The stories below were done for classes at Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York.
When I’m not reporting about social issues, financial data, or policy changes, I can be found traveling, reading mysteries, writing creative nonfiction, shooting photos, or editing images and videos for fun.
Covering Markets & Companies
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
The Pandemic Is Ending, but Its Boost to the Online Farmers’ Market Will Last
May. 20, 2021
The pandemic has boosted organic and local food sales with attention to healthy lifestyles. Now, the pandemic is close to the end but its boost to the organic and local food movement will be long-lasting, especially in one retail channel: the online farmer’s market.
Lululemon Grows Fast Thanks to the Digital Sale Boost But Its Rivals Do Not Stay Stagnant
Dec. 17, 2020
Lululemon, which acquired the at-home workout equipment maker Mirror early in this year, has reported huge sales growth even in the pandemic as people worked out at home and adopted sportswear and loungewear as their daily wardrobes. Based on continued sales momentum, its stock outperformed that of sportswear giant Nike. But Lululemon may not be able to maintain its strong sales growth rates and take over Nike’s leading position in the industry amid intensifying competition.
Photo Courtesy Of Lululemon Athletica
Lululemon Offset Brick-and-Mortar Losses Amid the Pandemic With Robust Online Sales
Dec. 17, 2020
The pandemic has boosted the athleisure market, and Lululemon has beat analysts’ estimates in 2020 — no surprise, given soaring demand for comfortable clothes and the huge growth of digital sales during the pandemic. But sales momentum may not last beyond it. After the virus fades out, the pandemic boost for the demand for sportswear and loungewear may cool down, and competition in the industry may intensify.
Covering the Economy
Gender Segregation in Jobs and Women Taking the Brunt of the Recession
May. 24, 2020
When Erin Haley-Hitz’s boss called to tell her that she was laid off in mid-March, her first reaction was a relief. As a dental hygienist, her job involved close contact with dozens of people every week — social distancing wasn’t an option.
But it didn’t take long for Haley-Hitz to begin to worry since the pandemic seemed to be around for a long haul. Dentists’ offices laid off more than half a million people in April, as the pandemic forced offices across the country to shut down. Haley-Hitz isn’t alone. And Haley-Hitz is typical in another way, too: She is a woman.
Five Things to Watch in the March CPI Report
Apr. 9, 2020
Before the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its measure of the March average of prices of a basket of consumer goods, economists suggest what to look into the upcoming report.
The Housing Market’s Good Days Succumb To The Coronavirus
Apr. 3, 2020
The most-heated-in-a-decade housing market was also slammed by the Covid-19 outbreak in 2020. But realtors offered virtual home tours to break through the crisis.
Covering Women and COVID-19 (Newmark Data Reporting Teamwork)
COVID-19 and Its Socioeconomic Toll on Women
May. 7, 2020
with Sevanny Campos, Samantha Shanahan, Amanda Glodowski, and Sophie Putka
The Covid-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected women’s lives.
Students in an interactive journalism team at Newmark J-School dived into women’s higher risk of the virus Infection, job loss, and household in the U. S.
Motion Graphics
My Journey to Get a Covid-19 Vaccine in New York
Apr. 19, 2021
Everyone in the U.S. aged 16 years and above is now eligible for a Covid-19 vaccine. All states meet the April 19 deadline that President Biden rescheduled two weeks ago. I made a short motion graphic about how I got my first dose of Moderna.
Audio Reporting
Jun. 3, 2019 – Wembley, London– ARMY, global fans of a K-pop group BTS, sing BTS songs in Korean to celebrate the boyband’s first concert in the Wembley stadium. (Min Ji Koo/NYC News Service)
Jun. 18, 2019
From the end of May to mid-June 2019, I went to see BTS concerts in New Jersey, London and Paris with my Korean friend who was fangirling over BTS, the biggest boyband in the world. The quality of the shows was extraordinary, but the most impressive moment for me was when I found global fans singing BTS songs together in Korean. I recorded the sound of them singing, which literally showed that music transcends languages.
