Marketing & Communications Writing Clips
Since February 2025, I’ve been a student writer for the Saint Michael’s College Marketing and Communications Department, where I’ve written more than a dozen feature stories for the college’s website.
Over this time I’ve learned how to translate campus life, research, alumni success stories and student achievements into engaging narratives that connect with a wider audience.
This experience has strengthened my interviewing, storytelling, and editing skills, as well as my ability to adapt tone and style for different audiences. I’ve also gained insight into how strategic storytelling supports institutional branding and community engagement.
Here are a few of my favorite stories I’ve written:
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Princeton computer scientist Dr. Arvind Narayanan visited Saint Michael’s College on September 11, 2025, to discuss his book AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference which was used as the Class of 2029 annual common text.
Narayanan challenged the audience to see where artificial intelligence ends and human responsibility begins. His message was clear: AI isn’t good or bad, it’s all about how we use it.
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For Saint Michael’s students involved in Team IMPACT, the game isn’t just about scoring points, it’s about forging relationships.
Since 2012, Saint Michael’s College has partnered with the national nonprofit to match children ages 5–16 facing serious illness or disability with college sports teams.
On the field and off, athletes aren’t just teammates—they become mentors, friends, and fiercest supporters of their new “teammates”.
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When Ashley DeLeon ’23 was nudged into her into her first film class her junior year of college , she didn’t know she was opening the door to her dream job.
Fast forward to today: DeLeon is contributing animation, audio, and even on-camera segments for Ms. Rachel, the viral children’s educational series now licensed by Netflix and watched by millions.
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Chemistry major Bethany Hayes ’26 tackled one of the world’s most expensive spices, Saffron.
Hayes was Guided by Prof. Shane Lamos and usrf the college’s state-of-the-art NMR machine (one of just four in Vermont), to develop a rigorous testing protocol to verify saffron’s purity and identify its key compounds like crocin, picrocrocin and safranin.
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When exit polls from the 2024 election caught her attention, junior Meg Clements ’26 at Saint Michael’s College zeroed in on a striking trend: young men in Gen Z, especially ages 18–27, are swinging more conservative.
Clement used a mixed-methods approach, literature review and focus groups, to unpack why.
She turned to research outlets like YouGov, Pew and Harvard Youth Polls, and even tapped into online communities like the “manosphere” to understand cultural shifts that textbooks haven’t fully tracked.
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Behind the observatory at Saint Michael’s College, what started as 1.7 acres of empty land has transformed into a vibrant campus farm marking its 10th growing season in 2025.
More than produce: it’s a living classroom. Students dig into soil health, food justice, climate awareness, and grow their own leadership along the way.
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This summer, digital media and communications major Olivia Miller‑Johnson ’26 turned her curiosity about the internet’s social and political ripples into an eight-week grant-funded research project.
She focused on how news outlets framed the policy shift by Meta Platforms that altered content moderation practices and redefined hate-speech guidelines.
Working under Prof. Sebastiaan Gorissen’s mentorship, Miller-Johnson analyzed coverage from six major U.S. networks (FOX, CNN, MSNBC, ABC, NBC, CBS) to ask: What story are you getting if you only watch one channel?
The Defender Writing Clips
For two semesters, I wrote for and led The Defender, Saint Michael’s College’s student-run newspaper, serving first as an Arts & Culture writer and later as Executive Editor.
In these roles, I developed a strong foundation in journalistic writing, editing, and leadership, covering everything from campus arts events to student perspectives and feature stories.
As Executive Editor, I managed a team of writers, edited content for clarity and tone, and helped shape the paper’s editorial direction.
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In this incisive piece for The Defender (Dec 10 2024), I explored how the landmark Title IX policy plays out in real life on college campuses.
This story was told through the lens of students at Saint Michael’s College who filed complaints after sexual-assault allegations.
The story balances firsthand accounts of procedural frustration with institutional perspectives on neutrality, investigation timelines, and mental-health support under Title IX’s framework.
It raises the question: when the system is designed to be fair, is it also effective and supportive?
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As Executive Editor I issued a passionate call to action: the student-run paper at Saint Michael’s College is at a crossroads. With the administration considering turning it from a for-credit class into a club, this editorial argues that doing so would undermine the paper’s mission.
The editorial describes how serious newsroom work, and the commitment it demands, which can’t thrive without the structure, credit, and rigor of a classroom.
The message is clear: preserve the integrity of the 77-year-old publication before it risks becoming a relic of student media.
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In this Nov 8, 2024 piece for The Defender, which ran the day following the election I examined the return of Donald J. Trump to the White House and what it could mean on issues like abortion, climate policy, gun rights, education and the economy.
The article blends fresh quotes from St. Mike’s students processing the news with expert insight from political science Professor, Stephon Boatwright on how long-term shifts in regulation, voting power and political culture might play out under a second Trump presidency.
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This story follows the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in response to more than 25 new abuse lawsuits and decades of unresolved allegations.
This piece weaves together the institution’s financial collapse with the real‑life consequences experienced by parish communities, college students, and clergy at Saint Michael’s College.
The story captures the tension, the hope, the uncertainty and insists on honest questioning in the face of legacy and liability.
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This piece covers how the Vermont Jewish community, along with students from Saint Michael’s College came together to mark the one‑year anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks in Israel.
The story blends vivid personal reflections with an exploration of how the anniversary reverberates locally: mourning together, strengthening community ties, and confronting the realities of identity, safety and global connection.
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With the mid‑term election just weeks away, students at Saint Michael’s College expressed frustration: where are the spaces to discuss politics and make a difference on campus?
Two political‐science majors found the door shut when they tried to found a club for Democrats but were blocked under the student government’s constitution, because partisan clubs aren’t allowed.
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This investigative piece analyzes how the Student Government Association at Saint Michael’s College is allocating a roughly $230,000 student‑fee budget, highlighting surprising spending decisions and shifts in priorities.
The article reveals that a community‑service grant program was eliminated, nearly $30,000 was directed to the yearbook despite dwindling participation, and over $96,000 was split among 31 clubs, all while enrollment declines and student fees rise.
The story asks a critical question: when students are paying, shouldn’t they know where the money is going and have a say in how it is allocated?