My name is Gabrielle and I am a senior double major in Dance and Human Health. I went to a performing arts high school where I took creative writing classes for all four years. I graduated from the program as a proficient but reluctant fiction writer. Fiction is the genre I love to read, so I assumed it would be the genre I would enjoy writing. In reality, I had no interest in it.
My Emory classes asked me to write in new styles and formats, exploring topics I never would have touched in a fiction writing class. I found that I loved writing essays about Communist influences on ballet, the feminist implications of the zero waste movement, and every other niche topic I could come up with. Last year, I took a health journalism class and everything clicked into place. Journalism is a form of storytelling that relies on facts, arguments, and communication. Reporting on health issues allows me to use my expertise to educate and make health topics accessible. I am now in my second semester of reporting for the Center for the Study of Human Health’s blog, Exploring Health.
This semester, I am looking forward to finding more niche topics to write about. I am interested to see how I can translate some of the skills I have developed in writing journalism to writing essays. I have some worries about keeping up with the readings, but am excited for everything on the syllabus and am eager to explore all of the topics of this class. As a queer person, I am also excited to finally take a class where I see my identity abundantly represented. It’s about time!