Liz Gray joined the Scripps Networks Interactive team in July 2007 after graduating from Ohio University, and modestly states that Scripps is her first "real" job.

However, landing a first "real" job as assistant editor for one of the nation's top communications companies is no small matter.

During her collegiate career Gray worked as associate managing editor for the SpeakEasy webzine, graphic designer for the student organization Unify, editor for Ohio University Undergraduate Admissions E-News, newscaster for WUOB Radio and treasurer of the Online Journalism Student Society. She also studied journalism, art history and film in Florence, Italy.

"I've always loved to writing, doing interviews and researching new topics, so journalism was a natural choice for my college major," Gray says.

Currently, Gray works as the assistant editor and a writer for both FrontDoor.com and FoodNetwork.com. Both sites are operated by Scripps Networks Interactive in Knoxville.

FrontDoor.com, HGTV's real estate news and listings site, has over 3.5 million listings. For FrontDoor, Gray writes real estate news, how-to content about buying and selling homes and entries for FrontDoor's Cool Houses Daily blog.

"Get involved in online journalism while you're still in school." - Liz GrayFoodNetwork.com is  the official site for Food Network, a TV station that is distributed to 96 million households nationwide. For Food Network, Gray chooses recipes and writes copy and articles for content packages. She also works with photographers when they do shoots for holidays, suggests recipes to Food Network Kitchens for development and occasionally works with Food Network talent on Web videos and content.

"I've always loved to cook," she says, "so I was thrilled at the chance to work with Food Network."

Through her coursework at OU, Gray learned how to write, design and model content specifically for the Web. Undoubtedly, her undergraduate experiences in the classroom and through her various on-campus jobs prepared her well for a challenging and fast-paced career at Scripps. Gray encourages current students to take advantage of opportunities to learn about online journalism prior to graduation.

"Get involved in online journalism while you're still in school," she said. "I was involved with SpeakeasyMag.com since its founding at Ohio University, and learned a lot about the trials  and triumphs of running an online magazine. Also, know how to do more than just write -- know about coding, video, blogging and definitely SEO."

In addition to writing and cooking, Gray enjoys hiking, doing woodcuts and taking photographs. She plays the saxophone, piano, marimba and melodica. She is currently taking cooking classes through UT's outreach department.

Gray is a confirmed participant for the Public Conversation on Web Journalism, which is scheduled for Wednesday, April 1, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The conference will be held on UT's campus at the Howard Baker Center in the Toyota Auditorium.