Megan's Journalism blog

My name is Megan Freitas, i'm 20 years old and currently enrolled at LBCC majoring in journalism. This is currently my second year of college and I will be graduating with my Associate of Arts after spring term. After I graduate, my plan is to cover editing or writing for online media sites. My dream would be to be able to sell my creative work and different forms of art on the side on Etsy. My greatest challenge in college has been being able to get over my social anxieties and learn to put myself out there, as I'm pretty introverted by nature.  In my free time, I spend a lot of time gaming, creating pieces of art in various forms, listening to music, and involving myself in anything expressive. Additionally, I have also recently started on the path of witchcraft and spiritual work. I make tarot reading, meditation and self reflection a part of my daily routines. I even have a blog I just started where I share my daily learnings. As for pets, I have an Australian Shepherd dog ...

During this pandemic and being stuck inside a lot, Halle Freitas, a 17 year old going to Lebanon High School, takes time to enjoy activities such as art and using creative skills. She is currently working on the piece shown in this photo. It’s hard to stay in the best mindset when being stuck at home so much,  but she uses her hobbies such as painting to stay in the best mindset she can. “Art kind of keeps me focused on the bright side of being stuck in here” she said and laughed.  After practicing clarinet to stay in shape for LHS band, Freitas goes to her morning zoom classes. She usually keeps the camera and mic off so she can follow along with the class and continue to practice as well. Outside of school and chores, she enjoys things such as listening to music, watching YouTube or playing games such as “Among Us” with her groups of friends.  Despite the pandemic, Freitas still practices playing the clarinet every day and has zoom meetings with the LHS band, where they...

          In Lindsey Addario's book, "It's What I Do", my favorite anecdote comes from chapter 7, where Addario speaks about her time in Africa. She went from Abeche, tp Bahai, tin Darfur. She had to sneak in illegally for interviews because the government was not allowing journalist visas. He journey once there was a five-day one, where they carried everything on back. She speaks about how Darfur is different than other places she has seen such as Afghanistan and Iraq. She experienced the kind of war where everyone was kind of against one another, including your own people. Out of the many anecdotes from this book, this was one that stood out because it puts into perspective how much freedom and privilege we have in America. Even though we may not like aspects of how our country is at times, we are able to have moments of safety and peace. Places such as Darfur are very different. They live their lives in fear, especially the women, in several ways. Everyone ca...

 Tyler Hicks is a senior photographer that works for The New York Times , which started in 1999 when he came to Kenya as a contract photographer. His stories mainly focus on on East and West Africa. He was born July 9th. 1969 and currently lives in Nairobi, Kenya. He graduated from Boston University in 1992 With a B.A in journalism.  What stands out about Tyler Hicks’ work is the harsh reality he captures in it. His work is uncensored, realness captured to show us the realities of what is happening in Africa and outside of the United States. He risks his life to capture these photos mid-combat and in life endangering situations. He brings to light the real world issues and struggles that we don’t really see here in the states. In 2013, Hicks captured a terrorist attack at a mall, where many were killed and injured. He witnessed everything from people being shot, windows and shops being destroyed, and most importantly, victims being human and helping protect one another. Victim...

  The sign for Laura Lane, a dead end street in my small neighborhood, mid-afternoon on a rainy day. This street is mainly used for cattle such as horses, goats and sheep. Throughout the day, cattle transport can be seen coming on and off of this street.  A view of the street from my parents’ house. There aren’t many houses or large buildings, as mainly what can be seen are just large empty fields and property used for animals and fertilizing. The heavy rain can be seen in the distance through the sky as well.  Christina Freitas, a senior home care worker, leaving for work in the morning. Living out of town means that nothing is necessarily within walking distance. Driving is needed and sometimes that means longer commutes. Although, there are upsides to that. Living out of town gives you perspective on the world and nature around everyone. 

  Halle Freitas, 17, is currently a student enrolled at Lebanon High school and taking a class at LBCC. She is currently taking Calculus at Linn-Benton and taking two college courses in high school: AP government and AP Literature. Because of COVID, all her classes have been online.  “School has been rough online, it’s harder to be in the mindset to learn and it’s been taking a toll on me mentally”, Freitas explains.  As far as her career path goes, she plans to possibly go into business. Her original plan was to go into chemical engineering, but she changed her mind because she decided that that’s not truly what she wants to do. After she finishes high school, she would like to go to Oregon State University for their band program. 

