Jen CowartJENNIFER COWART
FREELANCE EDUCATION REPORTER

What’s your favorite spot in Cranston?
Meshanticut Lake. It's a perfect spot for walking, fishing, picnicking and feeding the ducks. We're so lucky to have it right in the center of a residential area.

Tell us something unexpected about yourself
I hate my food to touch on my plate. I love divided plates at cookouts for that reason; everything can have a clean spot and not run together. I hate buffets because there's so much good food and so little clean plate space.

If you weren’t in journalism, what would you do for a living?
Maybe I'd go back into teaching. Growing up I either wanted to be a teacher or a journalist. I chose teacher first and did that for nine years, and now I'm a journalist and author of books.

What’s the most unusual story you’ve ever covered?

This one probably changes with time but so far the one that was most intriguing to me was the “Growing up Muslim” story about the Kattan family. What made it unusual was that I interviewed them during their high holiday last August. They have to fast from sun-up to sundown and being August, sundown is late. So they sleep during the day and eat during the night. I interviewed them during the day so they had to wake up to meet me for the interview. They are a local Muslim family with four children in Cranston and it was during the whole NYC mosque debate, so it made for an all-around very interesting interview. Great family.

What made you want to become a writer?
I always loved to write. My dad always called me the great communicator because I always wrote so well. In elementary school I always made my spelling sentence homework into a story. In high school I made all my assignments into magazine interviews or newspapers or books, however I could connect them to writing. I kept journals and diaries forever. In my Stampin' Up! home business I sent long, detailed newsletters out each month. I've just always loved to write. This job as an education reporter combines the two things I'm so passionate about: writing and education; it's the perfect job!