Résumé
Andrea Asuaje
ANDREA.ASUAJE@GMAIL.COM // 954.854.2873
Professional Journalism Experience
The St. Johns Sun / The St. Augustine Record
Staff Reporter
August 2010 – Present- I am the main reporter for the St. Johns Sun, a weekly community newspaper that focuses on the news, events and happenings in northwest St. Johns County. I write briefs, a weekly calendar, community news and features for the Sun, including a weekly “Difference Maker” question-and-answer feature and school news from the No. 1 school district in Florida.
- I am a general-assignment staff reporter for the St. Augustine Record, where my current responsibilities mostly include covering the local elections, including the Florida State Senate and House of Representatives races in St. Johns County and nearby districts. I also write breaking news and features for the daily paper.
The St. Augustine Record
REPORTING INTERN
June 2010 – August 2010- I write briefs, breaking news and features for the daily newspaper distributed throughout St. Johns County in North Florida.
The Miami Herald
FEATURES AND CONTINUOUS-NEWS/METRO INTERN
May 2009 – August 2009- I wrote brief and long-form features for the “Tropical Life” section four days a week, including a question-and-answer story with New York Times best-selling author Lisa Unger and a section cover story about a barbershop guru. On Sundays, I reported for both print and the Web at the breaking-news desk, where I wrote stories on shootings, drownings and contributed to one of the leading summer stories in Miami: the cat killer.
The Florida Engineer
FREELANCE WRITER
April 2009 – Fall 2009- I reported and wrote about meetings, special events and important figures of UF’s College of Engineering. I wrote the “Engage” section opening article on the college’s Robot Demonstration Day and the cover story on the college’s Web site about the college’s new Associate Dean of Academic Affairs.
City Link Metromix.com
EDITORIAL INTERN
May 2008 – August 2008- Three days a week, I copy edited, wrote short features and researched for this weekly arts and entertainment South Florida magazine. I also booked the cover-photo shoot of the annual “Sex Issue” and contributed several reviews for the magazines “Best of 2008” issue, released November 2008.
Collegiate Journalism Experience
Florida FlyIns — Icapui, Brazil
STUDENT REPORTER
August 2009-December 2009- I spent a week in Icapui, a rural fishing town on the northeastern coast of Ceara, Brazil, studying and reporting on the culture and the importance of oral tradition to the people of the town and its neighboring villages. The story I wrote is about the effects of technology on the tradition of passing down Brazilian ghost stories through generations.
Independent Florida Alligator
METRO WRITER
August 2008 – December 2008- I wrote general assignment for the metro desk. I focused most on the national and local elections of Alachua County. Aside from several news features and daily deadline stories, I attended and covered Gainesville City Commission meetings, an Alachua County Commission retreat, Michelle Obama’s record-breaking rally in downtown Gainesville and Election Day, in which I Tweeted from several voting locations and wrote the front-page article.
COPY DESK CHIEF
January 2008 – May 2008- I supervised a staff of copy editors and helped correct and edit each of the stories for the next day’s paper. I also approved headlines and wrote photo captions when necessary.
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
January 2008 – May 2008- I wrote at least two stories a week covering local news for the metro desk while juggling school and being the copy desk chief.
COPY EDITOR
September 2007 – December 2007- I was part of a staff that edited stories for grammatical and factual errors. I also wrote headlines and checked flats for last-minute changes.
Special Skills
Computer
- Experience working with both Macs and PCs (Windows and Leopard operating systems)
- Able to work with Microsoft Office, iWork and iLife, along with Adobe PhotoShop, InDesign and InCopy
- Skilled in Garage Band, Sibelius music publishing program and Audacity
Online Presence
- “The Ghosts of Tradition”: Florida FlyIns blog
- “Dreacappella” blog
- Twitter: aasuaje
- Tumblr, Last.fm, Facebook, YouTube, Del.icio.us accounts
Languages
- Native Spanish speaker
- Proficient in French
Activities
No Southern Accent, University of Florida’s co-ed competitive a cappella group
MUSICAL DIRECTOR: AUGUST 2007 – 2010
MEMBER: AUGUST 2006 – 2010
- I arranged music, edited other arrangements, led rehearsals and auditions, and choose music for performances, including the group’s two award -winning sets at ICCA in 2008 and 2010.
Education
University of Florida, Class of 2010
- B.S. in print journalism; B.A. in English literature, British literature concentration
- Graduated cum laude from both the College of Journalism and Communications and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
