Crystal Thomas

I am a journalist. I graduated from the University of Missouri with a bachelor's degree of journalism. I hail from Glenview, IL, a northern suburb of Chicago. I am a 22-year-old student of all things journalism, a passion that originated from a need for social justice combined with a love for storytelling. To me, stories are a portal into someone's family, culture, beliefs, etc. Stories not only convey truth, but connect human to human.

A bit of my story: I'm the daughter of Indian Catholic immigrants and lived in Kerala, India, for two years when I was 9 & 10. I watched the World Trade Center collapse in 2001 on the news, sitting on a beanbag chair in my Indian living room. I was not sure what was happening, but I was still horrified. Living in the space between Indian and American culture has hugely influenced my life. Sure, I get great holidays and food from both ends. But it also made me a pretty angsty teenager and an aware college student. It's a journey that tends to happen when your "friend" comments that the color of your skin is akin to the color of poop. In kindergarten. It's an undefined territory that I can only express through written word.

Not only do I like to write/take pictures of good stories, I like to read/listen/watch them, too. I am a voracious reader, not only of news, but of books. And I'm firm believer that one story is not worth more than another - I will read almost anything.

I also consider myself a feminist. I yearn to see a top journalist who is Indian-American woman. Until then, I think I will keep blogging. Hopefully, my experience with being a budding journalist, an Indian-American and a woman can help you understand something of your journey, too.

And if none of those things that I mentioned above interest you, reader, a fair share of embarassing things happen to me, and I have zero shame in sharing.