Most of you know that I'm a reporter. The natural follow-up question, then, is What do you write? To avoid any hokey answers or misconceptions, I've decided to answer the question in its most extreme form.
Below are some selected articles from my college paper, The Daily Aztec and my first pro job at The Wichita Eagle.
THE DAILY AZTEC
Spring 1996
So much learned in so little time - My first column, written as a wise-ass junior college transfer. Published May 16, 1996.
Cancel the Holiday plans - When the college football system failed Brigham Young, San Diego State also felt the consequences. Published Dec. 9, 1996.
Fall 1997
OK, why the gap? Well, I took an internship with the now-defunct Latinos magazine in San Diego that previous spring and really had no other income until The Aztec hired me back. And what a beat it was ....
'We gotta stay together'- The SDSU women's basketball team was coming off two straight Western Athletic Conference titles and was the team-to-beat in the conference. Enter Barb Smith. Things would never be the same again.
The Knuth hurts SDSU for 30 points - Toledo beats the Aztecs at home; this was my first game story on the beat.
Spring 1998
Hawaii rains on the Aztecs - The end began here, but nobody knew it at the time.
'I never expected this in a million years'- Nobody did. The team's best player comes back earlier than expected. What could go wrong, right? Plenty
An irreconcilable difference - Ruckergate's fallout continues. Looking back on it, I'm pretty proud of these two stories. I think they helped me convince folks at the Aztec the women's hoops beat could be newsworthy. Too bad the news wasn't always good.
Playoff hopes aren't over yet - And go figure, they weren't. The team bounces back from the Rucker debacle.
Fredrick went through hell to help SDSU - Maybe the best story I did that semester: A 30-inch opus on the team's freshman center, Alyssa Frederick.
Aztecs come up a game short - The final straw came during this season-ending road trip, as team captain Olivia DiCamilli got suspended. Can't get any worse, you say? Read on!