The link I am providing in this post is to my current resume, which is based primarily off of my past and present campus involvement here at the University of Florida.
I am honored to have had the chance to take part in all of these wonderful opportunities, and to have something special to share about each and every one of them.
My personal information is blacked out for obvious security reasons. If you have a question about any item on my resume or would like to contact me about it, please e-mail me at embraun19@gmail.com.
Please follow this link to view the resume of Emily Braun.
Sunday, October 26, 2014
Sunday, October 19, 2014
New York: The City of Dreams (including mine)
Many times I have been asked what my dream job would be, or since a lot of my friends know that I want to be a reporter, they ask where I would like to end up.
I have a short-term answer and a long-term answer.
For the short-term, also known as when I graduate from college, I would like to end up where I can get a job. The goal is to start in a small town and work my way up, until finally I land in a top-five market.
The ultimate dream? To have my face on the television screen reporting the news on a major network in New York City!
There's much to love (and I guess, not love) about New York City. Some go for the Broadway shows, while others go for food, shopping, and touristy activities. Working in New York can be considered to be a symbol of success. But for a reporter, working in New York city means that you are the cream of the crop. It also means that people all across the United States can be watching you.
Yes, it's a hefty goal. But I do believe, as I stated in a blog post earlier, that I have the passion for reporting. It is this passion that I feel is my greatest asset as I go on from here.
Here's to the future that's always ahead, and here's to hard work that will hopefully keep guiding me closer and closer to my dream!
I have a short-term answer and a long-term answer.
For the short-term, also known as when I graduate from college, I would like to end up where I can get a job. The goal is to start in a small town and work my way up, until finally I land in a top-five market.
The ultimate dream? To have my face on the television screen reporting the news on a major network in New York City!
There's much to love (and I guess, not love) about New York City. Some go for the Broadway shows, while others go for food, shopping, and touristy activities. Working in New York can be considered to be a symbol of success. But for a reporter, working in New York city means that you are the cream of the crop. It also means that people all across the United States can be watching you.
Yes, it's a hefty goal. But I do believe, as I stated in a blog post earlier, that I have the passion for reporting. It is this passion that I feel is my greatest asset as I go on from here.
Here's to the future that's always ahead, and here's to hard work that will hopefully keep guiding me closer and closer to my dream!
An Embarrassing Loss, and a Disappointing Win
Last night was nearly a blowout for my beloved Florida Gators. We were favored by five points to beat the Mizzou Tigers, and instead, they slaughtered us with a final score of 42-14.
So what is a Gator fan to do when football stinks and there isn't much of anywhere else to turn? The answer is to turn on the Florida State game, of course. If we can't win, maybe, just maybe we can take solace in the fact that our rival team will be taken down with us.
I had heard that they were just barely keeping up with the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame during their halftime. So I turned on the game and patiently watched the back-and-forth until the clock ticked down to the last two minutes of the fourth quarter.
With less than one minute left in the game, it looked like there was a game-changing moment, when Notre Dame completed a Touchdown pass and took the lead. For all of ten seconds I was bursting with joy. But then...the flag was thrown.
Until I read this article about the Notre Dame pass interference call, I believed that the call was in poor taste. Although of course part of this came from the bitter feelings I have always harbored toward Florida State, I also did not see anything wrong with the play.
This article broke it down with images and explanations as to why the call was the right one. And no sign of loyalty toward Florida State or Notre Dame was present. So begrudgingly, I now agree with the decision.
Now as far as where this fits in with "sports news", as I mentioned in my news and sports post, I feel that the heat and debate about the game will be ephemeral. Even I, as a Gator fan and an anti-Seminole advocate, believe that this news was only huge in the moment, and the sting that I am feeling from this Seminole win (and Gator loss) will dull over time.
So what is a Gator fan to do when football stinks and there isn't much of anywhere else to turn? The answer is to turn on the Florida State game, of course. If we can't win, maybe, just maybe we can take solace in the fact that our rival team will be taken down with us.
I had heard that they were just barely keeping up with the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame during their halftime. So I turned on the game and patiently watched the back-and-forth until the clock ticked down to the last two minutes of the fourth quarter.
With less than one minute left in the game, it looked like there was a game-changing moment, when Notre Dame completed a Touchdown pass and took the lead. For all of ten seconds I was bursting with joy. But then...the flag was thrown.
Until I read this article about the Notre Dame pass interference call, I believed that the call was in poor taste. Although of course part of this came from the bitter feelings I have always harbored toward Florida State, I also did not see anything wrong with the play.
