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Madison Willis

Gathering news and editing stories is what I've excelled at for the past couple of years. I am a quick learner, always trying to put my skills to the test. 

I currently work as a staff writer/editor for Eastern NM News where I gather stories, produce assignments for reporters and edit content for our bi-weekly paper. So far I have written over 200 stories within my first year at the paper. 

I make it my job to find the truth in my stories and ensure that every community is heard.

I'm an alumna at University of Central Florida journalism major in the digital/print track. 

My skills include writing for print and digital, online journalism, video editing, photo editing, social media, communications and investigative reporting.

Please, look through my portfolio. I am open for a collaboration, as I am always looking to learn new things. ​

Hard News

Explore the hard news section of my writing work below. 

The Eastern New Mexico News •

Roosevelt livestock sale stays lively

The crowds clapped and cheered as youth ranging from 9 to 17 led their various livestock into the pen. Rumors of "geese laying golden eggs" and steers being sold as high as $16,000 kept this year's Roosevelt County Junior Livestock Sale lively as ever.

The sale raised $220,550 before add-ons between 54 of the 4-H and FFA youth, organizers said. Add-ons are donations made after the sale. Last year, they came to $76,065, according to Joy Levacy, junior livestock sale secretary for the fair.
NSM.today •

Afterdark dance team kicks off at Knights Got Talent

5 Sources - 657 Words
Hip-hop music echoed between college buildings, drawing hundreds of UCF students to catch a glimpse of the stage at Memory Mall Monday night.

At the first performance of Knights Got Talent, five UCF students danced with everything they had so that no one forgot their group's name: Afterdark dance team.

“It’s just amazing,” senior marketing major Janine Do said. “I didn’t know how much diversity and special talents that we all have here … You never know what people might have, like, behind the
Watermark Online •

'We Shall Overcome' recognizes LGBTQ diversity during Lake Eola event

4 Sources - 948 Words
ORLANDO | Audience members sat in awe as colorful flags were tossed up in the air and the hum of music rattled their chest at Walt Disney Amphitheater at Orlando’s Lake Eola Park Oct. 13. In partnership with Come Out with Pride, five local nonprofits put on a show to honor diverse trailblazers within the LGBTQ community, called “We Shall Overcome: Celebrating LGBTQ+ Diversity.”

The collaborative efforts of COWP, QLatinx, Bros in Convo, the Orlando Gay Chorus, Central Florida Sounds of Freedom a
Watermark Online •

PHOTOS: Come Out With Pride celebrates in Downtown Orlando

3 Sources - 608 Words
ORLANDO | Thousands of attendees filled Lake Eola Park and the surrounding Downtown area in Orlando Oct. 15 for the annual Come Out With Pride parade and festival.

Come Out with Pride is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization that strives to make an annual pride event that creates a sense of community by encouraging LGBTQ people to embrace their identities, while educating the general public what Pride means. This year’s Pride theme was “A Place for Us.”

“It’s exhilarating being around so man
Centric Magazine •

‘We will fight’: Orlando activists, organizations march for Women’s Rights

4 Sources - 927 Words
Under the hot sun in front of the Orlando City Hall on Sunday, local residents ranging from all different ages, women, men and children gathered with painted signs advocating for reproductive rights. Crowding in front of the building, participants dressed in the beautiful colors of the rainbow, making a declaration as they marched for the Orlando Women’s March.

‘Fight! Fight! Fight! Abortion is our right!’

Attendants who came to the rally were introduced to several speeches from their local activist leaders. Including a speech from Florida Democratic Rep. and UCF alumna Anna Eskamani, who shared her story about being an abortion clinic escort and the powerful women in her life, while highlighting the importance to gather as a community during these times.
NSM.today •

Orlando Strong Symposium comes to UCF, highlights effects of recent Florida laws

4 Sources - 974 Words
This year’s Orlando Strong Symposium: For Our Collective Rights & Freedom aimed to bring awareness to the consequences of recently passed Florida laws. The event was hosted at UCF Downtown, and Sept. 15-16, guests were able to connect and advocate for the rights of of women, immigrants, people of color, workers and LGBTQ+ Floridians.

“I'll be honest, until most recently, it's been hard for me to find hope and joy in these times," Marco Antonio Quiroga, executive director of the Contigo Fund said. "The truth is, hopelessness is the fire of being a marginalized person in this country. But when we feel hopelessness, it is even more urgent that we gather together."
NSM Today •

First-time dance instructor, UCF student teaches Bollywood dance workout to raise money for children's hospital

2 Sources - 578 Words

Senior psychology major Shumaila Asad moved her hips and shoulders to the beat of the Bollywood music, teaching her first dance workout class at UCF’s Career Services and Experiential Learning on Wednesday.

At the Shake it with Shum event, students were able to experience a Bollywood-inspired dance workout that combined choreography and cardio-based exercises. Asad said that learning the steps was not the important part of the class but rather that everyone had fun.

Featured Articles

Explore a featured selection of my writing work below.
The Eastern New Mexico News •

Lighthouse dinner feeds community

With plates stuffed with turkey, green beans, mash potatoes and freshly baked rolls, 787 residents were given another reason to be thankful this holiday season at the Lighthouse Mission's Thanksgiving Banquet on Thursday.

Executive Director Richard Gomez said they had beaten last year's record by serving 187 more residents. He said between deliveries and people who dined in, they barely had any leftovers to serve for Friday's lunch.
The Eastern New Mexico News •

Grandmother: Dog shooting 'devastating'

They've been best friends their entire lives.

