About the Creative

Hailey Talbot

My Story

I started working with Adobe Programs my freshman year at Pullman High School. Starting with a multi-media class, I then went on to take Introduction to Photography, AP Photography, two years of New Media and a guided media class. Within this media program, I was introduced to Photoshop, Premiere, Lightroom, Audition and Illustrator. I learned to edit photos, create graphics for social media, take photos, gather b-roll and market on social media platforms. I was also a three-sport varsity athlete in soccer, basketball and softball. I love playing and watching sports. A part of me knew that I would always want to be around athletics.

I initially decided to double major in business administration and multi-media journalism. I quickly realized that I did not want to do anything with business. I changed paths to a double degree in multi-media journalism and broadcast production, but the social media work I had done in high school still really intrigued me. In the Murrow College of Communication, I enjoyed the hands-on classes where I got to work with Adobe Programs. I also still loved sports, so I added a minor in sports communication.

During this time, I was also starting to feel sick. Tracing back to the beginning of the pandemic, I decided that I wanted to eat healthier and become a stronger athlete. It had alleviated my stomach issues for a little bit of time, but right before I started at SFCC, I started to feel worse. In January 2022, I had a colonoscopy and was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. While it was not the news anyone wants to hear, I was just glad to have an answer and some form of a solution. The medicine worked for some time, but by June, I felt just as sick as before. This held me back from getting involved at WSU. I would maybe go to class, work a little and then sleep.

In the fall of 2023, I restarted college on the WSU Pullman campus. I was a junior. I was looking to meet people and seize any opportunity. I joined WSU Athletics as a creative intern, Cable 8 Production’s marketing team, Murrow Ambassadors and WSU’s Club Softball team. I started to meet people, create connections, form memories and learn more about social media. I also realized that multi-media journalism and broadcast production were not the majors for me. I changed to media innovation. I had started to be able to build my portfolio and get great experience. The 2023-2024 school year was my first full year on the WSU Pullman campus; I enjoyed everything I was involved in.

Over my spring break, the Murrow College selected six students, including myself, to travel to Arizona to cover stories at Spring Training. We visited the Rockies, Mariners, and Athletic’s facilities to learn from communications professionals. We got to interview players, coaches and people who work in baseball, learn about careers within baseball operations and get hands-on experience in the photo wells and press box. I started as the assistant marketing manager/content creator/ad sales coordinator for The Land and The Coug. I will graduate in the spring of 2025 with my bachelors in Journalism and Media Production from the Murrow College of Communication.

Heading into my senior year of high school, I grappled with the tough decision of where I would go to college. The Covid-19 Pandemic threw another wrench in college decisions; I could not go on campus visits or really get feel for what I wanted to do. Additionally, everything I loved doing in high school had been halted. I was stuck. I had interests in journalism and business, but I had also wanted to play softball. I had applied to many D1 schools, but ultimately decided in February 2021 to play softball at Columbia Basin Community College in Pasco, Washington. I had no major designation. However, I made this decision to appease others rather than myself. On August 1, 2021, I uncommitted from CBC and enrolled at Spokane Falls Community College on the Washington State University Campus for a quarter with the intention of attending WSU in the Spring 2022.

I accepted that I would always feel sick. I started the my sophomore year at WSU in the fall; still, I continued to my simple routine of class, work and sleep. On October 24, I went into the ER. I was life-flighted to Spokane, Washington on October 27 and had a colectomy with right ileostomy surgery on October 28. I would spend two weeks in the hospital and not return to my classes. I finished the semester from home. Due to my inevitable ostomy reversal surgery, I decided to transfer to the WSU Global campus for the spring semester. In March, I had the reversal surgery. Those five months had shown me that I need to get involved.

As my senior year approached, I had the option to graduate after the fall 2024 semester. I did not feel like I did enough. I decided that to stay the full year and be just as involved. I dove into extracurriculars; I applied to be the VP of Marketing and Alumni Affairs for Cable 8, I got more into my creative internship with WSU Athletics, I joined ZZUCRU on their Instagram team and I returned as a Murrow Ambassador. I got more experience on the sidelines of WSU Football, Volleyball, Basketball and Baseball games.