How studying overseas sparked my interest in local storytelling
By ELIZABETH BUNT — arts@theaggie.org
I joined The California Aggie as a writer the summer after my third year at Davis. As an English major with creative writing emphasis and a professional writing minor, it was kind of a miracle I hadn’t stumbled upon it sooner.
I spent the summer between second and third year in Scotland on a UC Davis study abroad program. The course was on travel journalism and counted for a significant portion of my minor. During that summer, my classmates and I were given an assignment in Edinburgh and our only instruction was to find stories. It was the best assignment I could have been given. During the weeks I spent there, I spoke to people I would never have otherwise met and went to cultural events I would not have otherwise attended. Journalism opened the door for me to experience the city in a new way.
When I came back to Davis, I felt the urge to explore the town in the same way. For a while, I wrote on my own about what was happening around me. This easily fit into my creative writing class work anyway. But it wasn’t until the spring when I decided to apply to The Aggie as a writer, starting to write consistently for the arts and culture desk over that summer.
Writing for the arts desk has allowed me to connect to Davis in a new way. Part of my job has just been to keep an ear to the ground and find out what’s happening in town on a week to week basis. For me, that has meant finding out more about literary and music events, tracking local galleries, learning about new exhibits and, most importantly, spotlighting art produced by Davis locals.
Through The Aggie, I have been introduced to an entirely different side of the Davis arts community in such a fulfilling way. Above all, it has been so much fun tracking down local events and people and learning about the beautiful things being created in our town. I have loved being able to use my writing to bring attention to all Davis has to offer. Writing for The Aggie has reaffirmed for me that journalism is a way of showing love for a place and I dearly love Davis.
All of this is to say that I have had the best time writing for The California Aggie. I’ve met cool people and seen new sides of Davis. I am so glad that my study abroad turned into a love for journalism that pointed me to The Aggie; Not to mention that seeing my words in print every week has been an insanely cool experience.
I have nothing but good things to say about The Aggie and its role in the Davis ecosystem. Anyone who has stuck around to the end of this rambling should take this as their sign to get involved. You won’t be disappointed.
Written by: Elizabeth Bunt — arts@theaggie.org
