Portfolio

Local Journalism at LehighValleyNews.com

Bethlehem expands police surveillance

Kat consulted with experts and community advocates about the potential effects of the expansion of police surveillance in the city of Bethlehem, Pa.

The Dignity of Fresh Food

An interactive story about how fresh food makes its way from from farms in the Lehigh Valley to food insecure people.

Elevated lead levels have been found in six Lehigh Valley schools' water. What are they doing about it?

A piece of data journalism.

Teaching

The Allentown Voice

I was the founding assistant editor of this project. I assisted in teaching an undergraduate course in solutions-based reporting in spring 2022, focused on housing insecurity in Allentown.

Library Tutor Training

As a head tutor at Muhlenberg College, I designed and co-facilitated a training in research techniques, to help our tutors better assist their students with utilizing library resources.

Features at LehighValleyNews.com

'It feels like home': Girl Scout camps in the LV foster sisterhood, friendship

After 10 years attending/working at a Girl Scout camp in New Jersey, I profiled two in Eastern Pennsylvania. Pay special attention to captions on photos in the galleries.

‘My heart is in Allentown’: How a school counselor became ASD’s 1st Teacher of the Year

A feature examining the work ethic and values of the first ever Allentown School District Teacher of the Year, who was an elementary school counselor.

Taking it to the street: The spectacle of Musikfest's street performers

Musikfest, a Bethlehem music festival, celebrated its 40th year in 2023. I wrote this article profiling the culture of street performers at the festival.

Project Management

Life in the Lehigh Valley

This interactive, data-rich project was a collaboration between multiple reporters, with Kat managing data visualizations and historical image sourcing.

Moon to Mars series

This interactive, image-heavy project was a collaboration between multiple reporters, with Kat project managing everything from collaboration between departments to social media rollout and building the display pages.

Scholarly Works

"I like a little chav to pick me up"

My undergraduate thesis explored narrator representations of the working class in Series 7 of Love Island UK. This is an excerpt. I received honors in Media and Communication.

Choice and Failure

This essay was written for my Documentary Research course, which largely centered on location-based ethics. I examined one scene and the moral implications of the choices that the filmmakers made.

The Closing of Sterling Botanical Gardens

This was a cumulative project in the International Baccalaureate History program, focused around to what extent the completion of New York highway I-87 in 1966 caused the closing of the Sterling Botanical Gardens in 1977, found by looking at historical documents.

Muhlenberg Weekly Reporting

Race in Classical Music

A recap of a panel talk about race and classical music.

Allentown Housing Crisis

A solutions-based look at the affordable housing crisis in Allentown, PA. This story won the Muhlenberg Weekly News Reporting Award, worth $1000.

Grad School Prep Program

New graduate school preparatory program opens arms to underrepresented students on Muhlenberg's campus.

Food Writing

A Switchback Chat

An interview with Switchback Pizza co-owner Marguerite Viola.

Duck Donuts: Thank you for the 🎂

A review of Duck Donuts's Allentown location.

Farfalle con Melanzane Grigliate e Burrata

A food blog detailing the process of an entirely made-from-scratch meal -- pasta, cheese, the works.