What was your first job as a journalist?
A youth column writer for a regional daily at 20, or being part of the campus paper throughout college if that counts as a job.
Have you ever used a typewriter?
Yes, I have one that's a keepsake from when I worked for a regional daily newspaper.
How is social media changing news?
It's has increased accessibility and enabled journalists to report in real-time, but it's also seeded and empowered a lot of disinformation.
Who's your favorite fictional journalist?
Joan Callamezzo of Parks and Recreation, Sloan Sabbith of The Newsroom, and Nancy Wheeler of Stranger Things.
How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?
Shoot me an e-mail, let's collaborate and work together.
What's your favorite social network?
Instagram, because I'm a very visually-inclined person. Photography is also a small hobby of mine.
Why did you become a journalist?
I started as a student editor of our school paper in elementary school, everything just snowballed from there.
Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?
Yes, I contributed some naive fiction and poetry. I was more active in the school paper when I was in college when I headed The Cental Echo.
What story are you most proud of writing or working on?
Writing COVID-19-related community stories in 2020 during the height of the lockdowns was both arduous and inspiring.
What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?
Build a body of work you can be proud of.
What's the worst pitch you ever got?
"Want to write about me? I'm about to do this..."
What's your favorite drink?
Hot Matcha Latte
When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?
Probably at a coffee shop, an art gallery, or at a bookstore browsing titles in the Filipiniana or Asian section.
