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Writing

I have many professional writing samples below. I have included articles from my time as Ship Life Editor (2024-2025) and Managing Editor (2025-2026) of The Slate, Shippensburg University's on-campus newspaper. 

The Slate •

The Texas Tenors brought a taste of Texas to Shippensburg

The Texas Tenors brought a taste of country, classical and gospel to the Luhrs Performing Arts Center on March 1. 
The Texas Tenors are a three-time Emmy Award-winning trio vocal group. The group began in 2009 and went on America’s Got Talent, finishing fourth in the competition, making them the highest-ranking vocal group in the show’s history. 
The show began with the national anthem before the group took the stage, decked out in cowboy boots, hats and glittery black shirts. They started with...
The Slate •

Disabled Students Union pushes for accessibility and advocacy on campus

Shippensburg University’s Disabled Students Union is pushing to make campus more accessible for students with disabilities, both in its infrastructure and awareness. The student-led organization was formed last year, and it has become a place for advocacy, resource-sharing and community support.
For many members, the group’s mission stems from daily challenges navigating a campus not built with accessibility in mind.
“I do not feel as though anyone is out to get me,” said Natalie Nichols, the DS...
The Slate •

Your World Today Commentary: Dealing with application obsession

I am graduating this May. My last edition of Your World Today explored my feelings of anxiety and excitement about the milestone (we’re down to 72 days). What makes me more nervous than graduating is the idea of finding a full-time role.
I have been able to gain a lot of experience during my time at Shippensburg University. I have had five internships in my field, leadership in on-campus organizations and plenty of projects to train me for the future. I feel prepared. I am prepared. But will an...
The Slate •

Marlon Aristy: Connection, Community and Change

“Watch your thoughts; they become your words. Watch your words; they become your actions. Watch your actions; they become your character.”
For SU junior Marlon Aristy, these truly are words to live by.
Aristy’s involvement on the Shippensburg University campus is extensive. He serves as the treasurer of the Latino Student Organization (LSO), a member of the B.R.O.T.H.E.R.S. Organization, a student facilitator for Building Bridges, a participant in the Reach Out Program and a Multicultural Studen...
The Slate •

‘PONIES’ Review: Spies, secretaries and a whole lot of secrets

If you are looking for a slow burn thriller that will have you yelling at the TV by the end of the season, Peacock’s new exclusive “PONIES” is the show for you.
Set during the Cold War, “PONIES” stars Emilia Clarke as Bea and Haley Lu Richardson as Twila. The women live in the USSR with their husbands, who work for the CIA. After their husbands die in a mysterious plane crash, the pair decides to return to Russia to find out what really happened to them.
The show describes two categories of peop...
The Slate •

Celebrating leadership and advocacy with the 2025 Gero Award winners

The Gero Awards were held at Shippensburg University on March 5, alongside the annual International Women’s Day celebration. 
The awards ceremony honored three members of the campus community: a student, a staff member and a faculty member. Additionally, three more awards were given to individuals at SU for their impact on women's safety, inclusion and equality. Among those honored at this event were Jenna Cornell, Sharnine Herbert, Ph.D., and Marsha Bonn. 
Jenna Cornell, SU senior, received the...
The Slate •

‘Woman of the Hour’ is unlike any other horror movie out there

***This review contains spoilers and mentions of sexual assault and murder.***
I love horror movies. My dad is a huge horror fan, so since I was younger, I’ve been indoctrinated by movies like “Night of the Living Dead” and “Halloween.” When I heard that Anna Kendrick was making her directorial debut with a horror movie named “Woman of the Hour,” I was shocked. Kendrick is an actress that I associate with movies like “Pitch Perfect” – I love “Pitch Perfect” so this is no shade – so this was unex...
The Slate •

Cole Pearson: ‘Be awkward, be cringey, be weird’

If you have spent any amount of time at Shippensburg University, you probably know Cole Pearson. In fact, Pearson is so involved that he can barely name every organization he is a member of.
When you walk across campus with Pearson, the connections he has fostered are clear.. He is not afraid to greet everyone he knows and is not afraid to be himself. Pearson sees each of his roles on campus as an extension of what he already does.  
“I go out of my way to be like, ‘Hey, how are you?’” Pearson s...
The Slate •

From cult classic to campus tradition: Shippensburg University’s “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” honors queer celebration