  A line of customers wait to get beverages at the Heritage mall Starbucks, mid afternoon. They can all be seen wearing masks in the line, keeping distance from each other. Places such as these are staying open in the mall by taking many precautions with one being wearing masks and keeping customers at a distance in lines. The play area at the food court of Albany Heritage mall  is seen to be closed, with other stores being seen as empty and closed up in the background. Not many people can be seen near or around as well. AT&T is seen to be closed while Bath and Body Works is booming with customers and people.  Caden Holler, a customer at the Albany Target store, is seen purchasing items at checkout. Both him and the cashier are seen in masks as he exchanges cash, paying for his items. 

  At downtown park in Albany with Sydnie Hale, someone who has been living in Albany for the past few years with her grandmother. She visits this park regularly when visiting her mom.  Under the bridge of downtown Albany park, Monteith Riverpark. It is known to be a great river during the summers. It has also been the host place to many local events and concerts.  Coffee at downtown Albany cafe, Martin Coffee. They offer dine-in with masks on and offer a small collection of things to eat along with their tasty menu of coffee drinks to try. 

  The outside of Serendipity Cafe, Friday afternoon. This old styled cafe offers a variety of things, from ice cream, shakes, drinks and tea. Due to COVID, going inside is not allowed but you can order food from the window and sit outdoors. Mural behind the building of Key Bank, Friday afternoon A man unloading equipment from his truck outside of the local Lebanon church on Friday in the afternoon. 

If you want to learn about the life of horror writer, Stephen King and get helpful tips for your own writing, his book "On Writing" is for you. The most important things I probably learned from his book are that with the right tools, you can grab the attention of readers even outside your typical audience. I learned that you also need to consider vocabulary for your topic and the audience you are speaking to. Lastly, I learned that paragraph length really matters in keeping the readers' attentions. I have used these tips in my own writing by keeping paragraphs shorter in my writing and forming the language I use to fit the topic and audience appropriately. One of my favorite two quotes that go together from the book is "The stuff that came from him was green. I have never forgotten it" "That makes two of us, mom"(9). This is one of my favorites because it captures the personality of King well and brings a sense of some humor into the serious tone o...

The Redwoods "Out N' About" treehouses I can remember the drive into Cave Junction through the Redwoods. We eventually reached the long driveway up to Out N’ About Treehouse Resort . When we entered the resort, tall trees surrounded the whole property with large treehouses and bridges connecting all the trees. I could see a few small, yet charming cabins on the property as well. The whole place was filled with a magical, childhood charm that brought out the kid in me, excited to explore all the treehouses and activities to do there. This place is special to me because it was one of the most unique and memorable trips I’ve ever had with my family. I have never seen a place quite like it and I definitely think it is a must-see for those visiting Oregon or more specifically, Cave Junction. Out N’ About Treehouse Resort is a getaway in the countryside of Cave Junction, in southwest Oregon. The resort is set on 36 acres, full of activities such as zip-lining and h...

          Art pieces by Anne Magratten Through various buildings within the campus, you can find work done by many people, some of those even being students. Art and creativity are very large and important factors within our society, and colleges are no different. Although we may not be able to physically walk through the halls and see all the art that LBCC has to offer this term, the creative spirit of LBCC is living on in different ways. Anne Magratten is a visual arts instructor here at LBCC . Some of the classes she teaches are various drawing classes, painting and basic design. She is also involved in several other things on campus such as overseeing the art gallery and being a co adviser for the Gender and Sexuality Alliance. She sometimes is an adviser for the Film Club as well. Not only does her passion for art show through her classes, she paints and is involved artistically outside of her job as well. Our way of learning and teac...

I remember when I first got into the Animal Crossing series when I found a copy of one of the older games of the series at my public library at around 10 years old. From there, I was hooked. I had trouble making friends as a child, so coming home to a village full of animal friends brought me hours of joy each day. For many, this series holds a lot of nostalgia and memories, and “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” gives new life to the series and brings back many old memories for others. The Animal Crossing series has been around since 2001, and their most recent game in the series titled “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” just released on March 20 of this year. The game has no real ending, but the main objective is to develop a barren, weed-filled island into a lively community- making new animal friends and paying off your home loans along the way. The game starts you off talking to Timmy and Tommy, the two younger twin appearances of Tom Nook, who is one of the main characters ...

