First, I owe a great deal of gratitude to my thesis committee. It all began with my wonderful committee chair, Ferrel Guillory
Ferrel, thank you so much for your patience, kindness and awesome feedback as I turned a file folder full of ideas into a project that I am truly proud of.
Next, Daniel Kreiss, whose work was the true inspiration for this project. Daniel, thank you for allowing me to pick your brain and for introducing me to your book Prototype Politics, which provided me the ultimate primer and launch pad.
And Jamal Little. Jamal, I don’t know what I would have done without you joining our team just in time. Especially with your busy schedule at the Governor’s office, I am so grateful that you took this on. I only hope that I can pay it forward one day.
In both this program and in my undergraduate studies, I had incredible, world-class professors at the UNC School of Media and Journalism that helped me get to this point. Ryan Thornburg and Andy Bechtel taught me how to write for the web. Patrick Davison and Anasa Sinegal showed me the power of storytelling. Rhonda Gibson and librarian Stephanie Willen Brown made sure I knew how to perform research worthy of our institution. And finally, Laura Ruel, who encouraged me to pursue the MATC program, and really made me believe in myself.
I also owe a great deal of thanks to my cohort. When we all met in 2015, I could never have imagined how much this group would mean to me. Over the last two and a half years, we’ve been each other’s support systems. Sounding boards. Cheerleaders. Friends. Thank you all for answering my silly questions, providing second opinions, and just being on this journey with me. Y’all rock.
Finally, thank you to my family and friends. To my fiancé, Jonathan: thank you for your unwavering encouragement, for keeping me grounded, and for taking out the dog when I’ve been too busy writing. I love you!
To my lifelong friend Charlie Umstead: thank you for your fiercely loyal friendship and for reminding me that I’m “a bad bitch” and that I “got this.” To my friend and fellow academic Austin Haigler – your support, advice, and (always constructive) criticism were key to making this project something worth reading.
Thank you to my mom, who not only told me – but also showed me – that I could be anything that I wanted if I worked hard enough. And to my dad, step-dad, brother and sister: thank you for understanding when I couldn’t make it to Sunday dinners because I had too much school work to do. I can’t wait to see you all at graduation.