Welcome
I am Amber Hanneken, and this is my site.
I work for Hugo Daily News in Hugo, Oklahoma as reporter and assistant editor.
I graduated cum laude from the University of Missouri in Columbia with a Bachelor of Journalism in print and digital news. I have a range of interests in the journalism industry and have done my fair share of editing, design, blogging and photography along with reporting and writing. I also worked in the advertising department and have experience in both sales and design of spec ads.
Through my MU education, I worked with the Columbia Missourian in various journalism forms. I worked the enterprise beat during reporting, which allowed me to explore a variety of news topics. My internship with Rural Missouri in the summer of 2008 brought me into magazine journalism where I learned how to design my own layouts in InDesign and improved my photography skills along with my written work. I later worked with MyMissourian, an off-shoot of the Columbia Missourian, where I facilitated citizen journalism. I looked for people in the community with stories to tell and information to share and helped them to post their experiences on the Web site.
Background
I grew up in the small ranch town of Kamuela, Hawaii where my parents own their own business and still reside. My graduating class was a total of 16 students. I was a book and school nerd. I involved myself in all the clubs like yearbook, student council, National Honor Society, drama and travel club. I also participated in tennis, soccer and cross-country running. Living in a place that is warm and temperate can really allow a girl to expand.
I was lucky enough to travel all around the country while growing up. I have been all over, East Coast to West Coast and everything in between, as well as visiting Canada. In the summer of 2005, after my high school graduation and before starting at MU, I took a trip to Europe with my classmates. We visited England, France, Switzerland and Italy and I had an amazing time. I took in a lot of knowledge about history and culture while there.
I hold small town values from my upbringing in paradise. My parents have always been extremely supportive and caring. In the islands, people tend to take it slow, but I craved a more challenging and motivating residence. The ocean became less inviting and more restricting. So I said goodbye, and headed for Mizzou with dreams of journalism.
This Site
This Web site is a project. I am learning about creating an effective web page, and putting myself out there. It holds my blog, which primarily discusses something I find myself entrenched in daily — Internet culture. It is also a portfolio of my published works, personal projects and my resume of experience.