Amber Raiken, class of 2020, was involved with many different campus publications during her time as an undergraduate, including The Odyssey Online, Buzzsaw, and Distinct Magazine. She graduated with a creative writing concentration, but feature writing persuaded her interests so much that she’s now a lifestyle reporter for The Independent in NYC.
At The Independent, Raiken covers a wide range of things from pop culture news to features on dating trends, but she’s also had the opportunity to write a few personal pieces. She wrote one last year titled, “Eileen Gu renounced her US citizenship to compete for China in the Olympics. As an Asian-American, I have some thoughts.” Raiken’s focus was centered on identity and why she supported Gu’s switch, as someone adopted from China. She finds comfort and joy in her ability to tell such stories.
“For prospective students, my biggest recommendation is to become a part of on-campus publications,” Raiken said. “Writing for Buzzsaw and Distinct motivated me to work in journalism and having those outlets kept me motivated after graduation, despite how difficult it was to search for a job post-college. And yes, the real world is really scary most of the time. However, I had the opportunity to lean on my peers at Distinct, as we had the same major and were both on the same journey post-grad.”
For those interested in pursuing journalism, Raiken recommends you “find your voice through your reporting. Even though news reporting is straightforward, I've had the opportunity to play with my own style when writing on lifestyle topics and features, which I love.”
Raiken continues learning more about her profession every day from other reporters in New York, and she can’t wait to see what opportunities for coverage she’ll get in the coming years. You can read her written work on her author site at The Independent.