September Cover Girl: Jessica Farkas

photo by Adam Zielinski

See Jessica’s story in the Summer 2010 Issue!

journal of a journey

The first article I ever had published was a journal entry I wrote while livingin Ghana, West Africa. My hometown paper, The Record-Courier, featured it as a four-part series, complete with a byline and headshot. It was a great bullet point for my resume, and the beginning of a since insatiable thirst to see my name in print.

school girl

In 2007 I received a BA in Journalism from the University of Nevada, Reno, where I minored in Cultural Anthropology for no real reason other than myfascination for societies and cultures different from my own. I wrote for The Nevada Sagebrush, an entirely student-run news publication, as well as Nevada Matters, a political webzine created by UNR students and faculty. I was able to interview dozens of intriguing people, both local and international,and write stories that eventually earned me a scholarship for excellencein print journalism.

stickin’ it to the man

I have always loved writing, but even more than that I love writers. During my senior year of college I became very interested in both mediaand intellectual property law. I set a new goal to become a First Amendment attorney (which I’m pretty sure is a totally made up title) whowould fight for the rights of writers around the world. So I took the LSAT and went to law school where I studied intellectual property and all kinds of other boring stuff.

a fresh start

In the last year I: was kicked out of said law school, emptied my savings account for a DSLR camera so I could take up photography, spent amonth backpacking Thailand, starred in a short film, and moved to a citywhere it’s considered the norm to remove clothing for cash. I am inspired by almost everything, and can find beauty in absolutely anything. The ability to express that through words and through pictures is a gift for which Iam infinitely grateful.