Hi there! My name is Amelia Fiore, and I’ll be spending the next 10 weeks writing for Columbia Gorge News as an intern through the University of Oregon’s (UO’s) Snowden Program for Excellence in Journalism. I was granted the prestigious opportunity while attending UO, from which I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Communication Disorders and Sciences this June.
I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, but spent my teenage years in Denver, Colorado, before moving to Eugene to further my education. When I first stepped foot in Oregon to tour potential schools, I knew I was right where I needed to be. The clean air, lush landscapes and tight-knit communities fostered the ideal environment to grow and learn. My admiration for this state has only grown, which is why I’m so grateful to spend this summer living in and exploring another one of its beautiful towns.
When I was a student, I was a writer for the Arts and Culture section of the The Daily Emerald, UO’s student newspaper. My pieces were mainly centered on the latest films and television shows, community events and local organizations. The most memorable story of mine was a short piece on Eugene’s one and only magician club, mainly comprised of seniors who held their meetings in a quaint living facility tucked behind a Safeway. Each of the members were incredibly welcoming and eager to share the tricks they had been working on, whether a simple card maneuver or an elaborate handkerchief vanishing act. It’s what reminded me why I love what I do; how I enjoy asking people what lit the fire in them, and to share that with the world. I even left in a bit of awe at how they completed some of the tricks. I guess a magician never reveals his secrets, especially not to a college newspaper.
Covering stories in Eugene provided such a special opportunity to engage with parts of the town I would have never seen otherwise, and I can’t wait to do the same here in the Gorge. I spent a lot of my college career writing entertainment reviews and pop culture think pieces, but here at CGN, I hope to broaden my horizons and cover what you, the community, deem essential.
When I’m not writing and reporting, you can find me lost in a good novel, stressing out over a 1,000-piece puzzle or watching a horror movie with the lights on. I always keep an eye out for upcoming film releases, and am especially looking forward to “The Odyssey” and the dystopian franchise’s upcoming installment, “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.”
I can’t wait to explore more of the Gorge and report for the community!
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