It's hard to tell your story when you are so used to telling others' for a living.  I ask people to put their lives and tales in front of the world every day.  Sometimes I have to convince them.  I claim it is a simple thing to do, but perhaps it's easier said than done.  (It's also hard not to use clichés.)

Let me just try to explain to you then in plain English (is that a cliché?) who I am and what I do.  My name is Gitika Ahuja and I am a professional story teller.  Every day I strive to figure out what you might want to know and try to tell you about it in the most compelling fashion with words and moving video.  In our world, we say that if it didn't happen on camera, it didn't happen.  As a television journalist, a primary desire is to ignite discussion and breed change around the stories we report.  Prerequisites include being an eternal idealist with a deeply rooted sense of skepticism.  Cynics need not apply (cliché #3, but who's counting?). 

I've moved around the country and traveled the world telling stories and marking history.  I have lived in seven cities in four countries over the course of my thirty years of life.  Travel has certainly been the best preparation in developing the skill for spotting stories, recognizing what's peculiar and worth reporting.  The next narrative is usually just around the corner (where's the cliché police when you need them?!).  Whether you are traveling to a war torn country to explain the plight of the poor or you are uncovering injustices in the land of the free (girl, I am on a roll!), I've learned that stories abound wherever a watchful reporter is willing to see one.  This week I am investigating the loopholes private health insurers employ to deny claims to policyholders after they've gotten sick.  You've likely seen some of my work on ABC News over the years.

My professional skills often bleed into my personal existence and I sometimes "speak in headlines" because of it--not like "Paris Hilton practices karate before prison stay"-- but more like I know how to cut to the chase (did you really think I didn't have any more in me?) and just tell you what you really need to know.

So here it is:  I've been a producer with ABC News for the past 8 years.  I've been based in 4 different bureaus and have worked with some of the most renowned journalists of our time.  I get paid to observe the world around me and tell you all about it.  I'm a lucky girl.

So that's me in 400 some odd words.  I'm a bit of a perfectionist so there are few stories I am really proud of.  My personal story, dare I say, might be one of them.