FEATURES AND NEWS WRITING
My journalism career began as a features staff writer at my college newspaper, The Mac Weekly. There, I discovered my passion for writing human interest stories and uncovering trends in everyday life. I continue to write features at The Minnesota Star Tribune, Los Angeles Times and Block Club Chicago.
Besides features, I write news, including quick-turn stories that finish within 2 hours, event stories, government meetings, service stories and general news assignments.
Now I report and write for the Oregon State University Extension Service Newsroom, focusing on youth education, health and science research stories in rural Oregon.
Farmer's market in Baixi Village, Sichuan Province
(Grace Xue/December 2023)
Selected Clips
Profiles & Features
This L.A. couple kissed on a bridge and went viral. Now they’re getting married [Los Angeles Times]
Couple in their 80s graduates from Skokie’s citizen fire academy: they rappel, douse fire, cut cars apart [Chicago Tribune]
Beloved ‘Mayor’ Of Armitage Brown Line Station Is Retiring In February [Block Club Chicago]
Juntos helped Yahir Santillan-Guzman find his path from The Dalles to Harvard [OSU Extension Service News]
Metro News
Jewish Students Punched, Pushed At DePaul In Possible Hate Crime, School Says [Block Club Chicago]
CTA Ditches Twitter/X, Angering Some Riders: ‘This is The Wrong Direction’ [Block Club Chicago]
Bally’s Casino Apologizes After Demolition Debris Spills Into Chicago River [Block Club Chicago] Co-byline | Role: Source development, contributed reporting and contributed writing
New Illinois Laws In 2025: What You Need To Know [Block Club Chicago]
Chicago Braces For Arctic Blast With Below-Zero Wind Chills [Block Club Chicago]
Health & Science
Bird Flu Suspected In Deaths Of Hundreds Of Ducks Found In, Around Lake Michigan [Block Club Chicago]
Skokie Pharmacists Stressed Under High Workload During Flu Season [Patch.com]
How Mayo Clinic became one of the world's most famous medical centers [The Minnesota Star Tribune]
St. Paul is a test case for Macalester biology prof studying the loss of ash trees [The Minnesota Star Tribune]
New research guiding OSU Extension’s mental health first aid training across Oregon [OSU Extension Service News]
‘Like a hug’: Food Closet aids recovery after hospital discharge [OSU Extension News] (Includes multimedia)
International Reporting (Multilingual)
Why Chinese students still want to attend U.S. universities [Los Angeles Times] Co-byline | Role: Source development, reporting, translation and contributed writing
In Tokyo, coffee meets cuteness in the company of capybaras [Medill Reports]
Youths & Education
Polk County 4-H holds blacksmithing workshops that are one of a kind in Oregon [OSU Extension Service News] (Includes multimedia)
New documentary brings Oregon’s Outdoor School experience to life [OSU Extension Service News]
Youth tractor safety training prepares Oregon teens for farm jobs [OSU Extension Service News] (Includes multimedia)
4-H dog projects teach Oregon youths skills for life and careers [OSU Extension Service News] (Includes multimedia)
Hyperlocal & Community
Humboldt Park Teacher Launches GoFundMe For 10-Year-Old Student Recovering From Car Crash [Block Club Chicago]
4-H’er sees his auction goat raise $26,500 for Make-A-Wish [OSU Extension Service News]
Cooking Matters helps Lincoln County Latino families shop, cook and eat healthier [OSU Extension Service News] (Includes multimedia)
Got Amazon Mailers? This Avondale Nonprofit Wants Your ‘Unrecyclable’ Shipping Waste [Block Club Chicago]
Economy & Data
A new Chinatown: Demographics, business landscapes evolve in Chicago’s 11th Ward [Medill Reports] Co-byline | Role: Source development, contributed reporting, data visualization, translation and contributed writing
Chicago Leads Nation In Inflation, Survey Shows, Leaving Residents Struggling To Afford Basics [Block Club Chicago]
Urban Animals
How Birdwatching Makes Chicago Winters Less Miserable — And More Magical [Block Club Chicago]
How Window Dots At McCormick Place Are Saving Bird Lives [Block Club Chicago]
Lifestyle
This must be Sawtelle -- Neighborhood Guide [Los Angeles Times] Co-byline | Role: Source development, location scouting, reporting, contributed writing
Your Guide To Chicago’s Holiday Performances: 36 Plays, Concerts, Improv Shows And More [Block Club Chicago]
In the 1970s, it was zodiac signs. The new icebreaker? Your Myers-Briggs type [The Minnesota Star Tribune]
Arts & Reviews
This L.A. artist turns wood scraps from guitars into midcentury-inspired art [Los Angeles Times]
Travel Through Time With Vintage Music At Black Ensemble Theater’s Latest Production [Block Club Chicago]
Bridgeport’s Zhou B Art Center Hosting Black History Month Festival Of The Arts [Block Club Chicago]
Review: Cirque du Soleil brings aerial feats to the Twin Cities in 'Corteo' [The Minnesota Star Tribune]
Food
China’s trendiest tea store opens first L.A. location (yes, there’s a line for Cheese Grape Boom) [Los Angeles Times]
Molly Tea To Open In Chinatown, Marking Popular Chinese Chain’s 1st Midwest Location [Block Club Chicago]
After Nearly 200 Years, Pennsylvania’s Yuengling Lager Available In Chicago [Block Club Chicago]