From feather boas to fishnets to fake pearls, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” has captivated audiences for almost 50 years, celebrating individuals of all shapes, sizes and identities and encouraging people to be themselves. 
“The Rocky Horror Show” first came to life in 1973 as a musical stage show in London. It was written by Richard O’Brien, who later starred in the film as Riff-Raff. The inspiration for the show came from science fiction and B-horror movies that O’Brien watched as a kid. The...
The Slate •

Open Doors, Open Hearts: Inside SU’s DiscipleMakers Christian Fellowship

DiscipleMakers Christian Fellowship, one of Shippensburg University’s most active student organizations, has more than doubled in size since 2021 and continues to attract students from all backgrounds interested in exploring faith.
The organization, commonly referred to as DCF, is part of the larger DiscipleMakers ministry, which began at Penn State in the 1980s and now operates on more than 25 college campuses across Pennsylvania. The SU chapter has existed since at least 2011, but its recent g...
The Slate •

Top 10 rom-coms of all time

Some of my favorite movies in the whole world are romantic comedies, or rom-coms. Rom-coms are movies that contain romantic plotlines, but those that are generally light-hearted and humorous. These films are often overlooked in the film world, as they are seen as “chick flicks,” movies that women typically enjoy that men don’t see value in. However, I think that many chick flicks can be valuable to the viewer. Aside from many being genuinely good movies, they are light-hearted and fun and can ta...
The Slate •

Holidays are still fun. You’re just lame

I have always loved celebrating holidays. Ever since I was a kid, I loved putting on a special outfit, whether it’s a Spider-Girl Halloween costume or a red and green plaid Christmas dress, and going to my grandma’s house to celebrate with my family. 
When I was about 14 or 15, I noticed that holidays didn’t feel the same. I didn’t have words to dictate why or how they felt different, they just did. I would put on my fancy Christmas Eve dinner dress, do my makeup and go to my grandma’s house, bu...
The Slate •

‘Voices of Peace’ highlights peace efforts, encourages student action

Have you ever wondered how you can change the world? Students in the Partners in Peace class sought to answer that question by studying past Nobel Peace Prize winners. 
Voices of Peace, hosted by the Wood Honors College’s Partners in Peace seminar, was hosted in the Tuscarora Room at Reisner Dining Hall on April 14. 
Voices of Peace was planned by the students in the Honors Partners in Peace seminar. The seminar is part of a larger international initiative created through a collaboration between...
The Slate •

Scott Pilgrim takes off in new anime

*This review contains spoilers for the new series “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off.”*
The series “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off” was released on Netflix Nov. 17 and changed the classic story around, with Ramona Flowers and friends taking the lead. 
“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” is one of my favorite movies, so when I found out last year that the entire original cast was coming back to voice their old characters in a new “Scott Pilgrim” anime, I was ecstatic. I watched the whole series in about two days and ab...
The Slate •

Kemi Adetunji and Theo Campomanes named 2025 Homecoming Royalty

Kemi Adetunji and Theo Campomanes were crowned Shippensburg University’s 2025 homecoming royalty at Seth Grove Stadium on Saturday.
Adetunji was sponsored by the African American Organization (AAO) and the African Student Association (ASA). Campomanes was sponsored by the Kappa Sigma fraternity.
The winners were selected based on a combination of community service, student voting, interviews and fundraising. The 2025 homecoming candidates contributed 80 hours in community service and raised a co...
The Slate •

Your World Today Commentary: Who do we mourn

"I think it's worth it. I think it's worth to have a cost of, unfortunately, some gun deaths every single year so that we can have the Second Amendment to protect our other God-given rights."
That is a quote from Charlie Kirk, a political commentator who was shot and killed on Wednesday, Sept. 10, at Utah State University during a speaking engagement. 
I couldn’t decide what to write about for my first column. Jayden, editor-in-chief of The Slate, wrote in her most recent "Your World Today" abou...
The Slate •

Shippensburg’s Art & Design Department adds faculty following recent retirements

Shippensburg University’s Department of Art & Design has filled key teaching positions after all four of its tenured faculty members retired at the end of last semester.
Professors Steve Dolbin, Ben Culbertson, Michael Campbell and William Whiteley stepped away over the summer, leaving the department without any tenure-track faculty for the first time in decades. Their departures came amid broader challenges for the university, including budget pressures, declining enrollment and administrative...