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.

Fort Myers Beach sees big crowd Thursday, Dec. 27, 2018. Photo via WINK News.

Keeping the body cool amid extreme summer heat

Right now, with that heat and humidity on Sunday, the beach will be a #1 spot to keep cool. But even on Fort Myers Beach, with the breeze and more refreshing water, you have to play it safe. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said extreme heat causes over 600 deaths per year. That […]

Fire destroys home at Silver Tarpon Fishing Lodge Resort in Bokeelia

Fire ripped through a home on  Bocilla Lane in Bokeelia Saturday morning. According to the fire chief Benjamin Mickuleit, a mobile home is a total loss and a vehicle has heavy damage. It took 15 firefighters and five fire trucks to contain the blaze and prevent damage to a three-story home behind the mobile home […]

Encounters with wildlife more common during summer months in SWFL

The only thing that separated a woman from a bear in Southwest Florida was a glass door A homeowner in Golden Gate Estates posted about a close encounter with a bear on Facebook, and it’s not the only one recently. Wildlife sightings can become increasingly common this time of year. Some of them may be […]

SWFL cities stay proactive to protect against hackers stealing information

The City of Riviera Beach in Palm Beach County recently agreed to pay hackers $600,000. They sabotaged the city’s computers and refused to fix them unless the city paid up. We looked at security measures cities in Southwest Florida have in place to prevent this from happening here. Cities, counties and hospitals in Southwest Florida […]

Authorities say single tip was pivotal to hate-crime related arrest

The Fort Myers man who called mass shooters “heroes” and called for the killing of Jewish people, gay people and African American people in videos posted online remains in jail. Joshua John Leff, 40, is unable to post his $1.1 million bond. MORE: Fort Myers man arrested for threatening to kill minorities has bail set […]

Lee County nonprofit says shelters inundated with cats, need homes

Shelters in Lee County are dealing with an overabundance of furry friends in the area, and a nonprofit taking care of them says it needs help finding these potential pets new homes. The Animal Refuge Center (ARC) in North Fort Myers said shelters are inundated with cats Sunday. Shelters are running out of room, and […]

Nearly $8K in baby supplies stolen from Naples church group

Volunteers with the Gabriel Project at St. Ann Catholic Church in Naples say somebody broke into their storage unit and ransacked their supplies, leaving almost nothing behind. The group works with pregnant women and said they don’t know how they’re going to restock any time soon. “I just don’t know how we’re going to recover […]

Fort Myers man arrested for threatening to kill minorities has bail set at $1.1 million

Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrested convicted felon Joshua John Leff, 40, of Fort Myers Friday for threats he made in writing to kill minority groups. According to FDLE, investigators began looking into Leff after they were tipped of Leff’s activity online, using an alias and posting statements and videos inciting violence against minority groups […]

Gov. DeSantis approves millions for citrus industry, visits Bonita Springs

Boosting Florida’s citrus industry, the state will allocate millions of dollars to help restore it to its former glory. After disasters like Hurricane Irma and citrus greening disease, farmers have been struggling for years. Gov. Ron DeSantis appeared at the 2019 Florida Citrus Industry Annual Conference held at Hyatt Regency Coconut Point in Bonita Springs […]

Heat, lack of oxygen caused fish kill at Lely Resort park

Dozens of fish are now food for bigger prey. People are still searching for the answer of what caused a massive fish kill at a park in Collier County. It turns out the cause for the pileup could be heat. Over the weekend, witnesses happened upon a school of dead fish at Eagle lakes Community […]