Sabrina Black

Throughout the summer just before I began the second grade, I sat in a plastic patio chair on the back deck with a spiral notebook and wrote stories. Each story started with an illustration of a princess or a mermaid and in the pages that followed the illustration I wove tails of the princess's curiosity, the mermaid's dreams, and the challenges they faced.

The days of writing fairy tales have passed, and now I continue my studies as a journalism student at the University of Oregon, where I am learning to tell people's stories and engage individuals with the images I create through writing and design. My writing specialties are primarily women and youth issues, though I always enjoy writing about anything that gives me an opportunity to learn something new. I also thoroughly enjoy writing about interesting or unique things people have done or are doing. While pursuing my studies I work part time in the dean's office, the faculty office, the graduate office and the student services office at the School of Journalism and Communication at the U.O.

I am currently in my final year as a magazine journalism student at the University of Oregon. My career ambitions vary depending on the day, but I never stray far from the pursuit of freelance writing. As I finish my degree, I am writing essays and articles in hopes of developing a name for myself by the time I graduate. It is a daunting task at times, but I believe the effort will be worth it.

In addition to the more traditional journalism practices, I'm also interested in immersion journalism and literary nonfiction. My eyes offer one perspective of the world and the events that take place, but what I want to learn now is how other people see it, and share those experiences. Everyone has a story, and I want to help tell those stories.

As well as being a student, I am also an intern at Ophelia's Place in Eugene. Ophelia's Place is a center for girls ages 10-18, where girls in the community can go to hang out, do homework, watch movies, use the computer, play games, do arts and crafts, and be safe in a positive and empowering environment. I am proud to be the media intern there and the women I work with are fantastic.

Though I assist with a number of outreach projects at Ophelia's Place, the planning has begun for the next Girls Rule! Parent-Daughter Fair, which will be held at Lane Community College on March 13, 2010. In the meantime, I am about to change hats at Ophelia's Place, and in the near future I will have a section of the website where I will post articles, essays, blogs, videos and more that represent the organization and the wonderful work that they do. I'll be posting links on my website once they become available. 

All that being said, it's time to write!