Meet the Creators:

Kelsey Wilkins is a sophomore at the University of Oregon. She is double majoring in Advertising and Public Relations, with a minor in Spanish. She is passionate about design, and hopes to work at an advertising agency in Portland as a creative director in the future. Kelsey is currently a member of Allen Hall Advertising, and has developed branding strategies, logo creations, and event planning. Aside from academics, she enjoys skiing and snowboarding. Kelsey also participates in various philanthropic work, specifically at the Boys and Girls Club, and volunteering at local community events. With this blog, she hopes to gain insight on the issues faced by Local Needle Exchange Programs, and whether they are a valuable aspect to the public.

Annie Feuer is a sophomore student at the University of Oregon, originally from Portland, OR. She is a broadcast journalism major with a minor in Spanish, with hopes of becoming a correspondent for a sportscast after graduation. Through further research of the Local Needle Exchange, Annie hopes to gain a better understanding of an organization that distributes sterilized needles for current drug users in the local area. By discussing such a controversial topic on a blog, Annie will have the opportunity to both share important information she has discovered that will better inform and educate the public, and to receive personal opinions of the audience.

Ariane Kunze is a Junior at the University of Oregon studying magazine journalism. She is currently in the Gateway to Media program in the School of Journalism and Communication. Currently a photographer for the university’s Ethos Magazine, she aspires to become a photojournalist and use her acquired skills to make an impact on the community regarding tough subjects such as the local needle exchange. She hopes to gain a new perspective about the local needle exchange in Eugene, and to use the new perspective she gains to further her capability to accurately portray controversial issues as a journalist.

Matthew Phillips is a Sophomore Journalism student at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon. His focuses in relation to this major are Electronic Media and Magazine. Photography is a form of communication in which he is particularly interested and he has experience working as a sports photographer for several small publications. His goal professionally is to develop a successful photojournalistic career with a major publication with a presence in both the print and electronic media world. He hopes to contribute to the Local Needle Exchange research with his ability to illustrate the issue effectively through images and to become more well informed regarding this issue in the local community.