Lacy Papai - Spring 2000

Give me a six-hour city council meeting with absolutely no news value and even fewer quotes any day, just do not make me write a biography! But here goes....I'm a junior at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. I will graduate in 2002 with both my B.S .in journalism and my master's in something else, probably political science. I came to Washington and the Scripps Howard Foundation Wire with a year and a half of writing for The Post, OU's independent student daily newspaper. I wrote mostly enterprise stories my freshman year on the In-Depth staff, as well as covering a few different elections and speakers. This past quarter, I covered the university administration, one of the most frustrating beats a college reporter can ever have. College administrations are only slightly less frustrating than rush hour in the District. I also was secretary of OU's chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists and worked with the Honors College Advisory Council. OU has a very active honors college, and I was enrolled in it. I carried a heavy course load (more than 17 hours a quarter) along with my 30 to 40 hours a week of reporting. Here in Washington (a.k.a. Mecca), I expect to learn much more about my trade. I am looking forward to living and reporting in the District, as well as making those all-important contacts for the future. I hope to work my way back here someday, after reporting for local newspapers.

***