Jessica Mills

Writer. Journalist. Communicator.

I am an award winning journalist, monthly columnist, and freelance writer. My words have been published in the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Gay & Lesbian Review, the American Association of Colleges & Universities, La Jolla Village News, Mission Times Courier, La Mesa Courier, College Times Courier, and Local Umbrella Media. I focus on covering social topics, art, culture, entertainment spaces, news, local and small businesses, local politics, and LGBTQ+ stories. 

Based in San Diego, Ca., I graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of San Diego (USD), earning my Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies. While pursuing my undergraduate degree, I was the arts & culture editor for the Vista, USD’s student-run newspaper. I sought to connect my community with relevant stories, broaden coverage of marginalized issues and persons, and brought forth initiatives promoting diversity, inclusion, and visibility for the LGBTQ+ community.

My most impactful publications shed light on post-grad depression, the porn industry, violence against women and gender minorities, abortion and healthcare access, coming out in the LGBTQ+ community, same-sex parenting, and the celebrations of various cultural and historical events. My involvement, engagement, and participation in department life through the Vista resulted in the nomination and selection as the sole student for the Excellence in Department Service Award for the 2022-2023 academic year. Most recently, I won First Place for the 2023 Excellence in Journalism Awards for the San Diego Press Club for Visual and Fine Arts Reporting in non-daily newspapers. 

Outside of journalism, I fill my time with creative writing, reading fantasy books, making jewelry, and drinking copious amounts of tea. I was the winner of the 2022-2023 Lindsay J. Cropper Creative Writing Contest for three poetry entries, which were later published in the Alcalá Review, along with two additional pieces of work. My undergraduate research connected rap music’s primarily male listenership to the genre’s recurrent misogynistic messages and their encoded violence against marginalized genders as a normal facet to socialized manhood. I hope to further research the intersections of media and violence as I continue my higher education. Currently, I am writing an integrated science fiction, historical, fantasy series that combines unique magic systems, manipulated media, and political commentary.

Work Samples

Poetry and Creative Work

Realm of Masculinity: Encoding Manhood in the Rap Music Genre

In today’s technological culture, songs and their accompanying music videos are accessible through online websites, streaming platforms, social media outlets and network channels. Their lyrical messages have become a constant presence in everyday life. Texts revealed that music videos create a guideline of how to acceptably act as men and women in today’s culture. Among the most popular music genres is rap, which widely features misogynistic content. Rap artists’ lyrics and videos feature women who are regularly diminished to sexually promiscuous objects, lacking any individual thoughts and/or feelings. The speed and regularity in which consumers can now access this content desensitizes listeners to sexual harassment, exploitation and violence towards women. Many “old school” rappers such as Dr. Dre, Ice Cube and Tupac set a standard for utilizing misogyny in musical projects which has paved the path for current artists such as Future. With over 45 million monthly listeners on Spotify, Future is ranked among the platform’s top 50 artists. Although his songs and albums vary in terms of featured artists, topics and cover art, his degradation of women is constant. As one of the leading artists in this popular genre with a primarily male audience, Future’s construction of violent acts and phrases towards and against women encodes dominance and violence against women as a normal facet to manhood.

Undergraduate Research

Projects

USD Lambda Pi Eta Alumni Panel - Organizer and Speaker

  • Gathered group of ‘23 alumnus to speak to Lambda Pi Eta juniors and seniors about post-grad depression, job market complexities, application fatigue, grad school, and living at home

USD Guest Lecturer

  • Prepared presentation and lecture for Professor Herman’s Contemporary Print Journalism Spring ’24 course on the freelance writing industry

  • Discussed nuances of graduate program applications and recommended USD courses for prospective journalists; answered questions

“Heard You’ Podcast - Guest on ‘Welcome to our Book Club’ Episode

  • Shared literary and education hot takes, favorite titles, and the complexities of post-grad life

Freelance Project Manager - The American Association of Colleges and Universities

  • This project included editing the contents of the previous version of the AAC&U’s internal style guide for grammar, repetition, and outdated language. After conducting research from various publications and updated rules outlined in the Chicago of Manual Style, I included additional entries for specific diversity, inclusion, and equity (DEI) language.

Business Memorandum

  • For a final senior project I analyzed and presented the USD Vista with growth opportunities regarding diverse staffing, allocation of resources, equitable coverage, and greater reader and social media engagement.

Think Blue San Diego Climate Change Project

  • Working with Katz & Associates and Think Blue San Diego, my team and I acted as cultural communication consultants while interviewing San Diego residents and their water waste and collection habits. Our presented research and data collection earned the recognition of third place for the 2023 San Diego Marketing Awards.

Awards and Honors

Contact Me

Writers, editors, and publications, my digital door is always open for editorial and advertorial assignments. I cover local politics, social issues, community events, small businesses, local politics, art and culture, and LGBTQ+ stories.