This article broke it down with images and explanations as to why the call was the right one. And no sign of loyalty toward Florida State or Notre Dame was present. So begrudgingly, I now agree with the decision.
Now as far as where this fits in with "sports news", as I mentioned in my news and sports post, I feel that the heat and debate about the game will be ephemeral. Even I, as a Gator fan and an anti-Seminole advocate, believe that this news was only huge in the moment, and the sting that I am feeling from this Seminole win (and Gator loss) will dull over time.
Monday, October 13, 2014
Sports, Sports News, News that Deals with Sports, or Hard News?
The topic of sports in today's culture is a highly popular one. Millions of Americans consider indulging in the sports fan culture as a satisfying escape from the demands of daily life. Sports is indeed SO popular, that it makes its way into non-recreational aspects of life as well.
It shapes our society as well as our understanding of today's society. It lines the shelves of many outlet stores. And, oftentimes, it makes its way into mainstream news.
Sometimes it's difficult to agree upon where to place incidents that relate to the sports world solely into one category listed in the title of this post.
A prime example of this is the Ray Rice incident. This is a story that has become so big, that even non-sports fans associate his name with some sort of negative connotation.
If something similar to this, but far less severe, were to have happened, it would probably only be briefly mentioned and written about in the Bleacher Report.
However, since the incident involved domestic violence--a subject that is a timeless, hot-button topic of news--and a celebrity, the viral sports news story became so "contagious" that it eventually hit the top stories of the hard news outlets.
It's amazing how quickly the story left sports, became sports news, gained momentum to become relevant news that dealt with sports, and ended as a hard news headliner. And if we are to be honest with ourselves, whether we are sports fans or not, the only reason why this story blew up news sites and social media is because of the supremacy and influence that our society places on sports.
The other fact that cannot largely be denied is that this story is interesting. It's something worth reading, because it's dramatic and antagonistic. People want to know good news sometimes, and they also don't mind checking out the quirky stories, but the bad news that deals with controversial, emotionally-charged topics is what many people know of and like to talk about the most.
As I mentioned briefly in my previous post, news today deals with the good, the bad, and the strange. Sports can fit into any one of these categories. Fans of the team that wins the Superbowl consider the proceeding story great news, Ray Rice's case of violence is bad news, and a superstar college football player who got drafted to an unexpected team may be considered strange news.
Of course, all three of those examples are still subjective, but not nearly as subjective as the my title's question. And just like sports events do not always fit neatly into a good, bad or strange story, the answer to the title question pertaining to any sports event will never be just one answer, either.
It shapes our society as well as our understanding of today's society. It lines the shelves of many outlet stores. And, oftentimes, it makes its way into mainstream news.
Sometimes it's difficult to agree upon where to place incidents that relate to the sports world solely into one category listed in the title of this post.
A prime example of this is the Ray Rice incident. This is a story that has become so big, that even non-sports fans associate his name with some sort of negative connotation.
If something similar to this, but far less severe, were to have happened, it would probably only be briefly mentioned and written about in the Bleacher Report.
However, since the incident involved domestic violence--a subject that is a timeless, hot-button topic of news--and a celebrity, the viral sports news story became so "contagious" that it eventually hit the top stories of the hard news outlets.
It's amazing how quickly the story left sports, became sports news, gained momentum to become relevant news that dealt with sports, and ended as a hard news headliner. And if we are to be honest with ourselves, whether we are sports fans or not, the only reason why this story blew up news sites and social media is because of the supremacy and influence that our society places on sports.
The other fact that cannot largely be denied is that this story is interesting. It's something worth reading, because it's dramatic and antagonistic. People want to know good news sometimes, and they also don't mind checking out the quirky stories, but the bad news that deals with controversial, emotionally-charged topics is what many people know of and like to talk about the most.
As I mentioned briefly in my previous post, news today deals with the good, the bad, and the strange. Sports can fit into any one of these categories. Fans of the team that wins the Superbowl consider the proceeding story great news, Ray Rice's case of violence is bad news, and a superstar college football player who got drafted to an unexpected team may be considered strange news.
Of course, all three of those examples are still subjective, but not nearly as subjective as the my title's question. And just like sports events do not always fit neatly into a good, bad or strange story, the answer to the title question pertaining to any sports event will never be just one answer, either.
Sunday, October 5, 2014
News- The Good, the Bad, and the Strange
When you're a news reporter, you never know where your day is going to take you. This is a standup reflecting one of the more unique stories I helped to investigate.
