Oswin Colley
Resume, Letters, & Experience
A 2025 high school graduate from Thompson High School with 4 years of active journalism experience looking to pursue sports journalism and filmmaking at the University of Alabama
Qualifications & Awards in Journalism
- Alabama Journalist of the Year (2025)
- 4 years of experience in student media
- National Teen PSA The Greatest Save Award (2023)
- National GOAT Teen PSA Award (2023)
- Alabama Scholastic Press Broadcast News Anchor 1st Place Winner (2025)
- Alabama Scholastic Press Deadline News Pkg 1st Place Winner (2025)
- Alabama Scholastic Press Alex House Journalism Sustainability Award (2025)
- Alabama Scholastic Press Broadcast Feature Story 1st Place Winner (2024)
- Alabama Scholastic Press Broadcast Videography 1st Place Winner (2024)
- Alabama Scholastic Press Lit Mag Photography Portfolio 3rd Place (2024)
- Alabama Scholastic Press Web Art Illustration 2nd Place (2024)
- Alabama Scholastic Press Photography 1st Place Winner (2023)
- Alabama Scholastic Press Magazine Illustration 1st Place Winner (2023)
- SkillsUSA District Advertising 1st Place Winner (2024)
- Alabama ABC Board Poster Design 3rd Place (2024)
- Alabama Consortium of Technology in Education District & State Graphic Design 1st Place (2024)
- SkillsUSA Chapter Reporter for Thompson High School's TV and Film Academy
- Member of Quill and Scroll Honor Society
- Member of National Technical Honor Society
- Professionally certified in Adobe Premiere Pro
Education
2025 Graduate
Thompson High School - Alabaster, AL
- 4.77 GPA
- 32 ACT
- Valedictorian
- Inducted into many honors societies and clubs:
- National Honor Society
- National Art Honor Society
- Quill and Scroll Honor Society
- National Technical Honor Society
- Thespians Honor Society
- American Sign Language Honor Society
- Mu Alpha Theta
- Beta Club
- National Art Honor Society President and National Southeastern Media Representative
- Thespians Honor Society Historian
- THSTV Senior Lead and Intern
The University of Alabama - Tuscaloosa, AL
Upcoming Freshman
- Offered a full presidential scholarship for academics
- Offered Alabama Scholastic Press Association JB Stevenson's Scholarship for journalism
- Planning to study creative media and sports journalism in the pursuit of becoming a cinematographer and sports journalist
Work Experience
Assistant Technical Director
Alabaster City Schools - Alabaster, AL
2022-2025 Contract
- Worked for Thompson High School's Performing Arts Center aiding with the management and production of events held in the school's auditorium
- Trained professionally in technical theater
- Managed lighting and sound design and made production managers ideas come to life
- Handled equipment for productions in order to ensure nothing was broken or damaged during high-movement events
- Productions I was involved in include: Miss Alabama's Teen (2023-2025), Thompson High School's spring musicals Suessical, Cinderella, and Shrek (2023-2025), Miss Cahaba Valley (2023-2024), USA National Miss (2024)
Edgar's Bakery - Pelham, AL
May-August 2023, Feb-August 2024
Front of House - Server & Barista
- Opened the bakery every morning by preparing pastries and cakes and brewing fresh coffee all before 7AM
- Took custom cake orders to ensure a guests cake was perfect for their special event
- Decorated cakes and pastries everyday while making sure every piece was identical
- Conducted quality control on baked goods and tested new recipes for production managers
- Handled cash exchanges efficiently while ensuring guests received exact change
Michael's - Alabaster, AL
October 2023 - Jan 2024
Cashier
- Helped set up and build interior for the location while it was still being built
- Quickly managed check out lines by guiding guests to different self-checkout and normal service registers
- Handled cash exchanges efficiently while ensuring guests received exact change
- Set up holiday displays​
Impatient Creations Inc. - Alabaster, AL
April 2024 - Present
Photographer and Social Media Specialist
- Create and maintain website with updated photos, information about cars in the shop, and the business's hours​
- Take high-quality photographs of cars as their being worked on and once they are finished, showcasing the technicians' craftsmanship and any small but important details
- Write eye-catching social media captions for Instagram and Facebook, engaging with a large audience and promoting the business's services.
- Creating graphics for social media and physical products
- Engage with others at local car shows and competitions on behalf of the company to promote business
Brutally Honest Bourbon
August 2024 - October 2024
Video Editor
- Create engaging Youtube thumbnails
- Edit long-form content
- Add captions, music, and other small details to videos to capture audience's attention
- Splice out any mistakes to make videos clear and to the point
Taco Mac - Pelham, AL
October 2024 - Present
Hostess
- Greet all guests that walk through the front door
- Create organized seating charts that follows a specific rotation to make sure all servers are equally sat
- Manage a waitlist when the restaurant is too busy to fully accommodate all guests at once, giving accurate wait times and answering any questions
- Have complete knowledge of menu to answer guests questions at the front door