Kami Rieck does it all. She is a sophomore studying journalism and minoring in political science, while also partaking in practically every club on campus. She is a member of the PR team for Her Campus where she writes articles and coordinates with other campus cultural groups to make amazing content. She is a writer for the Daily Free Press, and recently became the multimedia editor for the publication. She also writes for The Buzz at Boston University, is on the General Board of HeForShe, and volunteers with Swipes for Boston (an organization that distributes meals to the homeless). AND, she is also an international peer mentor and is a program manager for the Howard Thurman Center. I honestly don’t know how she does it!
When I asked Kami how she manages to be a part of all those extracurriculars while also having a full course load, she said the most important thing “is to prioritize.” She holds her academics and her extracurricular activities in equal standards because they are both very important to her. When she came to Boston University as a transfer student this year, she wanted to be able to explore everything that BU had to offer. By being a part of different activities, she can dabble in different subjects and figure out what she really loves.
Besides being a part of all the clubs that I previously mentioned, Kami also has an Instagram account dedicated to capturing and reviewing all of her food adventures. She started the account a year ago because she was so in love with the Chicago food scene. Her favorite places to go are locally-owned restaurants, and recently she has been describing and reviewing the places she has visited to give her followers a taste of the experience! Kami wants to learn more about “visual narratives” and how words and photos can coalesce to create something great.
Kami is also an accredited filmmaker. This semester, Kami’s documentary film for her Visual Storytelling class was accepted into the Salem Film Festival. It was also accepted into the IMPACT Festival hosted by Boston University’s BUild Lab. Her group’s film was about an artist, Karen Krolak, who created the Dictionary of Negative Space. The whole project took two months, as they had to do all their own interviews and manage the sound, music, and lighting. Kami said that this project certainly took a lot of “teamwork,” but it also “made her online portfolio stronger.”
Kami has “learned a lot” from being a part of so many clubs. She has attained a range of skills including “leadership, patience, and the ability to hold yourself accountable.”
When talking about her career and future dream job, Kami said she hopes to become an investigative journalist. Since she was adopted from China, she knows that she has received a lot of opportunities that she might not have otherwise had. Journalism gives Kami a way to “exercise her creativity while also giving back.” She believes that there are “concrete ways to make a difference” and journalism allows her to give a voice to people who have been constantly silenced.
I know Kami is going to do amazing things in her life, and with her career in journalism, because she is already doing them. Make sure to keep up with her journey by reading her articles and following her food blogging account!
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