This page contains a selection of my multimedia clips.
I worked with Steve Liss to create multimedia profiles of unemployment in Chicago.
Dost Khan, sixty-ish, immigrated from Pakistan in 2004. He worked odd jobs, most recently as a grocery handyman, until being laid off last March. “Unemployment would have been much easier if my sons were here,” said Khan. To earn some money, Khan has started painting signs for shops around Devon Avenue. His wife, Qusudiya Sultana, has started working. She earns $600 per month. Khan earns around $400 per month. “It is very difficult to make ends meet,” says Khan.
Edward Hayes is a 26-year-old IT professional who has been unemployed since December 2008. He copes with unemployment by working it out at the gym. “People generally cut down their gym costs in a recession,” he says. “But my health is very important to me.” Hayes started using unemployment benefits of $1400 this year. But, he says that he can last on his savings plus unemployment benefits for another year.
Catalina Ruiz quit her job to avoid being laid off. The 32-year-old Chicagoan, a divorced mother of three, moved in with her parents to save costs. She studies at Erie Neighborhood House, a West Side non-profit. “If it were not for my parents, I would have been out on the street,” she says.
I wrote and reported a story on the manufacturing workers going back to school. This video accompanied the story.
ETHNIC MEDIA INTERVIEWS
I conducted a study of ethnic media outlets for my final project at Medill. As part of this study, I interviewed American youth about connections to their ethnic roots.