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Nichole
Villegas 

Multi-media Journalist

233 Whiteley Nichole (3).jpg
About Me

About Me

Giving a voice to the voiceless is why I became a writer. As an established multimedia journalist, I am passionate about writing stories that create positive change in our society. I believe in a free press and am determined to give my readers an unbiased, transparent view of the world around them.

As a writer for Brigham Young University–Hawaii magazine, the Ke Alaka’i, I wrote investigative articles to address issues within the university such as scholarship changes and a shortage of mental health counselors. I learned key investigative, interview and mediation skills by including perspectives from individuals on the university's president's council and students who were negatively affected. These articles resulted in administration taking strides to improve the issues and students spreading awareness of mental health.

As a volunteer for a non-profit organization, I lead a group of 100+ youth volunteers to execute a food drive among our community. We collected 2 ½ tons of food in one night which fed 55 people for a month. This experience demonstrates my leadership abilities to delegate, work in a team, and influence large groups to benefit the community.

I have always dreamt of being a journalist and changing the world for the better. I hope to continue that dream with your company.

Work Experience

Work Experience

May 2023 - Jan. 2024
The Daily Herald 
Journalist and Photographer

  • Provided hyper-local, daily news to over 600,000 people as 1 of 3 journalists for the only paper focused exclusively on Utah County.

  • Covered 1-2 800+ word stories daily while meeting each deadline and collaborating with other writers and editors.

  • Pitched, reported on and photographed a variety of topics including crime, features, politics, breaking news, events and general news.

  • Resurfaced the Daily Herald’s social media page by collaborating with coworkers to post stories daily, resulting in higher traffic on our online site.

May 2022 - Aug. 2022
Hawaii Business Magazine
Editorial Intern

  • Addressed the issue of workplace gender discrimination in the feature story for the women’s issue released in October.

  • Elevated my interview skills and confidence by interviewing top CEOs of Hawaii and government legislators.

  • Pitched story ideas, involved in the editing process, and assisted in hosting events for business leaders in Hawaii.

Sept. 2021 - May 2023
Ke Alaka'i Magazine
Multi-media Journalist and Editor

  • Placed 1st for the 2022 ACP Individual Awards: Multimedia Story of the Year for my story about past and future female surfers. Please see my attached portfolio to view my other award-winning stories.

  • Addressed social issues through investigative reporting at the nation’s most diverse university by sharing international student’s stories.

  • Promoted to editor because of my ambition for seeking out high quality stories and my knowledge of AP style writing.

  • Transitioned feature and event stories from print to multi-media stories through podcasts, social media, videos, and Adobe Spark.

Education

Education

2025/May

Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism

  • Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism *Master of Science in Journalism, specialization in videography and photography.

  • On the ground reporting of Israel/Palestine rallies and vigils in Manhattan on Oct. 7, 2024.

  • Interviewed vulnerable sources including domestic violence survivors and undocumented immigrants.

  • Currently writing a long-form article on how immigrants and religious nonprofits are using knowledge and

  • community to fight back against the current mass deportation order.

  • Coursework: Magazine Writing, Narrative Audio, Religious Conflict Reporting, Photography, Video: Short-Docs.

2023/April

Brigham Young University -- Hawaii 

  • Bachelors of Communication, Media, and Culture         

    • Minor in Professional Writing                                     

  • Cumulative GPA: 4.00

  • Full merit scholarship – achieved at least a 3.95 GPA

2021/April

Utah Valley University

  • Associate of Science                                                      

  • Cumulative GPA: 3.95

  • High Honors — achieved at least a 3.5 GPA

Contact Me

Contact Me

New York, NY 10027

​​

nichole8of8@gmail.com

Tel: 801-310-8644

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