Home Featured Articles Portfolio Contact

Featured Articles

Check out some of the stories I'm most proud of! Find more details about my work at The Austin Chronicle and The Daily Texan using the menu above, and you can view my full portfolio below.

The Daily Texan •

Arrested pro-Palestine student protesters share stories from Travis County Jail

Anne-Marie Jardine and two other people locked arms on the South Lawn at 3:15 p.m. on Wednesday, April 24 as police officers and state troopers pushed back the crowd of pro-Palestine protesters.
One officer grabbed the demonstrator next to Jardine while another said to Jardine, “I’m going to get you too.”
He pulled Jardine to the ground by her hair. Several more officers turned her onto her stomach and zip-tied her hands behind her back. One officer dug his knee into her shoulder blade.“My shoes...
The Austin Chronicle •

When the Convention Center Is Demolished, 30 Years of Public Art Is Going With It

The colors inspire “moments of reverie.”

At least that’s how Margo Sawyer describes her piece, Index for Contemplation. From Russian tea sets to Buddhist temples, the work draws inspiration from all over the world. Each piece in the 40-foot-high sculptural arrangement has a story behind it, and their meticulous placement across the walls of the Austin Convention Center creates unexpected collisions of culture and color.
The Daily Texan •

UT’s quiet changes to its free speech policies: what to know

UT made changes to its free speech policies over the summer, ranging from small terminology changes to entire sections added. 
The University did not notify the campus community of policy changes. University spokesperson Mike Rosen said UT routinely updates its policies over the summer. 
The policy changes follow UT’s crackdown on pro-Palestine protests on April 24 and April 29. City and state police arrested 136 people across both days for criminal trespassing, but County Attorney Delia Garza h...
The Daily Texan •

Universities no longer protected from immigration law enforcement operations, what to know

Colleges and universities are no longer exempt from immigration law enforcement activities, according to a Jan. 21 directive from the Department of Homeland Security. 
The directive overturned a 2021 memorandum designating schools, healthcare facilities and places of worship as “protected areas” where immigration law enforcement operations should not be carried out. 
“Criminals will no longer be able to hide in America’s schools and churches to avoid arrest,” a Department of Homeland Security sp...

Controversial Definition of Antisemitism at Universities Would Limit Criticism of Israel

The Texas Senate Committee on Education K-16 heard public testimony last week for Senate Bill 326, which would extend a controversial definition of antisemitism to all student conduct policies at public universities. If passed, schools would use a definition set by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance to determine whether a student’s conduct violation “may have been motivated” by antisemitism.

The proposed bill comes after an executive order last March that required public universit...
The Daily Texan •

Department of Justice sues West Campus property management company for rent-fixing scheme

The U.S. Department of Justice sued a software company and six major property management companies, including one with properties in West Campus, on Jan. 7 for colluding to fix rent prices. 
The lawsuit claims six property management companies colluded to raise rent prices across the country using a software called RealPage. One of those companies is Greystar Real Estate Partners, which owns Hilltop, Union on 24th and Union on San Antonio in West Campus. 
Combined, the six landlords in question...
The Daily Texan •

UT Austin pro-Palestine encampment dismantled by law enforcement, over 100 protesters arrested: timeline

Law enforcement arrested at least 100 people today after protesters formed an encampment in support of Palestine on South Mall. 
The event follows similar encampments at college campuses around the nation and a Wednesday protest that resulted in 57 arrests, though all charges from Wednesday were dropped.
12:45 p.m. Around 50 people form an encampment in the center of the South Mall. They start chanting variations of “free Palestine” as some erect a few tents in the middle of the circle. 
1:10 p....
The Daily Texan •

Texas State Employees Union workers rally for higher wages following return-to-office mandate

Over 50 UT workers from the University’s chapter of the Texas State Employees Union rallied for a $10,000 across-the-board wage increase on Friday at the West Mall and along Guadalupe Street.  
The union said the University has not acknowledged the union’s demands since its last rally in March, where members delivered a petition to the University for a $10,000 across-the-board raise. Meanwhile, the return-to-office mandate compounded with higher costs of living in Austin puts more strain on work...
The Daily Texan •

Students, faculty, law enforcement clash at pro-Palestine protest

UPDATE: The number of confirmed arrests is now 57, according to the Travis County Sheriff’s office, as of 10:30 a.m. Thursday morning.
Hundreds of protesters chanted “free Palestine” and “off our campus” Wednesday after police officers arrived at a pro-Palestine protest, pushed protesters and made at least 34 arrests. 
The protest, organized by the Palestine Solidarity Committee, called for the University to “divest from death” following encampments at campuses such as Columbia and Yale, accordi...
The Daily Texan •

Palestinian-American stabbed in West Campus, Hate Crimes Review Committee to investigate incident

The Austin Police Department is investigating the stabbing of a Palestinian-American man in West Campus on Sunday as “bias-motivated,” and the incident will be reviewed by the Hate Crimes Review Committee, according to a press release.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Muslim civil rights organization, called Monday for the assault to be investigated as a hate crime. Tuesday, CAIR released a statement welcoming APD’s “confirmation of bias motivation.”
The suspect, Bert James Baker, wa...
The Daily Texan •