After coming back to New York City, I decided to figure out why K-pop was able to be popular around the world for my first audio reporting class. You can hear that I integrate the recording into my narrative.
Covering New York City
Brooklyn
All People Need Comfortable Places for Workout: All-inclusive Gyms
Dec. 12, 2019
The fitness industry has been run under the thought that every people admire certain types of body shapes, which is in line with gender binaries. But the Red Planet, a local Muay Tai gym in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, urges to move on from the dichotomy.
Nov. 23, 2019 – Bay Ridge, Brooklyn – Joanna Capetanakis, a supporter of the Empty Bowl project, is looking around bowls for holiday gifts. (Min Ji Koo/NYC News Service)
Local Artists and Community Members’ Collaboration for Defeat Hunger in Brooklyn
Nov. 24, 2019
Danielle Bullock, Ed Huml, and his wife Deirdre Laughton, who are co-organizers of the Empty Bowl project in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, have raised money for local food pantries by selling bowls since 2013. Now, neighbors come to the local church’s Christmas market for buying their bowls for good reason.
Oct. 19, 2019 – Dyker Heights, Brooklyn– Trucks are parked along Poly Place. (Min Ji Koo/NYC News Service)
Dyker Heights Residents Need the Stronger Solution to Remove Illegally Parked Commercial Vehicles
Oct. 20, 2019
The illegal parking of huge commercial vehicles along the streets in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, has been a problem for a long time. Although the NYPD tickets and tows the illegally parked trucks and vans regularly, these vehicles are still staying overnight in the area.
Be Aware of Your Deliveries: Experts’ Advice to Be Smart on Crime in the Holiday Season
Oct. 14, 2019
Experts give homeowners and renters some tips to avoid a certain type of crime in the holiday season. They urge to be more careful when residents open their doors for delivery or strangers.
Manhattan
Feb. 28, 2020 - Lower East Side, Manhattan - Zishun Ning, an organizer with the Chinese Staff Workers’ Association, introduced a Chinese plaintiff who represented Chinatown tenants in the lawsuit. (Min Ji Koo/NYC News Service)
Two Bridges Residents Take One Steps Closer to Defend Their Home Together
Feb. 28, 2020
When Arnette C. Scott, a plaintiff of the Two Bridges case, stepped forward and celebrated “everyone’s win of the lawsuit,” her community members enthusiastically cheered and clapped. A girl next to Scott, her daughter, also smiled all over her face. Scott said, “We showed how the city broke its own law.”
Dec. 17, 2019 – Financial District, Manhattan – Jaison Abel and Jason Bram, researchers in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, are sharing their insights about the influence of worker shortage in upstate New York. (Min Ji Koo/NYC News Service)
The Lack of Qualified Workers Blocks New York’s Economic Growth
Dec. 18, 2019
Economists from New York’s Federal Reserve said Monday that a shortage of qualified workers is putting New York State’s economy in a slump.
Nov. 13. 2019 – Financial District, Manhattan – The Lebanese Expatriate Community held virgil. People are mourning for the victims of the Lebanese revolt. (Min Ji Koo/NYC News Service)
Lebanese People in New York City Build Their Community Supporting Lebanon’s October Revolution
Nov. 14, 2019
Since Beirut got covered by citizens against the government’s failure to solve its economic crisis on Sep. 31, New Yorkers who identify themselves as Lebanese gathered every weekend to support the protest, which referred to as the Lebanese revolt.
Dec. 17, 2019 – Lincoln Square, Manhattan – Kim So Ra, a Korean percussionist, creates “the sound of the stream water” using a calabash for a rehearsal at David Rubenstein Atrium, in New York City, on Sep. 19, 2019. (Min Ji Koo/NYC News Service)
Korean Traditional Music Meets New Yorkers at Lincoln Center
Sep. 19, 2019
Korean music has a lot more than K-pop, and the global popularity of K-pop leads its audiences to other genres, such as Korean traditional music. Four Korean traditional musicians will perform “A sign of rain” and other Korean songs tonight in David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center, Manhattan. It is a part of Korean percussionist Kim So Ra’s US tour after being recognized by WOMEX - 2018 World Music Expo.