My name is Lia DeGroot and I'm a Journalism and Mass Communication student at George Washington University with a passion for sharing local stories. In my two years as a news editor at The GW Hatchet, GW's independent student newspaper and the second oldest newspaper in Washington, D.C., I've written and edited more than 300 stories about local issues pertinent to GW's neighborhood and surrounding D.C. I've taken the newspaper to new levels by revamping how the organization covers homelessness, crime and local politics in the area. When I'm not working I love reading memoirs, thrift shopping and spending time in coffee shops. .