Kellie Ell - Fall 2007

Kellie EllAfter several years in and out of college, switching majors from architecture to art to media studies, I feel like I've finally found my niche in journalism. Originally from Connecticut, I relocated to the West Coast shortly after high school. Although I started out as a photojournalism major at San Francisco State University, I enjoy all aspects of the business and decided to pursue both writing and photography. I love that I can tell a different story through the use of language or photos about one subject.

My studies in print journalism, photojournalism and foreign languages, such as American Sign Language and Spanish, have been essential in helping me understand and appreciate new people and different cultures. With these tools I am able to narrate, each time in a different language and a new voice, whether it be English, Spanish or through images, supplying my perspective and hopefully offering a fresh outlook on the story.

My previous internships at the San Francisco Bay Guardian, Oakland Tribune, Haight Ashbury Beat Newspaper, Xpress magazine, The Working Press newspaper and for Flavorpill-SF, have helped me improve my storytelling skills and reinforced my desires to be a working journalist.

Before arriving in Washington, I took a trip to Orlando, Fla., to visit a high school friend, who is now an accountant. She has a "grown-up" job and a "grown-up" apartment. I was afraid I might break something or spill a soda on the sofa. That is when I realized I am entering a new phase in my life.

I haven't been to the Capitol since my eighth grade class trip, and I am excited to be back. I am hoping that I will find my own grown-up job and apartment. I see Washington as the beginning in a long and exciting path into a career in the media.

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