Slightly Non-Sequitorial Update

Well, things are a little bit crazy right now. Work is really picking up and on top of that we start tech week for "Oliver!" on Monday. Suffice it to say, I have had little free-time for writing reviews. I hope to get something done this weekend as I will be seeing "The Tempest" at Wichita Center for the Arts on Sunday.

Since I feel bad for letting this blog fester away until my schedule clears up long enough for me to actually fulfill its purpose, I thought I would post one of my recent assignments from my Writing for Mass Audiences class. We had to interview a fellow classmate and then write a feature news piece on them for a print publication. I ended up with a 100% on my article and I'm very pleased with how it came out.

~Katie Doornbos

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Imagine a beautiful beachside sunset, the waning rays of light sparkling on the surface of the ocean. A woman is sitting on the porch of an ocean-adjacent home, typing furiously on her laptop.

While the setting may be a fantasy, the woman is Jennifer Grant, and she loves to write. She is majoring in strategic communications, but Grant has been writing for years.

"As a kid, I would put together mini-stories and give them to friends and family as gifts," Grant said.

Grant often turned to reading and writing to escape difficult situations at home. Grant's mother was married twice and struggled financially. Although times were tough, Grant was able to find solace in simple pleasures.

"My grandma would give me books to read and I would read them by candlelight," she said. "It was a way of coping with all the bad things that were going on at the time."

Although writing is important to her, Grant's desire for a family inspired her current goal of working in either human resources or public relations. She says that her own childhood has made her family oriented.

"I can manage, market, write, or do all of it within the confines of a 9 to 5 job," said Grant. "I want to have children and focus on being a great mom, which is something I didn't really have growing up."

Although Grant may never have her beach-side house and idyllic fantasy lifestyle, she remains proud of what she has achieved and hopes she can inspire others to do the same.

"Here I am. I worked my way through school, I'm the first person in my family to go to college, and I own a home and live a pretty good life. Anyone can do that, anyone can overcome anything."