Jessica Small, Neighbor

I am a Long Island native, however, I moved to California in 2005 where I graduated from California State University, Northridge, with a B.A. in journalism and a collateral field in English. I just moved back to Long Island in December 2009 and now  plan to pursue an M.A. in journalism en route to a Ph.D. in mass communications, concentrating on media literacy.

During my academic career at CSUN, I was nominated by the faculty from a pool of the top 10 percent of my class and inducted into Kappa Tau Alpha, the national journalism honor society. From May 2009 to July 2009, I worked as a staff reporter for <i>The</i> <i>Daily Sundial</i>, CSUN&#39;s award-winning student newspaper where I received the Outstanding Staff Member award. I covered mostly hard news, including the controversial budget issues that plagued California and the public university system throughout my time at the <i>Sundial</i>.

I also wrote briefly for <i>The Santa Barbara Independent</i> in the pop and rock section. I&#39;ve written reviews of concerts and albums, was a guest on KJEE, Santa Barbara&#39;s most popular rock station and conducted interviews with musicians.