Elizabeth, a native Texan, earned her Bachelor of Arts in American Studies from the University of Texas in 2006. As an undergraduate, she worked for a campus organization testing Web sites for accessibility and usability, and interned for the Texas lifestyle magazine Brilliant. Although Elizabeth has always been passionate about journalism, she took a break from the industry after graduation to work for Marsh USA, Inc., an insurance brokerage firm, but quickly realized it was not the career for her. So she stopped “working for the man” to pursue an internship in the Dominican Republic for three months. While overseas, Elizabeth worked with the non-profit organization Makarios International, opening a private school for underprivileged children. She moved on to get her Master’s in journalism, with a concentration in magazine publishing, new media and graphic design, from Northwestern University in 2008. Elizabeth is passionate about reporting on urban issues. She believes journalism can change the world.

If Elizabeth were bullet points:

• Loves life, even the shitty stuff
• Enjoys laughing (mostly at herself)
• Loves watching anything with Stephen Colbert or Jon Stewart
• Favorite magazines are Texas Monthly and Vanity Fair
• Part idealist/part cynic
• Can match her mood to any Radiohead or Band of Horses track
• Extremely random
• Anthropomorphizes everything

Contact: elizabeth.n.riley@gmail.com