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My work as a student editor and reporter at the University of Central Florida.

Editor-in-Chief, The Charge

During my final semester at the University of Central Florida, I led a group of 11 student editors as editor-in-chief of UCF's independent news outlet, The Charge. 

Working with over 75 student reporters, our team published nearly 400 stories over a five-month span. 

The time spent in this position taught me the importance of clean copy, communication and working with others. 

UCF Student Government

The Charge •

Meet Student Government's three new caucuses

UCF Student Government's three new caucuses are tackling more issues facing students — and they're doing it in a brand-new system. 
This semester kicks off the 56th Senate session for SG, according to the organization's website, which began meeting in April and lasts for a year. With it comes the inclusion of three new ad hoc caucuses: Inter-Campus & Transfer, Arab and Sustainability.  The three additions bring the total number of caucuses up to ten, according to the UCF SG website. "I t...
The Charge •

Resolution to upgrade business school lockers in the works, needs more than loose change

UCF Student Government is drafting a resolution that would urge the provost and university to renovate the locker room in the College of Business - with a price tag in the six figures.Student Sens. Chris Corelli and Jaci Lim attended a meeting with Paul Jarley, dean of the College of Business, Darrell Johnson, assistant dean of the college, and Sean Robb, associate dean of the college, Sept. 20 to discuss issues business students have expressed, including problems with the lockers in the Thomas...
The Charge •

Black Caucus wants to make Juneteenth a university holiday - again

For the third consecutive year, UCF Student Government's Black Caucus drafted and submitted a resolution that, if passed Nov. 28, would urge the provost and president to add Juneteenth to the university's academic calendar. UCF's 55th Student Senate unanimously approved a resolution in June 2023 to urge the provost to recognize the holiday, but they never got a response, Autumn Johnson, student senator, said.
"There was a no, I just don't know whose no it was," Johnson said. Johnson, sen...
The Charge •

UCF students prepare for Hurricane Helene with Knights Pantry

Knights Pantry didn't amend its item limit for UCF students gathering supplies, even with Hurricane Helene expected to hit Florida's Big Bend region late Thursday evening, according to the National Weather Service. Knights Pantry, located at Ferrell Commons, is a resource that offers UCF students with a valid UCF ID a five-item limit for food received through donations, according to the Knights Pantry website. It's open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday for the fall semester and offers oth...

During the Fall 2024 semester, I was The Charge's UCF Student Government beat reporter. I sat in on caucus and student senate meetings, interviewed senators and wrote about issues they were addressing on campus, including a resolution to have UCF identify Juneteenth on its academic calander. 

Orlando Sentinel 2024 Election Live Blog Coverage

Obviously, I hope it leans one way. I don’t want to make any headlines regarding which way. No predictions from me.

John Rhys Plumlee

I was fortunate enough to be granted the opportunity by my professor, Rick Brunson, to help with the Orlando Sentinel's 2024 election live blog coverage. 

My shift ran from noon to the polls closing at 7 p.m. 

I stood outside a voting precinct and interviewed voters as they exited, asking them what brought them out and what issues they found most important.

One of the highlights was speaking with former UCF quarterback John Rhys Plumlee, who drove down from Jacksonville that morning to vote in Orange County, his listed area of residency.

Read the article here

I am concerned if Trump loses, he will contest everything if he doesn’t win. Hopefully, there will be no acts of violence or retribution.

Alan Sims

Multimedia Journalism

In my second-to-last semester in the UCF journalism program, I took a multimedia journalism class that allowed me to learn new ways to tell stories. I got a perfect score on the two class projects: an audio slideshow story about O-Town Compost and a video project about a crossing guard who waved at hundreds of cars a day.

Over the course of a semester, I sometimes ventured off my beat and reported on a story from The Charge's assignment desk. These are some examples.

Clips include articles about mini moons, a new game on campus involving Nerf guns and zombies and how UCF received a private donation to restore its Pulse Mural.  

Other work

The Charge •

UCF plans to restore campus Pulse mural with private donations, officials say

UCF plans to restore the Pulse mural outside the Student Union using funding from private donations, according to university officials.The mural is a memorial for former UCF student Juan Ramon Guerrero and UCF alumnus Christopher Andrew Leinonen, who were two of the 49 killed in the Pulse nightclub shooting in 2016.
The Charge learned the news through a statement from Florida state Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith via email Wednesday."Years after our work to help commission the Pulse mural ho...
The Charge •

'UCF STANDS WITH Pulse' chalk mural appears on UCF campus

A colorful chalk mural saying "UCF STANDS WITH Pulse" has appeared on the school's campus as protests continue against the removal of the rainbow Pulse crosswalk by FDOT.  A rainbow-painted crosswalk, located along Orange Avenue at the site of the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting, was removed overnight Aug. 20 by the Florida Department of Transportation, according to a post on X by Florida state Rep. Anna Eskamani.The re-painting came nearly two months after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy...
The Charge •

Students fend off zombies in new game on UCF's campus

Zombies take over the UCF campus Thursday nights and the only defense is humans equipped with Nerf guns.A relatively new game has begun to take hold at UCF. Coming to the university last spring, "Humans vs Zombies" is an activity that combines strategy, fun and exercise all in one, David Lessman, the game's moderator, said.
"It's a fun way of getting people to work as a group, which is fantastic for just life in general," Lessman said. "But also learning how to change a strategy or learn...
NSM Today •

UCF's chemistry building set to undergo $40 million renovation in May

UCF's 55-year-old chemistry building is set to begin an extensive $40 million periodic renovation in May, its first renovation in over two decades, to address mold, broken furniture, an inconsistent HVAC system and more, Chemistry Department Chair Michael Hampton said via email.The chemistry building underwent a Facilities Condition Assessment report in October 2020 to analyze the state of the building's infrastructure and systems, said a communications manager familiar with the project via emai...
The Charge •

Does NASA care about the Earth's new mini moon?

A space rock about the size of a bus will be orbiting Earth for the next two months, but does NASA consider it a priority?Starting last Sunday until Nov. 25, an asteroid called 2024 PT5, classed as a mini moon, has been temporarily captured in Earth's orbit in a "horseshoe" path before it will break loose and hang around in Earth's neighborhood until Jan. 9, only to return in 2055, according to a recent study published by the American Astronomical Society.
Dr. Joshua Colwell, pegasus pro...
The Charge •

NASA postpones Artemis again; what keeps us grounded?

NASA wants to land on the moon for the first time in over five decades, but delays have pushed back liftoff once again.During a news conference Dec. 5, NASA postponed Artemis II, a mission to send four astronauts around the moon and back to Earth, until April 2026 – the second setback to the project in the past year.
An ensuing mission, Artemis III, which would land astronauts on the moon for the first time in more than 50 years, was also pushed back. It will be delayed until mid-2027, B...
NSM Today •

UFC Gym hosts new UCF striking club

Thousands of UCF students in the past decade have made this Winter Springs gym home to knock out the stresses of school.Mike Sawyer, owner of UFC Gym at Winter Springs for the past 11 years, has positively impacted over 2,000 UCF students with his establishment, creating a friendly environment for patrons from all walks of life, including a new UCF striking club.
"I think that the college students really value that it's like a home away from home," Sawyer said. "Here, they get to interac...

Editor-in-Chief, Centric Magazine

I served as the editor-in-chief for the Fall 2024 issue of Centric, the UCF student-run magazine. My responsibilities included approving pitches, setting deadlines and coordinating with the design team regarding the overall look of the final product.