JBolivia — Sun, 03 May 2009 00:31:03 +0000

Sara Shahriari is a print and radio journalist based in La Paz, Bolivia. She received a degree in English Literature from The University of Pennsylvania, and a master’s degree from the Missouri School of Journalism.

The ability to tell stories through print, audio or soundslides allows Sara to choose one medium for a piece or create a multimedia package. If you wish to contact Sara regarding freelance or work as a fixer, please e-mail her at shahri8989@gmail.com.

The Christian Science Monitor - Evo Morales won a second term in Bolivia’s December, 2009 election by a 40 percent margin over the next contender. How did he win, and keep, the people’s heart? By Contributor Sara Shahriari and Staff Writer Sara Miller Llana in The Christian Science Monitor.

Bolivian Indigenous in First Autonomy Vote

GlobalPost - Under Bolivia’s new constitution, indigenous communities have the right to govern themselves. How autonomy will take shape remains a question. By Sara Shahriari as a special to GlobalPost.

Witches’ Street

GlobalPost - On one La Paz street, pre-Catholic traditions mix with magic. Calle de las Brujas is home to shops that sell herbs, llama fetuses and charms to bring luck. It’s a look into Bolivia’s past, and its soul. By Sara Shahriari as a special to GlobalPost.

Panama Hats: Made in Ecuador

GlobalPost - Panama hats have been woven in Ecuador for hundreds of years. With the hats back in the fashion spotlight in Europe and the U.S., everyone from hat weavers in tiny, poor Andean communities to exporters in Cuenca, Ecuador, is trying to figure out how to make this boom a lasting boon. Story by Sara Shahriari, multimedia by Steve Remich as a special to GlobalPost.

Wisdom of the Prairie

Honorable Mention in the 2009 Missouri Press Association Better Newspaper Contest.

Columbia Missourian - For over 50 years Claire Kucera has protected and studied a piece of Missouri prairie never broken by the plow. Kucera, now in his 90s, no longer leads students to the prairie to learn its secrets, and the research station he built stands in ruins. By Sara Shahriari in the Columbia Missourian.

Are You Ready for Lucha?

Adelante – Legendary masked Mexican luchador Mil Mascaras films a movie in Missouri as part of his mission to strengthen ties between U.S. and Mexican universities. The resulting film pits luchador against a deranged mummy king with a background of jungles, Aztec tombs and legions of the undead. You’d never know it’s Missouri. Story by Sara Shahriari in Adelante magazine.

When the Bottom Falls Out

Columbia Missourian - News organizations are struggling mightily to make online content profitable. Many use huge layoffs in a desperate attempt to stay afloat financially. What is happening to the money behind our news, and what does the future hold? By Sara Shahriari as a feature in the Missouri School of Journalism’s special centennial section.

Dolphin for Dinner and a Boat Trip From Hell

Road Junky – During a year spent teaching middle school in the isolated Marshall Islands, Sara had many bizarre experiences, but dolphin on the menu and a near drowning made this day memorable. By Sara Shahriari, a finalist in the Road Junky Hell Trip writing contest.

Credit Counts

Honorable Mention in the 2009 Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Student Magazine Contest, Service and Information.

Vox magazine – Bad credit is staggeringly expensive for anyone using a credit card or borrowing money. So what goes into creating a credit score, and how can a young person building credit ensure that it doesn’t become an albatross? Sara Shahriari explains in Vox magazine.