When I interned with WFTV News in Orlando this past summer, I shadowed reporters on stories ranging from LGBT awareness, to murders, to...people siphoning gas from gas tanks.
For this particular story, some person was drilling holes in city vehicles to make away with "free" gasoline. In reality, they were getting (maybe) up to $14 worth of gasoline, but causing hundreds...maybe even thousands of dollars worth of damage. Not to mention they were wasting time and probably money on the tools and means necessary to make the heist.
The question is, who would go through that much trouble? Surely this method of stealing gas is not nearly as cost-effective as just purchasing that amount of gas at the gas station.
Sometimes I wonder what goes through people's minds. But on the flip-side, quirky stories like these are what make the job interesting. These stories are the ones that I particularly love sharing, because they stand out from all the rest.
And to be honest, given my craving for variety and distaste for boredom, I love the idea of occasionally being sent out to cover this flavor of news. But to the unknown gas thief (if you're still out there), please stay away from my car!
Sunday, September 28, 2014
An Early Morning Fender Bender and a Good Samaritan
7:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning...I am awake and reaching for my keys to drive one of my sisters to her LSAT, which I happily agreed to do for the sweet soul who is bound to be an all-star future lawyer.
But on the way back, I drove cautiously, because I had this odd sense that my delirious and half-asleep state was bound to get me into trouble if I couldn't manage to hold focus until I had successfully retreated to my bed.
Pulling in the parking lot, I'm safe...nothing can happen now. Here's a parking spot, gotta pull in and...nope, this person parked way too close to the line, better go for the one next to it. Next spot, turning the wheel, about to edge in, and all of a sudden...
thud-thud-thud-thud-thud
I'm into another person's car. GREAT. So my negative intuition was right. But no use crying over spilt milk. I back away to assess the damage, checking the other person's car first, of course...
...Okay...the damage isn't SO bad. Honestly, they probably won't even notice. Perhaps my luck will be the same.
Turning to look at my car...and well, I got the brunt of it. My car is banged up with paint scratches, and a panel slightly disconnected from my headlight.
I opened my phone to call my parents, but just as I was about to do so, my bad luck made a U-turn. A middle-aged man approached me and asked to look at my car. I allowed him to do so, as I noticed that he was just coming from inspecting the engine of another car at my complex.
A minute later, he tells me that he'll be back with some equipment, and in the meantime, he tells me to run up and go get a rough sponge, some dishwasher soap, and a bucket of water.
He's a car repairman, or so he said. I believed him and welcomed his help. Perhaps my desperation for my car to look aesthetically pleasing again was my reasoning. Or perhaps it's because my training to become a reporter has made me way too comfortable talking to and trusting statements from strangers. Truthfully, it was probably a little bit of both.
Regardless of my doubt, I noticed that the man knew immediately what to do, and what needed to be done. That's something that no random stranger can pull out of thin air.
As I watched him carefully scrub the paint stains off of my car, and observed the results, I decided to give the guy even more credibility. He even went and scrubbed off the other person's car. But when I called my parents and told them what had happened, they were a little skeptical. They told me to ask some questions. Reasonable enough, so I got to it.
The man did not want to ask for anything in return. Fixing cars is his passion. He does not work with a company because he loves to do his work where it's convenient for customers. This sounded fishy, but I trusted my intuition again, which was telling me that there was nothing to be concerned about.
As the man took apart my car to fix the panels, he told me that he was diagnosed with cancer. He is fighting it with chemo, but working with cars helps him to get his mind off of it.
At this point, I was seeing how skillful he was in his maintenance work, and decided that it was time to be 100% certain that this man was credible and honest. And so, I went to the woman he was helping before me...
She had nothing but glowing things to say. She had gotten the recommendation from a friend, and said that he was one of the sweetest, most honest men she had ever encountered. She said that the cancer he mentioned used to be terminal, but now he just needs to follow up with the doctor to make sure that he can recover.
Now my mind was made up, and I returned outside to see the progress on my car.
And this is what I saw:
Now I'm not sure if you can tell from this picture that something was ever wrong, because I sure can't. In fact, in snapping this picture, I zoomed in and out to see if there was a clear mark that would show up. But trust me when I say that if I had thought to take a "before" picture, you would be just as amazed as I was when I saw what this kind man had done.
I took down John's phone number, and told him I would call him if anything else ever happened. I also told him that we would be sending him a check for his services.
