Meet the Staff: TCPalm Visual Journalist Crystal Vander Weit

Crystal Vander Weit has worked for Treasure Coast Newspaper/TCPalm since 2021. As a visual journalist covering Martin County, she's documented a variety of subjects from the Lake Okeechobee discharges to long COVID to the area's natural beauty.

After graduating from the Corcoran College of Arts and Design in Washington, D.C., she worked for the Kalamazoo Gazette in Michigan, the Decatur Daily in Alabama and after a brief stint enjoying the mountains of West Virginia, headed back home to Florida in 2019.

Q: Why did you choose to be a visual journalist?

A: After working as a store designer at Crate&Barrel for nearly a decade in my 20s, I knew I wanted to change my career. At the time, I was a documentary junkie and decided I wanted to merge my artistic talents with journalism. So I enrolled at Barry University in Miami and earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography. I floundered a bit trying to get my foot in the door at a newspaper, so I moved to D.C. where I earned my master's degree in new media photojournalism and from there my photojournalist career sprouted.

Q: What is your favorite part about being a visual journalist?

A: I get to witness many things that many people don't get to do. From the governor's debate to flying in a helicopter over Hurricane Ian's destruction on the west coast, documenting these events is an honor. I also love capturing moments and creating a visual story.

Q: What is your most memorable work?

A: I'm proud of:

• A Stuart woman, 81, who found the love of surfing after her husband died.

• A woman living with long COVID for three years after her first infection.

• A family of six living in their van and in hotels due to being priced out of the rental market.

• A Port Salerno man on the path to success after years in jail.

Q: What do you like to do outside of work?

A: Hiking with my beloved dog Kiah, finding the next and best gluten free restaurant and traveling.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Meet TCPalm Visual Journalist Crystal Vander Weit