Being a huge sports fan (go Steelers and Cardinals), I enjoy having the opportunity to cover sports at the Iowa State Daily.

My weekends this fall consist of covering football on Fridays and Saturdays. On Sundays, I get to kick back and watch NFL football.

Reading the news and sports journalism has become an everyday thing for me.

For me, it’s neat to learn while I’m doing something that I enjoy and apply it to what I’d like to do as a career.

Obviously, investigative and hard news is extremely important (more important than sports journalism, in my opinion), but I think sports journalism brings different qualities to consumers.

It think sports brings people together. At Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa, I viewed thousands of people stopping to take a minute and wave at the children’s hospital next to the stadium. It didn’t matter if the fan was wearing cardinal and gold or black and gold.

Last weekend, I witnessed the Iowa State community come together in honoring Celia Barquin Arozamena before Saturday’s football game.

Away from crowds, sports provide me with meaning, too.

After a long day or when I find free time, I like to unwind by watching or reading about sports. My goal as a sports journalist is to be an outlet for others to relax and enjoy sports stories.

Another personal goal of mine is to share stories of athletes that may not get told otherwise. Sometimes fans forget that athletes are human beings, too. My goal is to dig deeper than what we see on the court, field or mat.

One thing I’ve learned with working closer to athletes is many of them deal with problems similar or worse than everyday people.

I look forward to continuing my work and providing stories to those who wish to read.