OLIVIA EXSTRUM
EDUCATION
Medill School of Journalism, Northwestern University
Bachelor of Science in Journalism
Minor in Political Science
Graduated June 16, 2017
GPA: 3.5
PROFESSIONAL
EXPERIENCE
Citizens State Bank, Telluride, Colo.
Marketing Manager — March 2021 - Oct. 2021
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Handled all print and digital marketing
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Maintained social media accounts
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Edited all internal and external bank materials for content and copy
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Wrote, edited, and coordinated a 14-month email campaign about the Paycheck Protection Program
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Revamped job postings to have clear, consistent messaging
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Updated the website for style
Customer Service Representative — Jan. 2020 - Oct. 2021
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Performed all bank teller duties
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Answered customer questions
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Helped originate more than 300 Paycheck Protection Program loans
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Assisted the bookkeeping department for several months
Mother Jones, San Francisco
Writing Fellow — Dec. 2018 - May 2019
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Continued to pitch and write stories for the website
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Copyedited all online content (about three hours of work a day) from December to March
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Had a feature published in the September/October 2019 print magazine
Senior Editorial Fellow — Dec. 2017 - Dec. 2018
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Fact-checked the bi-monthly print magazine, including three cover stories, as well as our online content
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Pitched and wrote stories and sidebars for the magazine and website
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Copyedited online content and magazine stories with guidance from the copy editor
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Appeared on Portland radio station XRAY.fm to talk about my story about voting in Illinois jails
Injustice Watch, Chicago
Intern — Sept. 2016 - June 2017
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Analyzed and input data on court records and other public documents
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Contributed research and reporting to part 1 and part 2 of our series on inequality in the Cook County bail system
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Collaborated with City Bureau, another Chicago nonprofit, on a tracker tool of major cities' police union contracts
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Assisted in fact-checking our Election Day guide to the Cook County judges on the ballot
The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia
City Intern — June 2016 - Sept. 2016
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Wrote general news stories about the biggest city in Pennsylvania, several of which were published on the front page
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Reported three features on criminal justice and prison in Pennsylvania, one of which was featured in The Marshall Project's "Opening Statement" newsletter of the best criminal justice reporting
The Star, Johannesburg
Reporter — April 2016 - June 2016
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Produced nearly 50 stories and features at one of South Africa's most influential newspapers
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Wrote six front-page leads, the first published in my first week
The Daily Northwestern, Evanston, Ill.
Web and Multimedia Editor — Sept. 2016 - Dec. 2016
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Oversaw The Daily's website, digital projects, and social media presence
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Worked with the audio, video, photo, and interactive desks to produce multimedia content
In Focus Editor — Sept. 2015 - March 2016
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Edited and supervised six long-form investigative stories, several of which received awards
Managing Editor — March 2015 - June 2015
Campus Editor — Dec. 2014 - March 2015
Reporter — Oct. 2013 - June 2017
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Wrote more than 130 stories
The Medill Justice Project, Evanston, Ill.
Journalist — Sept. 2015 - Dec. 2015
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Investigated potentially wrongful criminal charges with a small team of students
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Analyzed thousands of pages of documents and traveled to Oregon to interview the accused, lawyers, and experts
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Contributed to an award-winning investigative story published online that resulted in the elimination of a potential 30-plus-year sentence
The Chicago Reporter, Chicago
Reporting Intern — June 2015 - Aug. 2015
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Wrote stories and profiles on Chicago communities, focused on justice, race, and poverty
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Co-wrote a feature on the cost of prison phone calls
FREELANCE WORK
Today Explained, Remote
Fact-checker — Oct. 2019 - Jan. 2020
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Fact-checked a daily podcast with same-day turnaround
The Plaindealer, Ouray, Colo.
Reporter — Aug. 2019 - Jan. 2020
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Wrote stories and short features about Ouray County
Miscellaneous, Remote
Fact-checker — March 2019 - present
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Eater
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Earthjustice
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Bay Nature
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Pacific Standard
SKILLS
Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Premiere, WordPress, social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, LinkedIn, Snapchat), AP Style, LexisNexis, PACER, copyediting, fact-checking, creative writing, bookkeeping, banking
AWARDS
"Aftermath of NU-Q student's mental health crisis highlights differences between Evanston, Qatar sites" — The Daily Northwestern
Honorable Mention, College Media Association Pinnacle Award for Best Investigative Story
Honorable Mention, Associated Collegiate Press Feature Story of the Year
Winner, Medill Student Showcase presented by the Medill Undergraduate Student Advisory Council
"At Graterford, lifers get degrees even if they'll never use them" — The Philadelphia Inquirer
Winner, Medill Student Showcase presented by the Medill Undergraduate Student Advisory Council
"Taking Time" — The Daily Northwestern
Fifth place, Associated Collegiate Press Multimedia Feature Story of the Year
"A Mother's Care" — The Medill Justice Project
Peter Lisagor Award for Best Feature Series
Peter Lisagor Award for Best Non-Deadline Reporting Online
Fourth place, Associated Collegiate Press News Story of the Year
Certificate of Merit, Columbia Scholastic Press Association In-Depth News/Feature Story for Digital Media Publications
The Daily Northwestern — Staff
Winner, Associated Collegiate Press Newspaper Pacemaker
2016 Mark of Excellence Award, Best All-Around Daily Student Newspaper
OTHER EXPERIENCE
Sales Clerk, Ouray Bookshop — Oct. 2021 - present
Server, Wood Ear Whiskey Lounge — May 2021 - Dec. 2021
Dog Walker, Wag! — March 2019 - June 2019
Hostess, Buen Tiempo Cantina — July 2017 - Nov. 2017
Housekeeper, Hotel Ouray — July 2017 - Nov. 2017
Mailroom Clerk, Northwestern Mail Services — Oct. 2013 - June 2017
Front Desk Clerk, Ouray Hot Springs Pool — July 2014 - Sept. 2014
Cashier, Arby's — Nov. 2011 - Oct. 2012