Fairfield University Senior Chosen to Document Pope’s Visit With #GoodIsWinning

Allanah Dykes, a senior at Fairfield University, was chosen out of 400 applicants to serve on a team of 30 citizen journalists who will document Pope Francis' visit to New York to show #GoodIsWinning.

Dykes applied to be a member of the “Pope is Hope Digital Street Team,” a group who will be creating original online content to document Pope Francis’ first visit to the U.S., through the Catholic news website Aleteia.

“When I got the call I was ecstatic!” said Dykes, according to a press release. “I had to keep quiet for a week until the winners were officially announced in a Huffington Post article, but since then I can’t stop smiling and spreading my excitement on my blog Double Shot of Chic. To be chosen for this team is a true honor and I’m so happy that I get to represent Fairfield University."

Dykes will travel to New York City on Sept. 25 to cover the Pope's visit on her blog and social media accounts using Aleteia's hashtag #GoodIsWinning through photos and interviews with people who are in the city to see the Pope.

“I love the idea that the citizen journalists would be able to capture the good in everyday people and hopefully spark a positive movement surrounding the Pope’s visit to the United States," said Dykes, who is a practicing Christian.

"It's really important for the Church to work hard to be relevant to young people.,” said Jason Deal, Executive Vice President for Strategy, Aleteia USA, Inc. “The most authentic way we can do that is to create platforms like this campaign that are born from — and designed and directed by — team members like Allanah."

Dykes will also be taking over Fairfield University's Facebook, Instagram, Periscope and Twitter pages with her coverage of the Pope's visit. Fairfield University has also joined the American Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) #IAmJesuitEducated campaign and will contribute written pieces for their Medium blog.

There will also be on-campus events surrounding the pope's visit, such as panel discussions and a live viewing of coverage of the Pope's visit during "Pope Watch."

You can follow Dykes at @allanahjd on Twitter and Instagram, as well as on @FairfieldU on Twitter, Instagram and live on Periscope, as well as the university’s Facebook page.