I was born in downtown Manhattan and grew up in Brooklyn, NY. During the summer, I was a dog walker, walking upwards of 10 at a time amidst the busy NYC streets. Between the cracks in doorways and in the lobbies of buildings, I spoke with locals about their concerns, excitements and dreams.

I didn’t think I would go into journalism. When I was asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I said “Jane Goodall.” That response comes from a desire to make a difference in the lives of people or beings that are looked past or don’t have a voice.

It turned out that journalism was the perfect setting for building relationships, telling people’s stories and empowering communities.

As a higher education reporter, I write about the efforts to improve and the challenges the industry is facing in Massachusetts. I use data and multimedia visualizations as complimentary tools to communicate complex topics.