By Staff
After four years and four months with the Leader Publications, I am sad to say that this will officially be my last column.
As I sit down to write this, I have to say I'm not even sure where to begin. There's so much I want to say in such little space, so I will try my best to sum up my thoughts and feelings without writing a book.
First and foremost I have to thank the company, actually Jan Griffey, for giving me an opportunity that I never imaged I would have. I came into the media world without any prior experience, only a few freelancing articles I did for the sports department. What an experience this has been.
Journalism was never something I considered. I went college with hopes of becoming a teacher. Isn't it funny how things change?
I guess when I look back, I should have listened to some of my English teachers in school. They always told me I was a good writer. English was definitely my strongest subject in school. It almost seemed as if things just came naturally. I can recall one teacher telling me he could see me being a writer someday. Turns out he could see the future.
I'll never forget that day I received a call from a friend who used to work for the paper. I was only a freelancer at the time, but after hearing that a former sports editor was leaving, she called right away to tell me to apply for the job. "Yeah right," I said. "I have no experience whatsoever. They will not hire me." But she encouraged me, along with my family and friends, so I did. It was one of the best decisions I have made.
As most of you know, I started as a sports writer for the paper. It was definitely a learning experience. Unless you've taken journalism classes in college, nothing can prepare you for writing for a newspaper. The styles are different, certain words and numbers have to be written certain ways, it was like going back to school once again.
I will say that after four years, there are still several things I don't know about AP style writing and probably never will. But the things I have learned will stick with me for the rest of my life.
After only a year with the paper, I was promoted to sports editor, which I loved. It took me back to my days of playing high school sports. I was able to get reacquainted with former coaches and get to know the new ones. Some days I would have given anything to put a Niles Vikings basketball or softball jersey back on, just to play one more game.
After two years of writing sports, I was given the challenge to write for the front page. Now, those of you who know me know I am a huge sports nut, so going from writing about baseball and basketball to government and school issues was definitely tough. But it was another learning experience and I'm actually glad I was given the opportunity to learn so many aspects of the newspaper. Not many people can say they've covered a softball game and a city council meeting in the same day.
For those of you who have never worked in the world of the media, you probably have no idea what goes into putting out a paper everyday. It's definitely tough, I won't lie. The hours are crazy, some days the stories seem never ending and other days we have to do tricks to find stories. It can be a very stressful job. That's why I want to defend not only myself, but my fellow employees as well. We get our fare share of positive feedback and we also get our fare share of negative feedback. Some people complain because a certain article was never done, others complain because a certain article was done. Some people complain because our newspaper is too small, others praise us for being a true hometown paper. Whatever the case, I definitely learned fast – and the hard way – that you can't please everyone, although we try our hardest to.
Our paper runs on a fairly small staff. In fact, I am the only reporter in the newsroom. Sure, you may see other people who write articles from time to time, but the majority of the time, it's myself, Scott and Marcia who work hard to make sure the people of Niles, Dowagiac, Cassopolis and Edwardsburg know what's going on in their communities. People are always shocked when they find out how small our newsroom staff is, so maybe that will help answer some of the questions.
Regardless, I think we do a pretty darn good job. We've definitely had our good and bad days together, but in the end, I have to thank those two for teaching me the majority of the things I learned about newspapers. I also have to thank them for not pulling my hair out, even though I'm sure they would have liked to some days.
Lastly, I want to thank the readers. I've been bashed by some, loved by others and just kind of fall in between with the rest and I can honestly say I've enjoyed talking to so many of you. Even though I have not met a lot of you face to face, it's been nice hearing what's on your minds. It's important to me to listen to what others have to say and I thank you all for being honest and giving your opinions – both good and bad. If it wasn't for the readers, the Daily Star wouldn't be here.
Overall, I am so thankful that I was part of Leader Publications. I have met so many great people, not only at the paper, but in the community as well. I have formed some great friendship that I know will not end here and I have experienced things that I wouldn't have been able to anywhere else. But the time has come for me move on and take on new challenges and I must say I am excited about this next journey in my life.
Thank you everyone at Leader Publications for one of my best working experiences thus far. This is something I will never forget. I was given an opportunity that most people can only imagine and for that, I am not only grateful now, but know I will be for many years to come.
Here's to great times, a wonderful learning experience and a new beginning.