My favorite anecdote from "On Writing" so far is where King spoke about when he was younger and got into writing. He talked in it about how his mother made him write a story of his own after copying one. I liked it because it displays the core of what led to him being a writer, I find that to be really inspiring. I also wrote cute short stories as a little kid, so I could connect in that way. A quote that stood out to me and that may be my favorite is "That makes two of us, mom" after the mom explained the way it looked after she saw someone die after King as a kid had asked her if she ever saw someone die. This quote stood out to me just because it was a bit lighthearted and added a bit of humor to set off the serious tone of the overall story, having the story end on a lighter note. I have learned so far that King has had a very unique and crazy childhood, which also taught me that we all start off as a child going through daily life events- no matter if you a...

Losing track of the days and time, forgetfulness and the empty feeling that you sometimes wake up with in your heart. That’s just a small glimpse into the struggles of those with depression, which includes myself. As much as I am an introvert, I can admit, I need people. Whether that’s my friends, my parents or my boyfriend. People are what help me stay positive, they give me something to live for and try hard for. This pandemic has made it hard in that sense. I haven’t seen my friends or my significant other for over a month. You would really think this pandemic is an introvert's dream! No plans, stuck at home, and away from everyone. Weirdly enough, this isn’t my experience. If anything, I feel like I may become the most extroverted “let’s go do something” type of person the instant this is all over. My mom is in healthcare as an at-home worker for seniors, and in a time like this, it’s scary for her. I can see her pacing and stressing internally at the thought of havin...

A lot has happened since the end of Winter term. I am still on the path of going into the field of Journalism and have moved into Feature Writing. I have written a few stories that have been printed in the commuter paper. I'm looking forward to advancing my knowledge on AP writing style for journalism and improving my writing more in general. My goals for this term are: 1. Include a photo in every story or almost every story 2. Understand AP format more 3. Break out of my shell even more

Bob Ross with older computers that were used 40 years ago Bob Ross, an LBCC instructor, has been working with the growing and advancing technology on campus for years. “I did my own programming to do all sorts of things, but soon saw where programming was headed. There would be simplification, ease of use, downsizing, distributed computers instead of centralized computing, greater applications to do anything, and speed. And it all happened,” says Ross. This can be seen in our world, communities and here on campus. Students are seen with iPhones, Apple watches, and laptops on a daily basis. Computers and the technology we have access to on campus is integrated into our systems today, although it was not always this way. Computers at LBCC were not introduced for education until the ’80s. Since then, we have expanded to having multiple places to access technology, such as the library, learning centers and computer labs. Instructor Liz Pearce, who has been working at LBCC since ...

Qing Han, also known as 'Qinni' Canadian artist Qing Han passed away Feb. 8 at 29 years old after a brief, yet hard battle with cancer. She was a popular and influential figure within the art community that pushed and inspired thousands of other artists to continue to grow. With her last post only being posted four days before she passed, fans all over the world were caught in a wave of shock and sadness. Han was born in Canada on March 20, 1990. As she grew up, her parents were rather disapproving of art, believing that it was a waste of time, so she was not allowed to draw at home. "I was never allowed to draw at home, but I'd doodle on my notebooks in class and homework sheets," (Han “DeviantArt Weekly Artist Feature: Qinni”). Despite this, she eventually went on to study art in college, which her parents allowed since it was fairly inexpensive to attend. She graduated from Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in ...

Talking to your children, or youth in general, about abuse and the anatomy of their bodies can be a very tricky subject. Fortunately, ABC House offers free training for parents and those that work with kids to help them with this difficult topic.  There will be an event at ABC House titled “Darkness to Light: Talking with Children About Safety from Sexual Abuse” on Wednesday, Feb. 5 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. in Albany. This training also includes an optional tour of the new ABC House beforehand. This training includes lessons on how to approach the topic of abuse and our bodies with children in an age-appropriate way, setting boundaries with our bodies, as well as how to listen to them and notice key signs when it comes to these difficult situations. This is a video and facilitator-led discussion. It’s also important to note that child care will not be available during the event time. Light refreshments will be available, though. Before the traini...