Life is all about stories.
From fairy tales at bedtime, to conversations around the dinner table, to movies in the theater, to articles in the newspaper, we are all surrounded and shaped by stories.
I’ve always loved stories and wanted to tell them. During my time growing up in Rock Springs, I wrote stories, (part of) a novel, and fanfiction. I graduated from Western Wyoming Community College with an Associate of Arts degree in English and a creative writing certificate. Then I transferred to Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina, and graduated with my Bachelor of Arts degree in creative writing and a minor in Spanish. The Spanish minor wasn’t planned, but then, neither was working in journalism. I studied creative writing for a reason. I’ve always loved writing novels, poetry, plays, short stories -- anything fictional, and not so much anything factual. I didn’t think journalism was the type of writing I would enjoy. But journalism is in my blood and my life drew me toward it despite myself.
After I graduated from Bob Jones and came back home to Wyoming, I was honestly looking for any job I could find, and the first one I found was at the Rocket Miner newspaper in Rock Springs -- not writing, but working in circulation and the press room. After a few years, though, changes at the paper led to me shifting into doing reporting work. To my surprise, I realized how many aspects of it I love.
Journalism, like any writing, is about telling stories. The unique element is, it’s the stories that hit close to home, because they are home. It’s the big and little stories of your friends, family, neighbors, and community. The thing I love about fictional stories is the way they can offer hope, provide perspective, and increase empathy. I realized that journalism can and should do all the same things, but it can become even more personal when it’s the story of someone you could pass on the street.
I mentioned that journalism is in my blood -- I’m now the third generation in my family to work at the Green River Star, following in the footsteps of my mom and her mom. I’m excited to continue the tradition in our family, and to dive deeper into the world of journalism in such a strong, supportive community. I look forward to learning and sharing the stories of the people around me, and I hope I’ll be able to use these stories to inform and inspire others.
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