COFFEE TIME NEWS STUDENT JOURNALIST
NAME: Maria Tomás
START DATE / END DATE: August 2023 - PRESENT
MARIA'S HIGHLIGHTS:
Maria became involved with Coffee Time News partly by being in the right place at the right time. She was a member of an English class filled with Coffee Time News student journalists and soon found herself participating in interviews alongside her classmates. What began almost by accident developed into a regular role on the team. Maria brings a calm and friendly presence to interviews. Her genuine smile and relaxed manner help put our guests at ease, while her ability to listen and engage naturally helps conversations move forward with positive energy. These qualities have served her well in interviews with musicians and artists from very different backgrounds.
Her contribution is just as important after the interview ends. Maria particularly enjoys working with the Portuguese version of our interviews and pays close attention to how our guests' ideas are translated and presented. Over time, she has taken on interviewing, transcription, translation, editing and artist liaison responsibilities, becoming involved in many different stages of preparing an interview for publication.
Maria came well prepared for her interview with Laura Baker and quickly developed an easy rapport with her. Her relaxed interviewing style and genuine interest helped create a warm and enjoyable conversation.
MARIA'S INTERVIEW EXPERIENCE:
Albert Bouchard (Interviewer / Editor / Translator)
Tom Bates (Interviewer / Editor / Translator)
Alvin Taylor (Interviewer / Transcriber / Translator)
Laura Baker (Interviewer / Editor / Translator)
Adonis Rose (Transcriber / Translator / Editor)
Sky Cries Mary (Interviewer / Transcriber / Translator)
Democrash (Interviewer / Transcriber / Translator / Artist Liaison)
HamaSaari (Interviewer / Transcriber / Translator / Artist Liaison)
MARIA'S FAVORITES / INTERESTS:
Maria is a talented futsal player and is well known locally for her ability on the court. Her competitive nature also appears in her work, particularly when she is editing or translating and wants to find the best possible way to express an idea in Portuguese.
Music is another important interest and has helped Maria connect naturally with many of our interview guests. She enjoys discovering the work of the artists we feature and learning more about the people behind the music, something that has made interviews with groups such as HamaSaari especially enjoyable for her.
Maria took part in our roundtable interview with members of Sky Cries Mary and Democrash. Interviewing two bands together created a different kind of conversation, and Maria adapted easily to the informal group setting while helping keep the discussion moving.
Maria played an important role in preparing our Albert Bouchard interview for publication. Albert recognized her contribution by signing this concert poster for her, as well as for the other student journalists who helped us celebrate his remarkable career.
Maria was thrilled to highlight the Portuguese music scene by interviewing the cool guys who make up Democrash.
Maria's interest in music made her a natural fit for our interview with HamaSaari. Her questions and genuine interest in the band's music helped create an enjoyable conversation, and she later received an autographed copy of their album Pictures.