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EDUCATION

Master Gardener Volunteer Program | Dec 2024
Extension: University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn.

International Symposium on Human Identification | 2017 - present
ISHI annual workshops on DNA identification, Investigative Genetic Genealogy & disaster preparedness / responses.

Master's of Mass Communications | May 2011
Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Communication : Arizona State University, Phoenix, Ariz.

Bachelor of Arts | May 2007
University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kan.
Political Science and International Studies, with minor in African & African-American Studies
Global Awareness Program, Honors Program & Pi Sigma Alpha Member

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Chronicler
SRPMIC, Scottsdale, Ariz. | May – December 2021
Designed and carried out a review of the impact of COVID-19 on SRPMIC government and community through interviews and primary source material collection.

Reporter
The New York Times, New York City, N.Y. | January 2013 to April 2020
Stringer for breaking news and press event coverage in Arizona with a focus on metro Phoenix, depth reporting and background records research for individuals and court cases.

Researcher
SRPMIC, Scottsdale, Ariz. | Fall 2019
Sign design, fact checking and copy editing for the USS Arizona Memorial Gardens at Salt River.

Book assistant: Phoenix, Ariz. | 2014 - 2021
In depth subject research, locating and contacting sources, interviews, transcription, social media and website support, content reviews and narrative feedback on pitch and manuscript drafts.
• Kristin Grady Gilger, There's No Crying in Newsrooms: What Women Have Learned about What It Takes to Lead, Nov 2021
• Terry Greene Sterling, Driving While Brown: Sheriff Joe Arpaio versus the Latino Resistance, April 2021
• Fernanda Santos, The Fire Line: The Story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, May 2016
• Bill Murphy, Jr., various projects during 2014

Fixer
La Frontera: A Somethin' Else production for BBC Radio 4 | Nov to Dec 2016
Coordinated fieldwork between producer, presenter and local sources for interviews on La Frontera program topics.

Content consultant | NMIEL Lab
ASU's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Communication, Phoenix, Ariz. | Sept. 2015-May 2016
Led students through project management, networked with related sources, guided students in fieldwork to collect multimedia content including 360 video content and collaborated with students and technology consultant to develop several versions of the project in virtual reality and 360 video. Final version available in formats for Android, iPhone and YouTube.

Reporter
The Journalism Institute on Children and Families, College Park, Md.NMIEL Lab,July-November 2014
Pitched, reported and produced a multimedia, depth reporting project on the overlap of immigration status and domestic violence resources for women (citizen, documented and undocumented) in Maricopa County.

Reporter
Freelance, Phoenix, Ariz. | June 2012 to present
Covering breaking news and developing feature stories including photos, video and other media content for the multiple publications including: The New York Times, The Tucson Sentinel and Missing from Mexico.

Web Producer
RightThisMinute, Phoenix, Ariz. | October 2011 to June 2012
Writing website copy, source scraping and publishing broadcast content of at least 25 stories nightly both to the satellite uplink and to the program website.

Reporter
Cronkite News Service, Phoenix, Ariz. | August 2010 to May 2011
Produced daily text stories augmented with media; developed feature stories and depth projects including photos, video and other media content. Stories were published on Cronkite News site and by state publications including The Arizona Republic, Arizona Capitol Times, Arizona Daily Star and the East Valley Tribune.

Reporter & Carnegie-Knight fellow
News21, Phoenix, Ariz. | May 2010 to July 2010
Reported in-depth on U.S.-Mexico border issues, producing stories as well as photos, video and interactive media.

Research / Teaching Assistant
Arizona State University, Phoenix, Ariz. | August 2009 to May 2011
Assisted professors with their research projects and classes.

