In May of 2019 I decided to use my week off in between finals and starting my internship to travel around Nebraska and interview cattle producers who were affected by the bomb cyclone storms in March. I was disheartened by the lack of knowledge about the devastation around campus and wanted to gather content to use on my own portfolio. I contacted Nebraska Cattlemens Association & Nebraska Beef Council, and with their guidance, organized 10 different interview stops all over the state. Reaching out to producers I’ve never met before was very intimidating, but the result was so worth it. Hearing their stories of perseverance & passion through the difficulties they had to endure brought me to tears and warmed my heart. At the end of the week I was prompted by a mentor of mine to try and see if I could publish my work anywhere. Nervously, I sent my first ever freelancing pitch emails to a few large magazines I had looked up to, and got my first contract within 24 hours.

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