Jack of the Crime Trade

Welcome our newest intern, Jack Magargee: our cool courts and crime reporter. He’s been busy working through legal weeds for us, but this week, we get to peek behind the curtain of crime.

Where are you from originally? And what brought you to Santa Barbara?  I was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, then moved at a young age to Charlottesville, Virginia, where I grew up and much of my extended family has lived for generations. It was a beautiful sunny spring day when I toured UC Santa Barbara despite the lack of people due to the pandemic; I felt an instant attraction to the school and knew it was where I wanted to spend my undergraduate years. Living in the freshman dorms on campus overlooking the ocean felt surreal at times, and I am grateful for the opportunity to live, study, and explore a place like Santa Barbara.

Tell us about your internship — how has the journey been so far?  I have found that the internship has helped to develop my professional writing and investigative research skills while applying my interests in the legal profession and political world in a practical manner. So far, it has been fantastic being a part of the news team, especially working closely with Nick Welsh, Ryan P. Cruz, Jean Yamamura, Callie Fausey, and Jackson Friedman in the office. Working at the Independent has made me feel closer with the locals, and I feel as though my special connection to UCSB is expanding to the entire area.

What are you most looking forward to with your internship?  I’m looking forward to gaining more meaningful experience and writing stories that are important to the Santa Barbara community. Hopefully fostering relationships with my colleagues and professionals in the area creates a network of possibilities for whatever is next for my career and life. Currently I’m covering a few stories and court cases in Santa Barbara County; Ryan and I finished up the follow-up on Kenneth Fink, the Santa Barbara man who died at the Courthouse back in April. That story had a huge impact on me, and I felt proud to be able to share his life.