break from dating to concentrate on school or maybe was making a joke about how no one asked her out.
Aleena explained that she loved her Muslim culture, that she loves and respects her parents and would never do anything to disappoint them. However, she was not attracted to Muslim boys and did not want to continue the traditional, cultural practices of a Muslim couple and family.
In Aleena’s culture, Muslim marriages are arranged. Couples do not date around and select their own spouse as they do normally here in America. For Aleena this means that she will continue going to social events, even interacting with males. However, she will never date because dating anyone would be turning her back to her cultural background and her parents’ beliefs.
3 Story Ideas:
• Aleena—Muslim, from Germany, recently moved to America (Utah)
• Tyler Nelson—Changed majors three times, working full time and going to school. Has always been told he couldn’t do everything that he really wanted but has ended up doing it all.
• Sarah Collins—a freshman who just applied to the London Study Abroad program. All of her aunts, her mom, and older sister have all attended the program and she is dying to get in and start
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ReplyDeleteI knew exactly where I wanted to have my “journalistic walkabout” when I read about this assignment. As a freshman one of my favorite places to go was the Monte L. Bean Museum. I have no idea why I liked it so much. I’m not that into wildlife biology or taxidermy or anything like that. But I found myself making the short trip there quite often.
ReplyDeleteBut I went on my mission and when I got back, to my absolute horror, I found the Bean Museum to be closed for the next 1-2 years for renewing. One of my favorite places on campus no longer existed. Through the many months that followed my desire for the museum faded even when it eventually opened again. But when I read the instructions “Go explore something you have never seen before or visited” I knew where I had to go. Technically I had been there before, but not in its new and enhanced condition. So I took up this opportunity to revamp my love for the museum and made my way over there.
As I looked around amidst the hundreds of displays of animals I felt as if a taxidermy stampede were coming at me. Never has a massive gathering of dead animals looked so beautiful. Whatever time with the Bean Museum was taken away from me was worth it as I realized the improvements. I knew there had to be a story worth writing.
Now I may not have been as frequent of a Universe reader as an up and coming journalist student should be, but I would have to guess that a story about the reopening of the Bean Museum must have been written at some point. But even with that in my mind I still wondered what these improvements in the museum have done for it. Has there been an increase in attendance? Have there been any great scientific discoveries made because of it? I don’t know, but there’s gotta be something. As I sat and watched patrons move throughout the exhibit I was wondering if any of them had also enjoyed the previous one and what their thoughts would be on this new one.
I struck up conversation with a few of them. Unfortunately most of them were fellow students younger than I, meaning that the old exhibit was closed before they came to school. And an older woman I talked to told me she had been to the old one, but didn’t even know it was refurbished until I had mentioned it. In the end none of these fellow patrons could provide me with any insight.
I knew if I was gonna get a story it would have to come through employees. I began talking with one and she knew a lot of the museum. I few things I learned is about Ken Packer, a graphic designer of the Museum and President Packer’s son. I learned that President Packer has bird carvings in the museum and that they apparently tell a story. She didn’t go into detail but that’s something that really interested me. I didn’t know that President Packer was a carver to any degree. I think if I investigated this further I could find a story.
As I continued speaking with her I learned more about why the changes were put into place. I didn’t know about any of them. If there were an article to come out talking about it it would certainly be news to me. That’s another story idea. And the third story idea is about how the museum actually benefits the Life Science students here at BYU. With the addition of the new Life Sciences building there is more that the museum can do.
Of course more research is needed if these could be solid stories. But they interest me. Perhaps they will interest other readers.