University introduces employee SB 17 training, continues web scans for potentially noncompliant activity

The University notified all staff Nov. 14, including student employees, that they must complete a mandatory Senate Bill 17 compliance training by February 2025. 
All UT employees must complete the virtual SB 17 compliance training every two years. The modules explain how SB 17 prohibits some campus offices and hiring practices, like requiring DEI statements. The training also clarifies that SB 17 does not impact course curricula and registered student organizations. 
The UTLearn training is the...
The Daily Texan •

Muslim, Jewish students express safety concerns amid Islamophobia, antisemitism around campus

Every day before stepping out, Kira Berzack questions whether she should take off her Star of David necklace. Berzack said she’s proud of her Jewish identity, but fears the symbol could incite a reaction from those around her. 
“I’ll never hide being Jewish,” nutritional sciences sophomore Berzack said. “But there are some times when it’s sad to think, ‘Is it worth just showing off and having that on your neck when you don’t know who’s around you and you don’t know how people will take it?’”
Mus...
The Daily Texan •

University upholds sanctions on pro-Palestine protesters

Recent UT graduate Anne-Marie Jardine appealed a deferred suspension from the University after she was arrested at the pro-Palestine protest on campus on April 24. She learned on Aug. 19 that her appeal was denied.
Jardine is one of multiple students facing disciplinary action for participating in April’s pro-Palestine demonstrations, ranging from academic probation to suspension. While she has no plans to return to UT, she worries about current students continuing to face sanctions.
“I cannot i...
The Daily Texan •

Muslim student attacked on campus, hate crime review pending

Three men attacked a Muslim student and his friend on Friday, and the Austin Police Department Hate Crimes Review Committee is evaluating whether the attack was a hate crime.
The Muslim student, who asked to be identified only as “D” for safety reasons, said he was wearing a kurta – a type of dress associated with the South Asian Muslim community – and walking with his friend at about 11 p.m. outside of Dobie Twenty21 when the three men stood in their path yelling “Allahu Akbar” and pejoratives....
The Daily Texan •

University Event Readiness and Response director discusses student demonstrations

The Daily Texan sat down with the director of the new Event Readiness and Response Unit, Joseph LoBrutto, to discuss the role of the new unit in managing campus events and student demonstrations.
LoBrutto declined to answer multiple questions about April’s pro-Palestine demonstrations, citing ongoing litigation. On April 24 and April 29, the University called in city and state police to quell the protests, leading to 136 arrests for criminal trespassing across two days. County Attorney Delia Gar...
The Daily Texan •

Travis County changes policy to allow Muslim detainees to keep hijabs on during booking

The Travis County Sheriff’s Office changed its “religious articles” policy earlier this month to allow female Muslim detainees to keep their hijabs and require jail staff to fulfill requests for modest clothing during the booking process. 
After pro-Palestine demonstrations on campus in April, multiple female Muslim UT students reported to the Council on American-Islamic Relations that law enforcement removed their hijabs during their arrests and bookings. 
The policy change follows “interventio...
The Daily Texan •

Federal judge allows advancement of lawsuit against state university’s enforcement of executive order

A federal judge on Tuesday allowed a lawsuit concerning Texas universities’ enforcement of Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order on antisemitism to proceed in court.
In May, pro-Palestine organizations across the state, including the Palestine Solidarity Committee at UT, sued Abbott and state universities, stating Abbott’s executive order on antisemitism violates the First Amendment. The lawsuit also asked the court to issue a preliminary injunction preventing universities from enforcing the govern...
The Daily Texan •

Students, community members testify at Texas Capitol against possible mask ban for protesters

Witnesses testified against a potential mask ban for protesters — which is intended to reveal the identities of people “bent on committing crimes at protests” —  at a Texas Senate State Affairs Committee meeting on Wednesday. 
Although no legislation regarding a mask ban is on the table, interim committee meetings provide insight into what lawmakers will likely focus on in the next legislative session in January, according to the Texas Center for Justice and Equity. 
Clear the Air ATX, a local g...
The Daily Texan •

Austinites call on UT to preserve historical golf course

An organization calling for the preservation of a historic Austin golf course hosted the NAACP at a press conference on Jan. 18 to publicize their efforts.
UT owns the land on which the Lions Municipal Golf Course, nicknamed “Muny,” the first desegregated golf course in Austin, sits. UT announced in 2019 its intention to sell the land to develop it.
As a result, the Texas Senate formed Save Historic Muny District the same year, creating a way for Austinites to have a say in Muny’s fate. The Muny...
The Daily Texan •

One year later: Students reflect on identity, safety, free speech on anniversary of Oct. 7

Palestinian and Lebanese flags lined the grass of the South Lawn for an Oct. 1 vigil, hosted by the Arab Students Association, to honor those killed within the past year in Gaza and Lebanon. 
Hadi, a Lebanese student who lost family in Israel’s recent bombing of Lebanon, said the vigil was a space of “collective healing” for those personally impacted by violence in the Middle East. 
“As much as people would like to think it’s a world away and doesn’t affect us, this is something that has real ef...

View All Work

View Work