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Paul Gackle

GacklePaul’s interest in journalism was born on the sports beat of a small- town newspaper in western North Dakota. He was writing for his family’s publication, The McLean County Independent, over summer breaks from a Sociology program at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada. The novelty of hitting the pavement, the idiosyncrasies of human personalities, and the world’s infinite supply of questions made journalism a natural suit for Paul’s curious mind.

In early 2001, Paul dropped out of the University of Manitoba four classes short of a bachelor’s degree to pursue a degree in Journalism. Paul spent two years with his hammer and chisel completing the UC breadth requirements at Irvine Valley College, supporting himself by working in the restaurant industry, before being accepted into UCI's Literary Journalism program in 2004.

All Paul’s efforts came to fruition at UCI. He constructed pieces centered on a professional poker player, a Cheesecake Factory food server with a degree from USC, a stand-up comic, an Olympic swimmer falsely accused of illegal steroid use, and a pair of teenage activists who organized Latino student walkout demonstrations in Orange County in March 2006. During his tenure at UCI Paul completed internships the OC Weekly and the Los Angeles Times. Paul’s hard work earned him the 2006 Dean’s award in Literary Journalism.

He graduated from the program in June 2007, and is pursuing a Master’s degree in journalism at the University of California-Berkeley.