Sierra’s Deep Dive in Journalism

Sierra van der Brug has recently joined our team as a new intern! Through the Raab Fellowship at UC Santa Barbara, she is working on a longform journalism piece about women in the legal system.

What got you started in journalism, and what brings you to the Independent?  I got started in journalism because of my love of reading, which led to a love of writing. When I came to UCSB, where I am now a senior, I began to pursue journalism and am now minoring in Professional Writing for Journalism and am a 2023-2024 Raab Writing Fellow. I am very excited to be working with the Independent. So far, in my time here, I have already been able to dive further into the Santa Barbara community, and I look forward to continuing to report on issues that affect the community. I am interested in court and crime reporting in particular.

Tell us about your study-abroad experience with journalism.  This past summer, I studied abroad in Berlin on a journalism program. This experience was amazing in terms of writing development; I was able to work with amazing professors and learn so much from their foreign correspondence expertise. Navigating reporting in a different country taught me a lot, and I am thankful for all of the newfound skills this experience gave me, the people I met, and the places and events I went to. I reported on Berlin Fashion Week and the queer Catholic community in Berlin.