All he needs is a hand

With a broken right hand and a poorly-working left hand, Charlie Couch is finding it difficult to do what he loves – write. Nevertheless, he pulls out his pencil and attempts to take his instructor’s notes just like his peers.

Couch, 20, has always found a way to overcome certain obstacles. The Virginia Commonwealth University student recently overcame the challenge of getting focused and entering the world of journalism.

Charlie Couch is now the managing editor of the Shafer Bird, an online website that gives Richmond restaurant reviews, cooking advice for college students and campus dining news. The site is a subdivision of Mesh Media, a VCU Mass Communications group that has websites dedicated to local sports, food, music and campus life.

As editing manager of the Shafer Bird (www.shaferbird.com), Couch creates feature ideas, keeps his staff in line and edits the staff’s articles. He also uses Twitter to update students on the lunch and dinner menus at Shafer Dining Center every day. Couch never dreamed of being a responsible part of an organization.

“I was a big slacker and did little to no writing in my last years of high school,” he said. “I missed an entire year of growth and wish I would’ve worked harder at my writing.”

Couch has even had a past with drugs which once landed him a night in jail. Such experiences, however, only increase his creativity. Writing was always one escape for Couch; he grew up in an all-female home in Martinsville, a small town in Southwest Virginia. Still, during high school, he lost focus and his interest in writing for a bit.

“VCU’s class called Focused Inquiry really brought back my attention to my interest in writing,” he said. “I actually enjoyed those research papers and they made me get into journalistic writing.”

Since then, Couch has been working hard at school and at contributing to Mesh Media.

“Charlie’s work here is pretty good and getting better all the time,” said Ryan Murphy, managing editor of Mesh Media’s sports site The Horn. “He has been a huge part in our expansion into new websites from the original Rams Review (www.ramsreview.com) and has done a lot to make Shafer Bird what it is.”

Couch does not plan on stopping at Shafer Bird.  He hopes to write for other Mesh Media sites and expand his writing career.

 “Hopefully I’ll work for a newspaper and later on be a published novelist,” said Couch. “I’m also interested in investigative and political reporting.”

Although Couch hasn’t always been the most focused person, some of his peers appreciate his new dedication and charm.

“One of Charlie's greatest qualities how friendly he is,” said Thomas Lopez, Rams Review director. “He's just an extremely good-natured guy and I think that will benefit him in the long run professionally.”

Breaking his hand in a car door is nothing compared to other past experiences in Charlie Couch’s life. All of those things make him a better person and an even better writer. Although he is happy with where he is now, he knows his work is not over.

“I’ve come a long way, but I’m still a work in progress.”