Westmont Magazine Moving Up to National News

Kimberly Collier ’98 is moving up in the world of journalism. As a junior at Westmont, she edited the Horizon, the weekly student paper. Then through the 1997 Summer Institute of Journalism in Washington, D.C., she wrote six stories for the Santa Barbara News-Press and the Ventura County Star. And last semester, her byline appeared in the international USA Today.

Participating in the Coalition for Christian Colleges and Universities’ American Studies Program in Washington, D.C., gave Kimberly the opportunity to intern at USA Today. She worked with the sports desk and wrote a package on the role fitness events play in raising money for charitable organizations. She also contributed to an in-depth story that uncovered the incomes of NCAA football coaches and received a nomination for an Associated Press award. Other assignments included profiles of high school and college women basketball players and attendance at an NBA game. Stints with the graphics, photo, and design departments and covering election night rounded out her experience.

“What made working for USA Today particularly meaningful was the context of the American Studies Program,” Kimberly says. “We talked about the meaning of vocation, and I started thinking about how to integrate my passions with the needs of the world. After graduation, I would like to continue studying and writing about media ethics and responsibility.”

Whether she applies to newspapers or graduate schools, Kimberly can submit an impressive portfolio. More importantly, she has gained a deeper sense of how God is calling her to use the gift he has given her.