ADDITIONAL CERTIFICATIONS

COVID-19 Contact Tracing
Johns Hopkins University | Sept 2020

Making Contact: A Training for COVID-19 Contact Tracers
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials | July 2020

TECHNICAL PROFICIENCY

AWARDS & HONORS

Association for Education in Journalism & Mass Communication
• Team Innovation, First Place 2010 - "The ASU News21 Project : Latino America"
• Team Innovation, First Place 2010 - "Streets of Dreams"

Society of Professional Journalists, Region 11 Mark of Excellence Awards
• Feature Writing-4 year college / University, Second Place 2010 - "Trapped in Violence"
• Online in-depth reporting, Second Place 2010 - "News21 Latino America : Dealing with the Dead"
• Online in-depth reporting, Third Place 2010 - "News21 Latino America : The Women"
• Online News Reporting, Third Place - "Live Election Coverage by Cronkite News staff, ASU"

Broadcast Education Association
• Best of Festival - Interactive Multimedia, Group Authorship 2010 - "Streets of Dreams"

INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE

United Arab Emirates: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah
Arizona State University | December 2009 to January 2010
Developed stories and photos for interdisciplinary group project on architecture, healthcare, media and sustainability in Dubai. Participated in design and development of group project site.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Kinshasa, Goma, Bukavu
Mama Makeka House of Hope | January 2008
Interviewed politicians, activists, students, educators, health workers and civilians about current events, governmental and non-governmental organizations for depth documentary project.

New Zealand
January 2006
Toured cultural sites on North Island including Matamata, Ruapehu, Hastings, Napier, and Hawkes Bay, and environmental sites including Milford Sound, Dunedin, Oamaru, and Akaroa on South Island.

European Institute: Paris, Strasbourg, Brussels, Budapest, Vienna, London
University of Kansas | June 2005
Developed depth project on international organizations through on-site research, lectures, meetings and interviews with officials from the European Union, International Court of Justice, World Bank, United Nations, and Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

Israel: Ein Gev, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem
Taglit | January 2004
Participated in discussion panels, lectures and workshops on current events, media, politics, history, religion and culture.

France: Paris, Strasbourg, Chartres
May 2002
Explored art, architecture and cultural sites while translating for other group members.

Italy: Rome, Naples, Pompeii, Ostia
Bishop Seabury Academy | March 1999
Experienced cultural events and hands-on educational activities at historical sites and museums. Attended lectures on architecture, history and linguistics.

Languages: English (fluent), French (conversational), Latin (reading)

ADDITIONAL WORK HISTORY

Customer Service Representative
Sunflower Broadband, Lawrence, Kan. | Sept. 2007 to Oct. 2008
Aiding subscribers with a very wide variety of technical, service, and billing questions in a calm, assuring manner while extracting accurate on site information about topics from service malfunctions to equipment setup.

Clerk
The UPS Store, Lawrence, Kan. | Spring 2006 to Fall 2007
Parcel procedure includes rating and processing packages for shipping by separate systems of UPS or USPS and packing boxes to UPS standards for shipping. Also processing diverse range of print jobs and document finishing.

Student hourly: Office of the University Registrar
University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas | May 2003 to March 2006
Aiding students with enrollment, insurance verification, and transcript processing and delivery. Developing and administering training program for new hires. Managed and maintained student information databases.

Concessions, Floor, Usher, Box/Cashier
Southwind Theatres, Lawrence, Kan. | Summer 2001- Fall 2003
Learned to work with a wide variety of coworkers and customers. Obtained stocking and food preparation skills. Obtained crowd management experience (including drills for emergency situations). Retail experience in food services and in ticket sales.

Clerical
Target, Lawrence, Kan. | Summer 2001
Maintained employee schedules and store records while answering phones.

Referee | Kaw Valley Soccer Association, Lawrence Parks and Recreation, USD497
Lawrence, Kan. | Spring 1997 to Summer 2000
Obtained certification through Fédération Internationale de Football Association and refereed U6 through High School C-Team games. Managed officiating teams and kept game records.

Exploring is as much about people and ideas as it is about places.

After a few years of adventures from Alaska to Maryland, my family settled down in Lawrence, Kansas. There I started school, survived junior high and wrote for the student section of the local paper as a high school student. Then I completed a double major in political science and international studies at the University of Kansas.

Afterwards, wanting to tell stories to the best of my ability led me to Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School so that I could hone reporting skills from interviewing to fact checking and technical skills from photography to video editing.

Now I continue to combine my interests, skills, and training for collecting multimedia and telling diverse stories. Whether it's with video cameras, tape recorders, photography or my notebook and pen, I want to share stories that come alive with sights, sounds, taste and smells.

home page about portrait credit : Lauren Gilger