14Dec 2014 by Katie Yaeger

Designing better ways to serve people

Experiences
I took the StandOut strengths test a few weeks ago. I don't always put much stock into these kinds of tests, but this one took one sentence to sum up a newfound passion that I've been struggling to verbalize for months: I like building things. I like serving others. And these interests have served me well this fall as a digital content strategist for Global Journalist. I love the news. I believe in its vital role in democracy and in the importance of getting clear, accurate information to the public, among other functions. This has been its function for centuries. But how we get this information and how we engage with it is constantly changing. Static, loyal audiences determined by location are no longer; people can get information from anywhere. With all of the information,…
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31Dec 2013 by Katie Yaeger

Another End-of-Year Post

Experiences
Last year, I wrote a breakup letter to 2012. It had been an OK year overall — with a few more unpleasant bumps and twists and turns than most — but I had learned from it and was ready to move on. This year, I don't want to write a breakup letter. I want to celebrate. Sure, 2013 wasn't "perfect" — nothing is. But I laughed until I cried (and/or couldn't breathe) on numerous occasions. I began spending less time stressing out about mundane things and, instead, spent that time meeting and becoming closer with people I truly care about. And with the help of this year's experiences, I've learned a lot and become more comfortable with and confident in myself than I've ever been. That — living, laughing and…
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11Sep 2013 by Katie Yaeger

If Only They’d ‘Listen’

Experiences
http://vimeo.com/74080083 The above trailer is for a documentary an MU student made. A friend of a friend, he took off a semester to travel the country and make a film about the problem with standardized testing in schools. "Why do teachers tell me to think outside the box when they never let me out of it?" one child at the end of the trailer wonders. I've wondered that, too. Tests — and that kind of rigid, structured learning — have never done much for me. My first school, Cliff Valley, was not quite a Montessori school, but its motto was "learn through play." Basically, that meant we abandoned the traditionally rigid primary school day in favor for a few scheduled activities, spending much of our time doing what we chose…
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16Jul 2013 by Katie Yaeger

On Being (Mostly) Gluten-free — And How It’s Helped Me

Experiences
I've never been overly concerned about my weight, and I'm thankful to have grown up in a family that wasn't either. Food discussions centered on health, and after eating a balanced meal, it was almost a given there would be dessert to follow. (In fact, both grandmothers have expressed concern when there wasn't because my brother or I had filled up on the main course.) But when I gained the "Mizzou 22" my freshman year eating (mostly) balanced meals and spent much of the year feeling poorly, I began to think there might be a bigger problem. A year or two before I left for college, my parents — who had spent years battling health problems unusual for their ages — went gluten-free, to the disbelief of my brother and…
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13Jul 2013 by Katie Yaeger

Some of My Past Lives

Experiences
I was at this art festival last week with my friend, Sally, and at one point, she turns to me and goes: "Katie, I had no idea you were so into art." That made me realize that my college friends don't know about my past hobbies, besides that I edited my high school yearbook. (The No. 1 question I'm asked about my past: How did you get into journalism?) I've always had a wide range of interests. However, I very much scaled back on that in college. (I was involved with so many activities that I got pretty worn out senior year, earning me the "Most Involved" high school superlative.) So, for those of you who met me after May 2011, here are some of the figurative hats I've worn…
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