Undergraduate Work
Below is a collection of some main projects during my undergraduate program in Sports News Media. These projects highlight a variety of multimedia that we learned throughout the semester and how we prepared it to be showcased to a larger audience. I also included additional assignments at the end of the page, showcasing my long-form writing skills, podcasting, and more!
Bryant Museum Group Project
For my senior capstone course, Digital News, we partnered with the Bryant Museum for our final project of the semester. This project required us to use all the skills and platforms we learned in this course, and other undergraduate courses we've taken, and combine them to create a final product that would be showcased at the museum. My group was assigned two topics: Alabama superfans during the 2011 football season and the life and legacy of Tyrone Prothro, former wide receiver at UA. We worked together to create a package, social media video, social media posts, data illustrations, Thinglinks, and Google maps and streetviews. Check out our final products below!
Summary
Credit: Visit Tuscaloosa
Shambles to Champions
This project followed the story of two Alabama football superfans, Hannah Stephens and Ben Smith, during the fall of 2011. This year was special to not only football fans, but all of Tuscaloosa due to the recent tragedy of the severe tornado that ripped a part the town and took the lives of many. Stephens and Smith describe what it was like to be a part of the Tide's biggest fans in the stands that year.
From Catch to Coach
For the second story of our project, my group did a profile piece on former Alabama wide receiver, Tyrone Prothro. Prothro has an incredible story of how he went from one of the most memorable catches in college football history to now coaching high school football in Alabama following a career-ending injury. Our story covers all aspects of his life and features an interview with Prothro himself.
Thinglink is an interactive website that allows you to upload photographs and add buttons on the graphic that reveal more information about whatever your project is about. We did several different Thinglink projects throughout the semester for my capstone class and they were my favorite new platform that we learned. With the creativity and organization that comes along with Thinglink, so many projects can be created to teach people more about particular topics. Check out my Thinglink projects below!
Thinglink Project
University of Alabama Athletic Facilities
I completed a personal Thinglink project about all the athletic facilities on campus at The University of Alabama. This project was exciting to complete because I think it will be very helpful for tourists and prospective students and athletes who want to know more about UA's athletic facilities and what they look like. I researched information about each place and included photos for reference.
Rama Jama's
I chose to do a Thinglink about Rama Jama's restaurant, a popular Tuscaloosa tourist spot, and game-day tradition. This project was fun to do because a lot of people don't take the time to look at everything on the walls of the restaurant when they eat there, even though it's hard to miss! I enjoyed learning about all the different memorabilia on the walls and some fun facts about Alabama football that I didn't know before.
Butler Field
Home to UA's Million Dollar Band, Butler Field was a perfect location to do a Thinglink project. I did a story for WVUA 23 a while back about the MDB and wanted to go back and highlight the key things that I learned in this project. I think it will be very informative and interesting for everyone who checks out this Thinglink.
Google Streetview Project
Google Streetview is a mapping platform that uses 360-degree images uploaded by users to show a view as if you were there in person. For my capstone class, we were assigned Streetview projects for locations around Tuscaloosa. I chose these specific locations for their significance to me and the city. Streetviews are a really neat feature that Google offers that I think more people should take advantage of.
Coleman Coliseum
Home to Alabama Basketball and Gymnastics, Coleman Coliseum is a very popular attraction on campus. Although this Google Streetview was focused on Coleman, this location is in the heart of Alabama Athletics facilities. When you pan to the right, Mal Moore Athletic Complex home to the Heisman and National Championship trophies, sits. A pan to the left will reveal Sewell-Thomas Stadium, or otherwise known as, "The Joe."
Butler Field
Butler Field is located right off University Blvd. and Paul W. Bryant Drive near fraternity row and Sewell-Thomas Stadium. Butler Field is home to UA's Million Dollar Band and you can catch them, or hear them, here practicing in the fall. This Streetview went along with my Thinglink project and displays the field very well.
Federal Building and Courthouse
Although I don't have a connection to the courthouse like the other Streetview locations, I've always admired its beauty and how it sits among downtown Tuscaloosa for everyone to see. I wanted to highlight this 360 because I wanted to get a shot of downtown as well and something other than just popular campus destinations. You can also see other landmarks in the background of this photo including Innisfree and Moes.
Rama Jama's
I did two 360 photos for this Tuscaloosa tradition because I wanted to show the inside and outside views. Rama Jama's is a famous southern-style restaurant that's often packed on game days and known for its historic Alabama athletics memorabilia. These Streetviews went with my Thinglink project and I think it captured the area very well. Looking back at the views on these Google Streetviews, this one was the most popular by far with over 1,000 views.
Other Assignments
Clubs
-Sigma Kappa Sorority
-Founding member Alpha Omega Chapter
-UA CHAARG
-UA Club Water Ski Team