The first time I flew in a plane, I was 19 years old and headed from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to San Jose, Costa Rica. I was going to study abroad during the summer before my junior year of college. International studies was my minor (journalism was my major), but I had never been more than
One of my favorite places is The Goodwill Bins in SE Portland. It’s everything a good thrift shop should be, filthy, unorganized, and dirt cheap. The Bins gets its name from its giant rolling carts of deep unknown treasure. They are stored in a warehouse that smells like something died in a leather trunk two decades ago. It
My career began as an intern for a television station. I was a senior at the University of Iowa and wanted to be a journalist. The internship allowed me to see just how beautifully messy the news business is. You can try to plan and research but at the end of the day – you’re driving
When I first met Shauna, she was eight months pregnant and interviewing me for a job. As someone who finds it difficult to brag, interviews are not easy, but her smile told me, “don’t be nervous”. I worked with her for one month before she had her baby. The moment that resonates with me the
The Daily Show did a bit on why Iowa shouldn’t be the first state in the nation to pick our next president. They made some valid points, but as someone who benefited from Iowa’s political pioneering, my views are biased. In 2006, I was a senior at the University of Iowa and worked for DITV
When you’re married to a medical student, there is a lot beyond your control. Early on, you learn to go with the flow. MCAT studying and medical school applications means you can hope that your spouse will get accepted into a particular school, but that’s about it. Once they’re in, you can hope for a
