Features
I love feature writing because it allows me to research and cover topics that really interest me. Oftentimes, more timeless, serious topics, features are a great way to bring awareness to issues I care about.
‘America’s best idea’ forsaken by the federal government
National parks, also referred to as "America's best idea," have always been a huge part of my life. Every summer, my family takes road trips around the states, visiting different parks. I've made some of my best memories there, but I've also had first-hand experience with some of their struggles, particularly understaffing.
Given that, with this article, I wanted to bring awareness to some of the issues that national parks are facing and look into why they are in this position. Federal funding for the parks is not at the level required to maintain such a large and important system, so funding is increasingly falling onto the shoulders of friends groups such as the Glacier National Park Conservancy.
Stormy weather, stormy minds
For this feature, I chose to write about the relationship between the weather and people's mental health. I've always associated the word "gloomy" with dark clouds and rainy weather. But how can the weather be personified? It doesn't feel emotions. So I looked into the actual science behind it and discovered research about different types of mental illnesses that can occur due to the weather.
My article details the causes and effects of mental health problems, examples such as Seasonal Affective Disorder, and how climate change contributes to these problems through excessive heat and extreme weather events.
