Home Featured Articles Portfolio Contact

The Austin Chronicle

As an editorial intern at the Austin Chronicle, I covered the Texas legislature, city government and any other Austin-y stories that came my way.

State Politics

I happened to work at the Chronicle during the height of the 89th Texas legislative session, and I was focused on covering bills that weren't receiving as much attention from other media outlets. While it's difficult to report on the impact of bills that haven't been signed into law, my work included researching the previous legislation to see what could plausibly pass as well as putting these bills in a national context. 

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 Austin Chronicle •

Taking Stock of Texas Bills Aimed at Cracking Down on Immigration

Amid a burst of immigration policies from the new Trump administration, the state Legislature has some bills on the table that could intensify the crackdown.

Gov. Greg Abbott has already thrown his support behind President Trump’s immigration approach. In a Jan. 29 executive order, he directed all state agencies to assist in federal immigration law enforcement operations. He also ordered the Texas Department of Public Safety to deploy “tactical strike teams” to assist the Trump administration....
The Austin Chronicle •

Making Sex Ed Opt-In, For Good This Time

If a new bill in the Texas Senate becomes law, Texas’ trial run limiting the number of students who receive sex education will become a permanent project.

State Sen. Donna Campbell’s Senate Bill 371 would once again require Texas parents to provide written consent before their children in public schools receive sexual education. That would make Texas one of only a handful of “opt-in” states.

A 2021 law, House Bill 1525, made Texas an opt-in state, but that provision expired in August 2024. Cam...
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.

Local and City Government

I'm proud to say most of my time covering the city was not spent in Austin City Hall. Rather than the monotonous city council coverage filled to the brim with bureaucratic jargon, I focused my coverage on how city policies directly affect people. In particular, I covered how some iconic artworks at risk of being destroyed in the controversial demolition of the Austin Convention Center. Those stories generated a lot of interest in these art pieces and even mobilized some groups to try and save the art.