Zara Tucker's Fall 2022 Portfolio
My Time with the Poudre Press
My name is Zara Tucker and throughout this past semester, I have been employed with the Poudre Press at Poudre High School. During this semester I have learned a lot about designing and managing a website, conducting and transcribing interviews correctly, and writing articles that mean something to both me and the audience that I am writing for. The following evidence is a reflection of what I have done these past months and how I feel I have grown.
Evidence 1: The Aesthetics
As we began to plan our blogs, we were given complete and total freedom to decide what we wanted our blogs to look like. We were able to choose our main colors, the layout, and the organizational style that we wanted, and we were able to choose our name. I decided to write under a pen name, which was exhilarating because it was something I had never done before. Being able to create something that was truly mine was incredibly special, and I think I did a good job both creating it and sticking with it. During this process, I learned a lot about how to design a website and make it look cohesive as well as aesthetic. Before this assignment, I had extremely limited experience with creating and designing websites and I feel that this site is proof that I have really developed and refined my skills. The document displayed is a layout of a marketing design board which was my inspiration for this blog's look.
Evidence 2: Where I Started
Here is an article I wrote near the beginning of my employment with the Poudre Press that doesn't reach the levels that I wanted my writing to go to or to the levels that I believe it reaches now. I didn't have any spelling or grammatical errors in this publication, and I technically made the word count, however, the review lacked personality, and I didn't add pictures to the document at first. If I had added more commentary on my actual thoughts about the movie itself and explored my issues with it more deeply, I believe that I could have executed the article much better. This shows where I started out and how I knew what things I needed to improve.
Evidence 3: Recent Article
This article was written recently, and I was really proud of it. I feel that the title, The Glass Onion: A Clear Success was able to easily grab the audience's attention and that the content of the article had some substance to it. The Knives Out franchise is one that I am passionate about and being able to share my thoughts about the movie felt really important to me. I had a lot to say, and was able to put it all on the table in a way that was both grammatically correct and fun! I included pictures, several statistics from review sites, and my own analysis of the film as well as other people's thoughts on the film, in which I noted things I both agreed and disagreed with, in order to show viewers a wider perspective than just my own.
Evidence 4: Exposé Submission
The exposé process for me was a new one. In order to fully understand the group that I was covering, Model UN at Poudre High School, I interviewed the staff sponsor for the club, Mr. Condon, and several student members, including the president of Model UN at Poudre High School, Harper Piveral-Brooks. Additionally, I did a lot of my own research surrounding the mission of Model UN within high schools, and the importance of getting youth involved in politics. I took the idea for this exposé to the next level and connected our community at Poudre High School to both national and global events. I also insured that the members of Model UN at Poudre High School were able to share what they thought was most important about their group to truly get the important information out there. I was able to answer many of my questions through the interviews that I conducted, which was something that I had not done before this class. I feel that these experiences and actions have truly helped shape me into a better writer and reporter, and I have worked hard to refine my skills.
Evidence 5: Growth of Interview Skills
Before this class, I had never interviewed anyone, let alone transcribed an interview. Throughout this past semester, I learned the correct way in which to write down these interviews and make them easily understandable through labeling of dialogue by initialization, and the italicization of phrases to aid in comprehension. Throughout this semester I conducted over six interviews, and this practice has helped to prepare me for the future. Not only are interviews vital to collect information to include in writing, but they are also important for general communication about and with the groups that you may be writing about.
Evidence 6: Additional Successful Article
This was another article that I felt both passionate about and proud of. In this example, of the article on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, I expressed my feelings that weren't all positive. I knew what wasn't my favorite about this film, but I also understood why many people adored it and the importance of the Black Panther franchise in general. I included images, ratings from trusted sources, and my own thoroughly thought-out commentary. This article is evidence that I've grown in my ability to provide respectful commentary that might not be positive but is honest and well-explained.
Have I grown this semester?
I believe that I have grown a lot this semester in my writing, design, and communication skills. I have learned a lot about proper formatting for various documents including interview transcripts, and I've also learned a lot about website design, which was something I had little to no prior experience with. I am not the same person I was before this class, and I will leave this classroom much more prepared than I entered.