Most journalists will tell you that there is no better way to get acquainted with a community than to report on it.

If you are thinking that this concept applies exclusively to reporters in new towns, you’re not alone. When I took the job of layout editor at Leader Publications, I was certain there was no nook or cranny in Niles that I had not seen before.

Boy, was I wrong.

Throughout the year or so I’ve been working at Leader, I have gotten to see my hometown and the communities surrounding it through an entirely new lens, and I can honestly say I have only grown more in love with Michiana.

As I take on a new challenge as managing editor, I cannot wait to share my love for this area with all of you.

For those of you who do not know me, I thought I might take a minute to introduce myself.

I was born and raised in the Niles area, and attended Brandywine Community Schools throughout my entire school career. I was very involved in the school district and various other projects in surrounding communities. Some of you may remember me cheering on the sidelines at football and basketball games or volunteering in concession stands or ticket booths. Others may have seen me running clock for baseball games, on the stage for school musicals or volunteering with Michigan Gateway’s Youth Advisory Council.

It’s quite possible that you didn’t see me at all, even though you thought you did. On the other hand, you may have even seen two of me. That is, my identical twin, Jasmine, and me.

My senior year of high school, I was going through the typical “what to do with my life” stage that many soon-to-be graduates experience, bouncing between potential majors. One day, my English teacher, Mr. David Brenneman, responded to an epic-length journal entry I wrote disputing the end of the 1922 novel “Siddhartha.” Mr. Brenneman simply wrote, “You should be a writer.”

And so it was decided. Impressionable teenager, I was.

I ended up attending Western Michigan University determined to study writing in some capacity. After a semester or two studying English, I decided to give journalism a try. I quickly fell in love with the practice and before I knew it, I was double majoring in rhetoric and writing studies and journalism.

Perhaps one of my proudest professional accomplishments in my short career was during my tenure as news editor at the Western Herald. WMU’s century-old student newspaper was at risk of being shut down for lack of funding and, after months of campaigning and revamping our news overage, a team of students — including myself — convinced the student body to tax themselves a $5 fee each semester in order to fund the newspaper, along with a student-run radio station and an up-and-coming student broadcast network.

Not long after graduation, I stumbled upon an ad for the job of layout editor at Leader Publications by pure happenstance. I was blessed enough to be given the opportunity, and throughout the past year or so have gotten to take part in what I believe have been some very positive changes for our publications.

Moving forward, I am excited to keep the momentum going as our editorial team continues to improve our content and presentation of news that is important to our close-knit communities.

As always, we encourage input from our readers and are always open to new ideas.

I couldn’t be more excited to embark on this new challenge in the community that has made me who I am today. I look forward to seeing those of you I’ve known for years, meeting those of you I haven’t met yet and seeing the Michiana community through yet another new lens.

 

Ambrosia Neldon is the managing editor at Leader Publications. She can be reached at (269) 687-7713, or by email at ambrosia.neldon@leaderpub.com.