Articles + Photo Stories
ARTICLE + PHOTOS - Latino Outdoors Pushes for Equity in Outdoor Recreation (Drift Magazine - 8/28/24)
While many spent their childhood camping, visiting national parks or playing recreational sports, Bianca Torres-Velásquez remembers her outdoor experience as visiting her grandpa’s rancho in Mexico and running around the neighborhood with her cousins.
To read more, go to Drift Magazine.
The World of Texas’ Miniature Trains (Texas Highways Magazine - 8/15/24)
The engine roars and rumbles and passengers eagerly slide into the seat of the Zilker Eagle, the recently reopened miniature train in Austin’s Zilker Park. Stretching half of his body out the window of a shiny new cobalt locomotive with a tie-dyed stripe running along the side, the conductor turns to face the passengers settling into the rainbow of train cars behind him.
To read more, go to Texas Highways Magazine.
ARTICLE + PHOTOS - How to Texas Two-Step (Texas Highways Magazine - 7/31/24)
No Texan should get left behind on the dance floor. Here’s your step-by-step guide to dancing the Lone Star way.
To read more, go to Texas Highways Magazine.
PHOTO STORY - Casa Neverlandia Keeps Austin Weird (Drift Magazine - 7/19/23)
Tucked away a few blocks behind South Congress Avenue lies one of Austin's most unique houses. From a four-story treehouse in the backyard, to ornate altars to the earth’s elements in the living room, Casa Neverlandia’s numerous quirks make for an intoxicating architectural experience.
To view the photo story, go to Drift Magazine.
Lost in Transition: Rainey Street and a Failure of Historic Preservation (Reporting Texas - 6/12/24)
Anita Quintanilla sobbed as her sister drove her back to the airport in 1984. The memories of childhood and adolescence on Rainey Street — the visits to the air-conditioned bookmobile in the dead of summer, and blissful moments running around the spacious yard, raking pyramids of crunchy fallen leaves and climbing cottonwood trees — would be a thing of the past.
To read more, go to Reporting Texas.
Building community one slackline at a time (Drift Magazine - 2/13/24)
When Aaron Yang touched down on the ground after balancing across a one-inch wide slackline nearly the length of four football fields, tears streamed down his face. Yang, a data scientist and slackline hobbyist who crossed the 390-meter slackline, said the hour and a half between two mountains in Durango produced intense ups and downs, along with a great buildup of cortisol.
To read more, go to Drift Magazine.
PHOTO STORY - Día de Los Muertos and Mexic-Arte Museum’s Viva la Vida Festival (Drift Magazine - 1/8/24)
The Mexic-Arte Museum’s annual Viva La Vida Festival and Parade stands out as a vibrant, lively event from fall 2023. Women dressed in elaborate Jalisco dresses twirled across the streets of downtown Austin and performers pounded drums as Conchero dancers marched around, their feathery headpieces swaying back and forth. A few thousand attend the parade every year, many of them planning for it while other curious onlookers stumble upon the parade by happenstance.
To view the photo story, head to Drift Magazine.
PHOTO STORY - The Microfarm behind the dishes at Este and Suerte (Drift Magazine - 11/14/23)
In 2022, Mexican seafood restaurant Este opened at the former neighborhood favorite, Eastside Cafe, which closed in 2019. When its doors closed forever, Eastside Cafe left behind a half-acre garden and soil rich from three decades of organic crop cultivation. After much hard work to refresh and re-invent the urban farm, Este Garden now provides farm-fresh produce for both the namesake restaurant directly in front, as well as Suerte.
To view the photo story, head to Drift Magazine.
Mesquite is the new pumpkin spice (The Daily Texan - 10/24/22)
In 2012, Slow Food Austin, an initiative to encourage local food consumption, reached out to Sandeep Gyawali, a baker and former UT researcher, asking him to create a bread recipe that incorporated a unique ingredient…
To read more, go to The Daily Texan.
Five Late-Night Food and Beverage Spots around Austin (The Daily Texan - 10/30/22)
Whether preparing for a study session or satisfying a midnight craving, late-night food runs make a crucial element of the college experience. The Daily Texan compiled a list of Austin spots perfect for a late-night bite.
To read more, go to The Daily Texan.
Festive Austin wintertime activities (The Daily Texan - 12/1/22)
From watching a brilliant light show at Mozart’s Coffee Roasters to strolling through the Austin Trail of Lights, Austin’s winter activities attract people from around the country. As students celebrate the end of finals by getting into the holiday spirit, The Daily Texan compiled a list of festive activities to bring cheer to Austin’s colder months.
To read more, go to The Daily Texan.
Multimedia Projects
Texas Two-Step Instagram Reel (Texas Highways Magazine - 8/9/24
No Texan should get left behind on the dance floor. Here, Austin-based dance instructor Beth Coffey gives step-by-step instructions to dancing the Texas two-step.
The Taste of Home - Chef Amirah Islam (Reporting Images)
Bangladeshi Chef Amirah Islam, also known as Scottish Caramel, shares the ups and downs of bringing the flavors of Bangladesh to Austin, Texas. A Top Chef Amateurs champion and recipe developer, who also works a 9-to-5 as front-end web developer, Islam said she struggles to build her online culinary presence.
The Great American Eclipse in Austin (Social Media Journalism)
Summer Moon employees and customers share their experiences with the total solar eclipse in Austin, Texas on Aug. 8, 2024.
Austin Artist Turns Trash into Treasure (Digital Storytelling Basics)
A video feature about Clav Potter, a local artist, who incorporates recycled materials into her unique, innovative artwork.
Round Top Antiques Show vendors reveal profitability of selling antiques (Digital Storytelling Basics)
Twice a year, the populations of small towns along Texas State Highway 237 swell from a couple hundred to over a hundred thousand people. The twenty-mile stretch around Round Top – from Warrenton to Burton– becomes a sea of barns, tents, and fields swarming with newcomers and veterans alike. The reason? The Round Top Antiques Show.