Rachel Ahrens

580 Commonwealth Avenue #307, Boston, MA 02215 (206) 351-3453

RachelAhrens@msn.com

 

Objective

Editorial position within the publishing industry

 

Education

          Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts                                            Sept. 2004 - present

            College of Communication

            Master’s of Science in Print Journalism expected Dec. 2005

·        Emphasis in Arts Criticism  

           

The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa                                              Aug. 1998 - May 2001

Teacher Certification: English Education, 7-12

            Bachelor of Arts in English

·        Dean’s List

·        Overall GPA: 3.82

 

The University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa                             Aug. 1997 - May 1998

Pursued Bachelor of Arts in Psychology

·        Dean’s List

·        GPA: 3.78

 

Work Experience

Journalism:    

            Arts Intern at Boston’s Weekly Dig                                                      May 2005 - Oct. 2005

 

·        Wrote four DVD reviews, two Performing Arts previews, DVD/movie previews, weekly movie blurbs and two feature stories; www.weeklydig.com.

·        Collaborated with editor on direction of story ideas, edits and revisions.

·        Established professional contacts with area theatre companies and dance studios as well as national movie studios and PR firms.

·        Created databases to organize contact information and release schedules.

 

Co-Editor of The Muckraker                                                               Jan. 2005 - May 2005

 

·        Managed and directed editorial meetings, making final decisions/edits concerning stories for BU’s College of Communication’s semester magazine.

·        Designed, laid out and copy-edited 16-page magazine in Quark Express.

 

Teaching Assistant:

Science and Medical Journalism Center at Boston University              Sept. 2004 - present

 

·        Worked with the Science and Mass Media classes in the creation of the online magazine Resonance – www.bu.edu/sjmag and Triplepoint - www.bu.edu/sjmag/scimag 2005

·        Collaborated with students to design and create the webzine while managing deadlines for story submissions.

·        Gained familiarity with Dream Weaver MX and web design.                                                                                

 

Teaching:

            Eastlake High School, Sammamish, Washington                                   Sept. 2001 - May 2004

 

·        Newspaper Advisor: set deadlines and specs with Pacific Publishing, taught journalistic interviewing, writing, editing and Adobe PageMaker 7.0, managed staff to meet monthly deadlines, managed budget through training ad staff.

·        Yearbook Advisor: communicated with Taylor Publishing and LifeTouch Photography, managed budget, taught Adobe PageMaker 7.0 and Adobe Photoshop 6.0, organized staff of 32 students into editors, writers, and photographers to meet deadlines throughout the year.

·        Developed curriculum for classes including: Yearbook, Journalism, 12th grade Senior Connections, 11th grade Humanities, 10th grade World Literature.

·        Junior and Senior Class Advisor: organized and helped raise money for the class of 2004 including selling concessions at basketball and football games and facilitating both prom and graduation committees.

 

Student Assistant:

             The University of Iowa Libraries                                                          Aug. 1998 - Jan. 2001

 

Contributed to the development of the Website Traveling Culture: 20th Century Circuit Chautauqua - http://sdrc.lib.uiowa.edu/traveling-culture.

Assisted in creating the online exhibition Alternative Traditions in the Contemporary Arts – http://sdrc.lib.uiowa.edu/atca/subjugated/cover.htm

 

Utilized various computer applications throughout the design of each site:

·           Microsoft Word 98, 99, NT – word processing

·           File Maker Pro – database management

·           Claris Homepage – Webpage design and HTML encoding

·           Author/Editor – SGML encoding in TEI script

·           OmniPage and VistaScan – Scanning both image and word documents

 

Skills:

Quick at acquiring new skills and learning new concepts; highly motivated; noteworthy written and verbal communication skills; ability to write on and guide production through deadline; proficient in many computer programs including Dream Weaver MX, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Pagemaker 7.0, Quark Express, Excel, Powerpoint

 

 

References available upon request