In-Depth News: Capstone Project Produces Long-Form Magazine

Clara Howell ’17 spent her senior year as co-editor of Pacific University’s student newspaper, The Index. But she wanted to tell deeper stories.

For her senior capstone project, the journalism major created an annual magazine to accompany the newspaper — a long-form storytelling platform that would dive deeper into more complex issues.

Using her journalism and photography skills, Howell produced a 32-page full-color magazine, Index Magazine.  The first volume of the magazine covers social issues, including homelessness in Forest Grove, Ore., safe injection sites for drug users, feminism, and body image issues in young adults. 

Howell managed the entire production of the magazine, taking on all the roles. She recruited fellow classmates to participate, wrote full-length stories, worked with community partners, shot the photography and did all the design work. In addition, she used connections with Pamplin Media to find affordable printing costs for the piece.

Howell also developed plans for how the annual magazine can continue year-to-year even after she’s left Pacific. In the meantime, she is preparing for her own next steps, starting a journalism internship following graduation.

The journalism major prepares students to tell compelling stories across media while building a solid understanding of the ethics and roles of the profession in the United States.