About Me

I am a sophomore at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Born in Dallas, Texas, and raised in Greenville, North Carolina, I am an avid traveler, storyteller, and writer.
At UNC-Chapel Hill, I am a Media & Journalism major with a concentration in Journalism at the Hussman School of Journalism & Media. Outside of classes, I work for The Daily Tar Heel’s Audio & Video Desk. I also participate in student film and theatre, as well as the Marian Cheek Jackson Center’s Student Leadership Group and Epsilon Tau Pi.
A transfer student from Appalachian State University, I am an avid hiker and adore exploring the mountains, and I will never say no to an adventure!
Resume - William Becker

RESUME

EXPERIENCE

JANUARY 2024 – PRESENT

AUDIO & VIDEO WRITER, THE DAILY TAR HEEL

  • Assist with the production of multimedia pieces, including social media content and podcasts.

  • Support other desks’ written pieces with supplemental auditory or visual content.


    SEPTEMBER 2023 – DECEMBER 2023

    CITY & STATE WRITER, THE DAILY TAR HEEL

    • Take on weekly assignments in areas such as education, local politics, and community advocacy groups.

    • Work with tight deadlines of often three to four days.


      MAY 2023 – JULY 2023

      NEWS CLERK / INTERN, THE VILLAGES DAILY SUN

    • Processed reader-submitted content, such as photos and poetry, for publication in the daily newspaper.

    • Produced short feature pieces on a variety of recreational organizations and clubs for residents located around the city.

    • Reported on an educational supply drive and soccer camp for residents’ grandchildren.


      AUGUST 2022 – MAY 2023

      NEWS REPORTER, THE APPALACHIAN

    • Reported on current issues and events around Appalachian State University’s campus and the North Carolina High Country.

    • Worked with tight publication schedules including 24-hour deadlines.

    • Named Reporter of the Year.


      MARCH 2023 – APRIL 2023

      FREELANCE CONTRIBUTOR, ASHEVILLE CITIZEN-TIMES

    • Briefly worked as a freelance contributor to the Asheville Citizen-Times’ “Answer Man” column.

    • Had two pieces published online, one of which uncovered and led to the resolution of a jurisdictional oversight in Buncombe County, North Carolina, that had resulted in a street sign going unreplaced for over a year.


      AUGUST 2021 – JUNE 2022

      CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, RAMPANT LINES

    • Facilitated the publication of Rampant Lines roughly every three weeks for our high school of approximately 1500 students.

    • Edited, coordinated, and managed each 12-page edition of the paper as well as its website.

    • Edited roughly 20-30 articles during each paper cycle.

    • Managed the paper’s staff of approximately 30 students.

    • Created an online archive system to preserve both online publications from the COVID-19 pandemic and future content from our website.

      EDUCATION

      ANTICIPATED DATE OF GRADUATION: DECEMBER 2026

      MEDIA AND JOURNALISM, B.A., THE UNIVERSITY OF NC-CHAPEL HILL

      JUNE 2022

      HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA, JUNIUS H. ROSE HIGH SCHOOL

    • GPA (weighted): 4.60

    • Graduated with honors


      MAY 2022

      CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION, NORTH CAROLINA SCHOOL OF SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS ONLINE PROGRAM

    • GPA (weighted): 4.50

    • Graduated with the Golden Catalyst Award, which is given to four students recognized for significant community contributions.


    AWARDS

    • Eagle Scout

    • Reporter of the Year — 2022-2023 (The Appalachian)

    • Honorable Mention for News Writing — Large Campus (North Carolina College Media Association 2022 Statewide College Media Awards)

    • 2022 Region 2 Mark of Excellence Award, General News Reporting – Large (Society of Professional Journalists)

    • Golden Catalyst Award (North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics Online)


      SKILLS

    • Experience in both opinion writing and objective news writing

    • Multimedia (audio, video, graphics, etc.) experience


    • Managing and meeting deadlines

    • Accepting and learning from mistakes

    • Working with and managing teams


    ACTIVITIES

    Outside of journalism, I have also enjoyed working with organizations such as Scouting, Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA), and The Marian Cheek Jackson Center for Saving and Making History, where I am currently a member of the center’s Student Leadership Group.


    I achieved the rank of Eagle in 2018 and spent four years on staff for NC East Carolina Council’s National Youth Leadership Training (NYLT) program, an annual, co-ed leadership and teamwork development program. I worked in several positions including Senior Patrol Leader, which is the head scout in charge of the entire program, approximately 50 participants, and approximately 15 youth staff. I also worked as Chief Scribe, which is the scout responsible for gathering content for, designing, and publishing the program’s 4-6-page daily newsletter and managing three other scribes.

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