Writing

Embrace and endure the process.

I'm always asking: what's the what? That's what goes at the top of the story. You can only fake your way so far with nice-sounding words and descriptive language — to me, the best writing is writing that is clear and focused.

I've also learned that writing is a process. It takes time. My biggest lesson: get out that first draft like nobody's business, even if it feels like complete garbage. Then, the real refinement happens when you drag yourself back to it and do the work of revision. Find those rare sentences of gold and cut everything else (especially those unnecessary adverbs). Here's a few pieces I've written/classes I've taken that have shaped me as a writer.

Looking for a full list of my clips? Visit my professional journalism portfolio.

Case Study: The Apartment Lawsuit Story

Download

Headline: "Student lawsuit against HERE Seattle reaches preliminary settlement"

Publication: The Daily of the UW

Date Published: Feb. 26, 2024

Story Type: News Feature

Words: 1003

Wading through jargon. I got a tip from a student about some issues with the management of HERE Seattle, a mid-rise apartment complex close to the UW campus. One source led to another, and I soon talked to several people who had lived or were currently living in the apartment and gotten a better idea of their concerns, mainly the move-in delay that they claimed had been poorly communicated to them by the apartment management.

But the real news peg came from hearing about a lawsuit filed by a former tenant at the apartment and the arrival of a preliminary settlement in the case. Ensuring I got the facts right meant digging up records, checking the Seattle Municipal Code, and reviewing court documents, and distilling it down to a version readable to the general public. I worked on the story off and on and then took a break before I found out about the lawsuit settlement. The whole process took four months before the story was published.

A friend gave me a tour of HERE Seattle, and showed me the hot tub in the middle of the complex. (Photo; Julia Park)

A CANNED MEAT TRADITION

Fall 2020 | HONORS 230 Personal Food Essay

In Prof. Joel Walker's writing seminar, "Migration Stories and the Idea of America," we were tasked with writing our own op-ed food essay. I chose to write about spam, a food that has become a special reminder of my childhood growing up in a Korean American family. An updated version shown here was eventually published in print in Voyage UW, a student-run travel magazine I copy-edited and wrote for from Nov. 2021–June 2023.

Prof. Walker left us with this gem of advice: "Don't be afraid to make bold revisions." That advice stayed with me for the rest of college.

FROM PHYSICIANS TO FLIRTS: HOW THE HISTORY OF YOGURT CHALLENGES AMERICAN CONCEPTS OF RACE

Spring 2023 | HONORS 345 Final Paper

I love Greek yogurt — but is it really Greek? The answer surprised me. This paper gave me an opportunity to take full advantage of the university's huge breadth of historical databases and access to external archives. Yogurt used to be seen as a foreign food in the U.S., and its association over the years with different countries is a fascinating measure of the way people have been racialized in our country.

Read full paper

INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS INTERNSHIP

April–Nov. 2023 | University Marketing & Communications

My internship with UMAC, a department of UW Advancement that handles all branding and communications for the university, introduced me to copywriting for an audience. Tasked with helping produce the weekly UW Insider newsletter that goes out to university employees, I learned how to write short headlines for newsletter items and trim down copy with engaging calls-to-action and clear explanations of how a news item relates to the target audience. Tracking email click rates and organizing them into spreadsheets/reports exposed me to common metrics for email marketing. I also wrote an article about new faculty hires that taught me how to write on-brand, carefully curating the right quotes and details to uphold the UW's brand image.