In late 2008, as Zak was winding down degrees in political science, biology and psychology at the University of Pittsburgh, he recognized that a career in any single one of those areas wouldn’t completely satisfy his curiosity.
Driven by an entrepreneurial spirit, a desire to continue learning new and different things every day, and a passion for providing a service to his community, Zak decided journalism might be the best way for him to square that circle.
After six months of freelancing for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and interning at the Pittsburgh Sports Report, Zak knew he’d found in journalism just what he was looking for.
At the Post-Gazette, Zak covered borough government and wrote weekly features for the neighborhood zone sections. For the Sports Report and its child-centric companion, KidSports, he developed feature stories on local high school, college and professional sports.
In January 2010, Zak enrolled in a yearlong journalism graduate program at Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.
At Medill, Zak covered education and diversity in the Chicago area, and later health, science and technology out of the school’s Washington, D.C. bureau.
Between Chicago and Washington, Zak produced a collection of print, audio and video stories for clients that included The Wall Street Journal’s MarketWatch, the McClatchy Newspaper chain, AOL Politics Daily and NPR’s WAMU radio.
Aside from journalism, Zak is a die-hard Pittsburgh Pirates fan (yes, we exist), an old-school rap karaoke legend and a craft beer lover.
He’s also working on a book about green burial that focuses on Pennsylvania’s first all-green cemetery — Penn Forest Natural Burial Park in Penn Hills.
Your Beliefs At Patch, we promise always to report the facts as objectively as possible and otherwise adhere to the principles of good journalism. However, we also acknowledge that true impartiality is impossible because human beings have beliefs. So in the spirit of simple honesty, our policy is to encourage our editors to reveal their beliefs to the extent they feel comfortable. This disclosure is not a license for you to inject your beliefs into stories or to dictate coverage according to them. In fact, the intent is the opposite: we hope that the knowledge that your beliefs are on the record will cause you to be ever mindful to write, report and edit in a fair, balanced way. And if you ever see evidence that we failed in this mission, please let us know. Politics My personal inclinations are liberal, but I don’t align myself with any political party. I enjoy hearing and considering all sides of an argument (especially opposing views) and remain a healthy skeptic of all politicians, absolutists and fundamentalists of any ilk.
Religion I was raised Catholic, but while the topic of religion is of great interest to me, I’m not personally religious.
Scores of files kept secret for decades by the Boy Scouts of America to document suspected molesters within the organization are starting to leak out.
Saddle Brook's annual Halloween attraction returns this week — Oct. 18-20 — for its fourth year at Veterans Field, located at 20 Sampson Street.
The Fair Lawn League of Women Voters and politically-engaged Fair Lawn High School students have created displays around town to emphasize the importance of voting in this November's election.
A possible child luring incident occurred on Pine Avenue Tuesday morning.
The Fair Lawn Chamber of Commerce donated $2,000 to three local Fair Lawn organizations at its Tuesday luncheon.
The Policemen's Benevolent Association Local 67 will hold down a booth at the River Road Street Fair on Sunday, where they'll distribute safety tip sheets, coloring books and candy.
The annual Fair Lawn Chamber of Commerce-sponsored River Road Street Fair will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 21.
Daniella's Track Side Grille, a longtime Fair Lawn family restaurant and bar, was seized by the state on Oct. 11 for non-payment of taxes and its future remains uncertain.
A panel of judges ruled Thursday that Fair Lawn School District's Individualized Education Program for a preschool student with a brain defect is not compliant with state regulations.
Below is a list of events scheduled in Fair Lawn and Saddle Brook this week
Saddle Brook native Steve Maneri, in his first year as a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, caught four passes for 45 yards in the team's 38-10 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
Other top stories this week include charges stemming from the discovery of a 9-year-old's remains in Upper Freehold and a McDonald's customer upset that his young daughter was subjected to Fox News during their visit to the fast food restauran
Other top stories include a McDonald's customer upset that his daughter was subjected to Fox News during their visit to the fast food restaurant.
The Family Support Organization, a non-profit agency that provides education, advocacy and support to families of children with emotional or behavioral challenges, is holding an open house and street party on Sunday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Other top stories this week include charges stemming from the discovery of a 9-year-old's remains in Upper Freehold and a McDonald's customer upset that his young daughter was subjected to Fox News during their visit to the fast food restauran
Missed any of this week's Fair Lawn-Saddle Brook news? It's all right here
Daisuke Ayame, 42, was charged with driving while intoxicated after he lost control of his vehicle and drove into a utility pole on Saddle River Road, police said.
Other top stories this week include charges stemming from the discovery of a 9-year-old's remains in Upper Freehold and a McDonald's customer upset that his young daughter was subjected to Fox News during their visit to the fast food restauran
Daisuke Ayame, 42, was charged with driving while intoxicated after he lost control of his vehicle and drove into a utility pole on Saddle River Road, police said.
The Family Support Organization, a non-profit agency that provides education, advocacy and support to families of children with emotional or behavioral challenges, is holding an open house and street party on Sunday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.