Born the same week in February 2017, Marley the Labrador retriever and Victor York played, ate and even slept together most every day of their six-plus years on Earth.

They were playing in the alley behind their house last Wednesday when Marley was shot to death. A Clovis police report shows a neighbor shot Marley, complaining the unleashed lab was "aggressively barking" at his own dogs through a fence.
The Eastern New Mexico News •

Students continue performing dream

With the bruises on their arms evidence of gymnastic-like training and years worth of laughter, three former students came together two years ago to continue their teacher's dream in making Clovis' first aerial and circus arts group.

From flipping in the air to dancing through hoops, Hannah Henrichs, Valerie Dewbre and Elizabeth Rodriguez are owners of Clovis Aerial & Circus Arts, a performing group that strives to bring the circus to the city.
NSM.today •

UCF researchers create $1.25 million project to address special education shortages

2 Sources - 450 Words

UCF researchers said they aim to alleviate Florida’s shortages of both special education teachers and school psychologists with a new $1.25 million project.

Project CENTRAL is the continuation of previous work by Co-Principal Investigators Mary Little, Dena Slanda and Oliver Edwards. Funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs, the project will assist local educators by giving them enhanced education and preparation.

“The primary focus of this particular U
Orlando Sentinel •

Some UCF groups struggle to get student government funding

2 Sources - 695 Words

Carolina Orria, a UCF senior and president of the club, said the class was possible because Fernando volunteered to teach. The student organization has gotten zero funding from UCF Student Government since she has been involved with the club. And that’s the problem, she says.

“We don’t take a membership fee; it’s all based on donations,” Orria said. “Or if we get aid or fundraisers.”

There are student organizations on campus that receive little to no funding from Student Government, even it budgets $350,000 a year to support them. For some clubs, the issue is not being familiar with the application process, which they say is complicated.
NSM Today •

Breaking tradition: Marketing student channels medical background in career path

4 Sources - 1370 Words

Mauney said students like his wife got to experience the traditional college trajectory of going straight from high school to college and finding a career after graduation. Mauney said he didn't follow that path but instead made his own route. As a nontraditional student, this isn’t Mauney's first time attending college, but it is his first bachelor's degree.

Mauney tried to stay in the medical field by following in his mother's footsteps and taking up nursing. After almost two years, he said he found that path wasn’t for him either. It did, however, spark his interest in medical devices, which led him to pursue a career in the business side of the medical field, looking to help people in a different way that best worked for him.
NSM Today •

'I'm at war with GPA': Alumnus succeeds despite poor grades

4 Sources - 1778 Words

While his classmates were taking a test in international business, Carson Hunt was on a plane to Mexico.

During his sophomore year at UCF, Hunt had started taking monthly trips to Mexico to further his company’s outreach to manufacturers.

As his business began to blossom, however, his grades began to drop dramatically. But Hunt’s competitive nature didn’t let him lose focus on what was important to him: the fruition of Merch, which at the time was named Upparel.
NSM Today •

Electronics and economics: FinTech shows growth through graduate program

4 Sources - 939 Words

After only two years of operating, UCF’s business program FinTech will launch its graduate program next fall.

Venugopal said the computer science portion of the program will have courses on basic programming, full-stack programming, algorithms, artificial intelligence and blockchain. The finance portion of the program, Venugopal said, will contain courses on basic finance, corporate finance and banking, introducing FinTech, data analysis for FinTech and FinTech entrepreneurship. Pirinsky said plans for in-person and online classes for the graduate program are underway.

The Afterdark dance team leads homecoming week's annual event Knights Got Talent Monday. Sophomore graphic design major Janelle Robinson dances with a smile as she takes center stage at the outdoor event in Memory Mall.

Multimedia

Afterdark dance team kicks off at Knights Got Talent

The Afterdark dance team leads homecoming week's annual event Knights Got Talent Monday. Sophomore graphic design major Janelle Robinson dances with a smile as she takes center stage at the outdoor event in Memory Mall.

Publication: NSM Today

Date of Publication: Oct 28, 2022

Read Here

Jeremy Rodriguez (left), a member of Future Leaders of Orlando, listens to speakers at Orlando Women’s March on Sunday. Rodriguez said this year's march will focus on the overturn of Roe v. Wade and the 15-week abortion ban that has recently been passed on Florida. Several community driven organizations gathered at Orlando City Hall to march for reproductive rights.

‘We will fight’: Orlando activists, organizations march for Women’s Rights

Jeremy Rodriguez (left), a member of Future Leaders of Orlando, listens to speakers at Orlando Women’s March on Sunday. Rodriguez said this year's march will focus on the overturn of Roe v. Wade and the 15-week abortion ban that has recently been passed on Florida. Several community driven organizations gathered at Orlando City Hall to march for reproductive rights.

Publication: Centric Magazine

Date of Publication: Oct 9, 2022

Read Here

UCF students start dancing as Default Friends performs on stage at Addition Arena Side Stage on Tuesday. “Art is how we decorate space, music is how we decorate time,” said Oliver Sulla, who is the drummer for Accident Attorneys.

UCF bands join together for their first spooky concert

UCF students start dancing as Default Friends performs on stage at Addition Arena Side Stage on Tuesday. “Art is how we decorate space, music is how we decorate time,” said Oliver Sulla, who is the drummer for Accident Attorneys.

Publication: Centric Magazine

Date of Publication: Oct 29, 2022

Read Here

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Email: mpollocknov1999@gmail.com

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