In a community where safety is a huge concern, there is still room for hope and trust. There's still reason for us not to put up a red flag if someone steps up and lends their hand to help, because as much as we think it is always true, there is certainly NOT always an ulterior motive, or something they wish to ask in return.
At the end of the morning, the man and I helped each other. He fixed my car, and I gave him the chance to fuel his passion, and divert his attention from his battle with cancer.
I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason. In doing a small kindness for my friend, I was meant to carelessly collide into that car, so that I may meet this man and unknowingly do him a kindness as well, as he certainly did me one.
And as a parting note, if any of you reading this post get into a fender bender, or need help jumping your car, I know a guy who is pretty amazing and can help you out in a jiffy.
But on the way back, I drove cautiously, because I had this odd sense that my delirious and half-asleep state was bound to get me into trouble if I couldn't manage to hold focus until I had successfully retreated to my bed.
Pulling in the parking lot, I'm safe...nothing can happen now. Here's a parking spot, gotta pull in and...nope, this person parked way too close to the line, better go for the one next to it. Next spot, turning the wheel, about to edge in, and all of a sudden...
thud-thud-thud-thud-thud
I'm into another person's car. GREAT. So my negative intuition was right. But no use crying over spilt milk. I back away to assess the damage, checking the other person's car first, of course...
...Okay...the damage isn't SO bad. Honestly, they probably won't even notice. Perhaps my luck will be the same.
Turning to look at my car...and well, I got the brunt of it. My car is banged up with paint scratches, and a panel slightly disconnected from my headlight.
I opened my phone to call my parents, but just as I was about to do so, my bad luck made a U-turn. A middle-aged man approached me and asked to look at my car. I allowed him to do so, as I noticed that he was just coming from inspecting the engine of another car at my complex.
A minute later, he tells me that he'll be back with some equipment, and in the meantime, he tells me to run up and go get a rough sponge, some dishwasher soap, and a bucket of water.
He's a car repairman, or so he said. I believed him and welcomed his help. Perhaps my desperation for my car to look aesthetically pleasing again was my reasoning. Or perhaps it's because my training to become a reporter has made me way too comfortable talking to and trusting statements from strangers. Truthfully, it was probably a little bit of both.
Regardless of my doubt, I noticed that the man knew immediately what to do, and what needed to be done. That's something that no random stranger can pull out of thin air.
As I watched him carefully scrub the paint stains off of my car, and observed the results, I decided to give the guy even more credibility. He even went and scrubbed off the other person's car. But when I called my parents and told them what had happened, they were a little skeptical. They told me to ask some questions. Reasonable enough, so I got to it.
The man did not want to ask for anything in return. Fixing cars is his passion. He does not work with a company because he loves to do his work where it's convenient for customers. This sounded fishy, but I trusted my intuition again, which was telling me that there was nothing to be concerned about.
As the man took apart my car to fix the panels, he told me that he was diagnosed with cancer. He is fighting it with chemo, but working with cars helps him to get his mind off of it.
At this point, I was seeing how skillful he was in his maintenance work, and decided that it was time to be 100% certain that this man was credible and honest. And so, I went to the woman he was helping before me...
She had nothing but glowing things to say. She had gotten the recommendation from a friend, and said that he was one of the sweetest, most honest men she had ever encountered. She said that the cancer he mentioned used to be terminal, but now he just needs to follow up with the doctor to make sure that he can recover.
Now my mind was made up, and I returned outside to see the progress on my car.
And this is what I saw:
Now I'm not sure if you can tell from this picture that something was ever wrong, because I sure can't. In fact, in snapping this picture, I zoomed in and out to see if there was a clear mark that would show up. But trust me when I say that if I had thought to take a "before" picture, you would be just as amazed as I was when I saw what this kind man had done.
I took down John's phone number, and told him I would call him if anything else ever happened. I also told him that we would be sending him a check for his services.
In a community where safety is a huge concern, there is still room for hope and trust. There's still reason for us not to put up a red flag if someone steps up and lends their hand to help, because as much as we think it is always true, there is certainly NOT always an ulterior motive, or something they wish to ask in return.
At the end of the morning, the man and I helped each other. He fixed my car, and I gave him the chance to fuel his passion, and divert his attention from his battle with cancer.
I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason. In doing a small kindness for my friend, I was meant to carelessly collide into that car, so that I may meet this man and unknowingly do him a kindness as well, as he certainly did me one.
And as a parting note, if any of you reading this post get into a fender bender, or need help jumping your car, I know a guy who is pretty amazing and can help you out in a jiffy.
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