Staff Spotlight: Jessica Oakes

Photo by: Marissa Russell | Multimedia Editor

Joining the Torch in my freshman year with no journalism experience beyond JRNL-121 was the scariest and best decision I’ve made at Ferris. Though I changed my majors to technical communication and social justice soon after, I still feel like a journalist at heart. Now, as I conclude my sophomore year, I work as a news reporter, copy editor and the special editions editor.  

The support I feel here with my fellow reporters and editors may be the best part of the job. Spending quality time working and laughing with people who think like me is truly invaluable. 

My goal as a writer is to tell important stories that do not get enough light shone on them. Interviewing people from all corners of campus provides me with the most interesting conversations, and I love the professional relationships I get to develop with my sources.  

Before my time here, I grew up in the small town of Roscommon, Michigan. After I wrap up my degrees, however long that may take, I hope to continue my storytelling from sunny Tampa, Florida.