embracing the unknown

As a northerner who grew up in the south, I have always been curious about hunting's role in southern culture. A documentary class at the University of North Carolina allowed me to indulge this curiosity by seeking out subjects less than 15 minutes away from my college home. Mark and Chase cash reached out to me through an online hunting forum and turned out to be the epitome of a modern father, son hunting duo in North Carolina. Spending time with them, a local taxidermist, and at a hunting convention in our state capitol, I gained perspective into a tradition that quietly thrives around me.
I recently graduated from UNC with degrees in journalism and studio art and am currently interning as a photojournalist at the Charlotte Observer (the largest newspaper in N.C.) I am an avid traveler and outdoors-man, and aspire to make a career through storytelling in multimedia and photography of cultural phenomena as well as adventure sports.
This scholarship offers an unrivaled opportunity to immerse myself in a completely distinct culture, and to learn hands-on from a veteran documentarian in the field. The growth as a storyteller, and exposure for my work would be surreal.