Highlights from my journalism career, with clips from the Staten Island Advance and the New York Sun
I started my journalism career as a 17-year-old intern in the newsroom of my hometown paper, the Staten Island Advance. My former editor, AJ Connelly, likes to say she “raised me from a pup.”
I learned so much from my time at the Advance and developed a real appreciation for my town and its colorful cast of characters. I learned how government works, mostly spending countless hours on cold, and occasionally rickety, folding chairs at community board meetings and MTA fare hike hearings.
Covering local news puts your finger on the pulse of a community. You learn about people’s passions, problems, pride, and pain, and, on a good day, you write something that makes a difference in someone’s life.
During my time at the Advance, I covered the transportation beat and crime stories. I attribute my strong empathy to years of talking to people who were suffering, whether from one of the longest commutes in the nation, or from a physical trauma.
Over the years I wrote hundreds of obituaries, which were actually among my favorite assignments, as strange as that sounds. I enjoyed capturing the essence of a life well-lived, and having a chance to bring some comfort to family members going through the worst days of their lives.
My time at the Advance was a wonderful experience filled with adventures, great conversations, and a deeper understanding of what makes New York City tick. I will be forever grateful for my years there.
Here are some of my favorite stories:
New Rules Aim to Get the Freaky Off the Ferry
I had the privilege of freelancing for the New York Sun, the paper that published the famous “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus” editorial back in 1897.
While there, I covered general assignment news ranging from low-brow — Bill O’Reilly’s sex scandal (a front page story on my very first day) and rapper Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s funeral — to high-brow — the Done Deals and Real Estate Q&A columns highlighting luxury living in New York City.
Here are a few of my favorites:
An Attempt to Turn an Empty Apartment Into a Daydream
This Broker Helps Clients Find the Lap of Luxury
Reading of Talmud Ends, and Begins, Amid Celebrations
Maura Yates 