Beginnings
I grew up in Oak Lawn, Ill., and was homeschooled until I went to college. There, at Moraine Valley Community College, I discovered I loved journalism. Moraine had a paper, The Glacier, which I joined in September 2005 after seeing an ad for copy editors. I interviewed for the job, and was told that I should probably join the staff as a reporter first, and they'd see how I did. A year later, I was the editor in chief and spending most of my waking hours (and some sleeping ones) at my supposedly commuter school.
Moraine only had two journalism classes, both of which were taught by Bob McCray. Bob McCray was in his 70s when I took his classes, but he loved to talk about how he and his wife would take kayaking trips and go hiking in the mountains. I learned the 5 W's and H, and how to write in inverted pyramid style, from Bob McCray, and for that I owe him a lot.
Ted Powers, adviser for the Glacier, was another person who greatly influenced my journalistic education. He suggested I go to Eastern Illinois University after finishing at Moraine. I did so, and have not regretted it.
And now...
I'm currently on the copy desk of the Northwest Herald in Crystal Lake, Ill.