Professional Experience

July 2018 to present: Reporter, WINK News. Previously worked as a resident reporter at WVVA in Bluefield, W.Va.; at ABC 7 Chicago as a news planning intern; at Dateline NBC as a story development intern; and at the Northwestern University's Medill Justice Project as a multimedia investigative reporter.

Awards & Recognition

Hearst Foundation Journalism Award for Enterprise Reporting.

Assistant produced 2-hour, Dateline episode hosted by Keith Morrison, “At the Bottom of the Pool,” aired Oct. 13, 2017.

Kappa Tau Alpha National Honor Society - lifelong membership exclusively for students in top 10 percent of their graduating class in journalism programs across the country.

National QuestBridge Scholar - awarded to the country's most talented, determined, and self-motivated students from low-income populations who demonstrate outstanding academic ability despite financial challenges.

News Philosophy

We consume news when we are gripped by the emotions making us all human — these are the stories that knock us off our feet. Tell the stories not easily seen that must be experienced through the emotions we all feel.

Hobbies, Interests & Community Involvement

Running and cycling! I love all of the fitness-inspired events South West Florida holds to benefit others.

Education

Bachelor of Science in Journalism, Northwestern University, Medill School of Journalism, Magna Cum Laude.

Likes best about Southwest Florida

I am so grateful for the hundreds of days you can spend outdoors with friends and family.

Hometown 

Keystone Heights, Florida.

Deputies still searching for answers a year after the Bell Tower shooting

Wednesday marks one year since two men were murdered, and two others injured, in a spray of gunfire at the Bell Tower Shops in Fort Myers. This deadly shooting is on the verge of becoming a cold case. With no evidence or leads, investigators say this still don’t know who killed Kevin Robinson, 56, and […]

Alico Rd. crash Monday evening. (Credit: WINK News)

Lee County ramp relieves congestion but your safety may be at risk

The driver who lost control and crashed into a pond Monday evening faces charges for careless driving and not having a license. But that was not an first time we have seen a crash there, as more dangerous wrecks keep happening on the Alico Rd. Interchange in Lee County. The scene Monday night was a […]

Outside of the City of Fort Myers Police Department. Photo via WINK News.

Fort Myers Police Department hires Donald Oswald as inspector general

Fort Myers Police Department has come under public scrutiny in the community for a lack of accountability and trust, so it plans to spend big money to change that. FMPD has hired investigator Donald Oswald as inspector general of the police department, hoping he will help to reverse the department’s reputation. The city plans to […]

Fort Myers man warning others after using e-cigarettes nearly killed him

On Monday, Britain confirmed its first vaping-related death. They think a factory worker’s pneumonia was caused by oil from an e-cigarette in his lungs. Meanwhile, Nebraska also just confirmed its first vaping death. More than a dozen people have died in the U.S. and hundreds are now sick. One father in Fort Myers wound up […]

New law leaves foster system scrambling to recruit more foster parents

A new law aims at keeping kids out of foster care, or at the very least, place them with families instead of group homes. It’s considered by some to be an overhaul of the child welfare system. There’s an overwhelming need for foster parents in Southwest Florida. Gus and Josh Shotwell are foster parents to […]

Jeffrey Parks. (Credit: WINK News)

Special Olympics athlete from Immokalee will throw out the first pitch at Rays game

Jeffrey Parks, a special Olympics athlete, will throw out the first pitch before a Tampa Bay Rays game against the New York Yankees Tuesday evening. Minutes from now, someone from right here in Southwest Florida will throw out the first pitch for the Tampa Bay Rays’ game against the New York Yankees. A Special Olympics […]

‘Parents of Murdered Children SWFL’ helps those who have lost loved ones to crime

Families united in tragedy. People who lost loved ones to crime gathered for a candlelight vigil in Punta Gorda Friday evening. “It was like watching a movie, because you’re watching TV and there’s helicopters and there are white sheets, it’s like, that’s us? That’s our family out there,” said Connie Ankney. Her son Greg, his […]

Police say suspect admits to hit-and-run, woman killed crossing street

Fort Myers Police Department is investigating a crash that killed a woman crossing a major intersection in Fort Myers on Wednesday. Police say a female suspect later admitted to hitting the woman after she dialed 911 and is now under investigation. Ileana Rivera Ortiz, 50, was crossing Colonial Blvd. near State Road 82 around 6 […]

Erik Papenfuss. (Credit: WINK News)

Collier County businesses balance increasing cost of living for employees

There is a push to get more manufacturing to Collier County. While more workers with specialized skills are finding jobs, the question is whether they can afford the cost of living. Some might call traffic and construction the soundtrack of Collier County. But now, machines are chiming in from growing manufacturing businesses. Erik Papenfuss, president […]

Officer of the year named at Law & Order Ball at Hertz Arena

Honoring all branches of law enforcement, Rotary Club of Fort Myers South hosted its sixth annual Law &Order Ball at Hertz Arena in Estero Saturday. Deputy First Class Donna L. Aiossa-McNally was named officer of the year. And K9 officer of the year went to Ruger, who works with LCSO and is known for being […]