Experience
During my internship at The Washington Times, I received ample experience in field reporting, AP style and copy-editing. I covered DC and national politics, local businesses, and features and have come to love journalism and reporting in our nation's capital.
During the summer of 2018, I was accepted into the Institute on Political Journalism (IPJ) program. Sponsored by The Fund for American Studies, and in partnership with George Mason University, the Institute on Political Journalism is an eight week summer academic internship program that offers students a first-hand look at the journalism and public relations in our nation's capital through hands on experience in reporting, editing, interviewing and navigating the media landscape in Washington.
Read more: Institute on Political Journalism
At the Georgia College Press Association's 2017 Better Newspaper Contest, which took place in February at the Georgia Press Institute in Athens, I won third place for best feature article.
Read more: Spectator wins nine awards
In September 2017, I won the 2017 Jim Murray Memorial Foundation Sports Writing Contest, beating out top collegiate journalists from across the country to claim one of five $5,000 scholarships. In addition to the scholarship, I received a trip to Los Angeles, where I was honored at the JMMF awards dinner alongside the other Murray Scholars. I was the first VSU student to ever win the national competition.
Read more: Darla Dunning Becomes First VSU Student to Win National Sports Writing Contest
View winning article: Jim Murray Memorial Foundation
I won first place in Valdosta State University's 2017 Jim Murray Sports Writing Contest. After I won for VSU, my essay went on to compete against top collegiate journalists from across the country for a chance to win one of five $5,000 national scholarships.
Read more: Darla Dunning Wins Jim Murray Memorial Foundation Sports Writing Contest
During July 2017, I won first place in the Valdosta People's Choice Photo Contest. My winning photo displayed a ballerina performing urban ballet in the streets of Valdosta.
View article: Valdosta Daily Times
View photo: Photo Entry
I was one of 50 college journalists from across the U.S. to learn leadership, management, content development and new media production skills at the Henry W. Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication on July 23-28, 2017, at the 22nd annual Management Seminar for College News Editors. We also traveled to Atlanta and met with reporters, editors and producers at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, WSB-TV and CNN. I gained hands-on multimedia experience and participated in a simulated news event that involved UGA public safety and communications officials.
During the Fall 2016 semester, I took JOUR 3520: Essential Reporting Skills and earned a certificate in Multimedia Basics from the Poynter Institute, a nationally recognized journalism think tank dedicated to ensuring journalists remain on the cutting edge of their profession. To earn the certificate I completed a series of online courses in how to tell stories using text, audio, images, video, and more. The Poynter certificate can assure employers that I have enough background in multimedia to contribute to a news organization's success. I was one VSU journalism students to earn the certificate.
Read more: VSU Print Journalism Students Earn National Recognition
To view my whole resume, please click the resume tab.