This week, we’d like to introduce you to one of our interns, Izzie Hamm. If you’re a long-time reader, her last name might sound familiar — she’s the daughter of one of our former news reporters Keith Hamm and Lupe Corona, one of our former arts writers, who met here at the paper in the ‘90s. Now, Izzie has been hitting the streets and covering our community happenings, following in their footsteps.
How long have you been interning at the Independent? What got you interested in doing journalism? I’ve been interning since late August, which feels weird because the time has gone by so fast. I’ve always been drawn to journalism. When I was younger, I used to roam around the old office on Figueroa, bothering my dad while he worked. Watching him, listening to the stories he told, I realized early on that this was something I wanted to do. It helped that I’ve always loved to write. I started in Teen Press at Santa Barbara Middle School, later became an editor for The Channels at Santa Barbara City College for about a year, and now I’m here, and I absolutely love it.
What is your family connection to the Independent? Has writing been a passion of yours since you were young, or something you adopted once you got older? My dad has been a journalist his whole life. To my knowledge, he started interning at the Independent while earning his degree at UCSB. Because of that, I’ve always loved to write and read, and I’ve kept a journal since I was really young, so choosing journalism as my major once I got to city college felt like the right fit. Still, I struggled at first. It was difficult to rewire my brain away from creative writing and I quickly learned that if I wanted to focus on news, I had to let go of some of those habits. I was drawn to arts & entertainment, which is what I covered as an editor at city college, because it allowed me to write reviews and explore my connection to music. But over time, my love for storytelling and reporting began to outweigh my preference for conversational writing — and that shift is what made me fall in love with journalism in all its forms.
What has been your favorite story that you’ve done so far? Anything you are currently working on that you’re excited to share? My favorite story I’ve written so far is probably my review of the Bad Religion and Social Distortion concert in 2024. Looking back, there’s a lot I would’ve done differently and plenty I’ve learned since then that I’d now incorporate, but I loved writing it. It even won an award at JACC (Journalism Association of Community Colleges), which was really meaningful for me. More recently, I’ve had so much fun learning about different food organizations in Santa Barbara and covering programs that help with food insecurity, like the Foodbank, Root to Thrive, and Veggie Rescue. That kind of reporting has felt especially genuine and impactful to me.
Do you hope to take on journalism as a career? Honestly, I’m not completely sure. It’s difficult because, on one hand, I love journalism, but on the other, so much is changing in the field, and I can’t help but worry about what the future holds. Sometimes, I wish I could’ve experienced it during my dad’s time, before the rise of artificial intelligence and the shifting public perception of reporting. Still, for now and the foreseeable future, I want to stick with it. I’d love to write about arts & entertainment, but lately, I’ve really been enjoying feature stories and more community-focused reporting. I’ll be transferring to San Francisco State and, hopefully, later to UC Berkeley to continue studying journalism. From there, I’ll figure it out as I go.
What are you currently studying in school at Santa Barbara City College and what is your degree in? What do you get up to when you aren’t reporting or in school? I graduated in May with my associate’s degree in journalism, but recently I’ve become really interested in philosophy. Over the past few months, I’ve taken around four classes, and I just can’t get enough of it. Whether it’s religion (my favorite topic), ethics, linguistics, logic, or consciousness, I’m completely fascinated by all of it. I hope to minor in philosophy at San Francisco State because the more I learn, the more I realize how much I don’t know. And I want to know everything. When I’m not in school or writing, I spend a lot of time reading. My dad and I often swap books, which I love. Right now, I’m working through his old copy of East of Eden, which I’ve been endlessly annotating. Outside of that, I work four days a week as a server and spend a lot of time with my friends — going to the beach, studying, playing guitar, doing yoga. I’m really lucky to have such a great group of girlfriends.
What are some of your favorite things to do in Santa Barbara? Any favorite spots to visit in the area? I can’t even begin to list all of my favorite things to do in Santa Barbara. I grew up working downtown as a server, so I’ve spent a lot of time on State Street, wandering around, grabbing food, or just people-watching. But whenever the sun’s out, you can pretty much find me at Butterfly Beach. On days I’m not working, I usually start with studying or reading at Lighthouse Coffee on the Mesa, then drive down to Leadbetter Beach. My friends and I like sitting in the bed of my truck, planning out the rest of the afternoon, whether it’s roller skating along Cabrillo, grabbing Thai food at Galanga, or bringing Lily’s Tacos to Douglas Preserve. And if I’m really lucky to have a weekend day off, I never hesitate to drive up the 154 to the swimming reservoir at Red Rock. There’s just so much to do here, and I’m incredibly grateful my parents moved heaven and earth so my sister and I could grow up in this place.
