Four years of writing

Four years ago, in November of 2015, a 19-year-old girl stood in the big office of a local newspaper and wondered what the heck she was doing there.
This girl had no experience in writing for a newspaper. She had other writing experience, of course, but nothing that was related to writing professionally in a publication of any sort.
Four years ago, that newspaper had advertised in its classifieds, saying that it had an open position on their staff for a reporter, and with plenty of pluck and not much else, this girl decided to apply.
I’m still not sure what Emerald Greene Parsons saw in me, four years ago.
I was barely out of high school and didn’t really know what direction I wanted to go in life.
Applying for the position of reporter seemed like a move that was doomed from the start - but “they can only say no,” I thought.
I had no professional training on writing for a newspaper, or any writing at all. Everything I knew about the fine details of writing, I had self-taught myself. I had never taken any college classes on English, on writing or on journalism – in fact, at that time, I wasn’t interested in pursuing a college degree at all. I wanted to get my goals settled first, I wanted to find a path to follow before diving into a college education.
With all this in mind, I knew I had very little to offer the newspaper I was applying for, and yet, four years ago, they hired me.
Within these four years, a lot has happened! I’ve written countless stories and articles (most of which I’ve clipped out and preserved); I’ve moved from the Madison County newspaper where I started, into the Jefferson County newspaper; I’ve met senators and congressmen; I’ve put my finger against the pulse of small communities in order to see where it is that their heart cares the most. I’ve become an award-winning reporter and journalist photographer with the Florida Press Association; I know the faces and names of more people than I thought I ever could before (apologies in advance, I'm great with faces...but not so great with names - my apologies to those who have to repeat their names to me at some point, or multiple points in these four years) and I’ve discovered a passion for storytelling.
My favorite aspect of these four years has been getting to tell so many important, meaningful and heartfelt stories.
I am so honored to be given the trust of telling others about the communities I write articles for.
Telling the story of former community leaders, writing about the great things that the kids in this county are doing, or simply focusing on a local person who accomplished much – those stories are the ones I care about the most.
Sharing and telling stories is what makes us human, and hearing stories about those who live around us is what connects us to other humans; for four years, I have been blessed to be a part of that cycle of story creation and telling.
Sure, there is great importance in delivering news – it's good for people to stay up-to-date on what is happening within their local, state and national governments, but political writing is not my heartbeat. My heartbeat is you, the community, our readers – your stories; for four years, I have been a part of the lives of our readers through the rich, vibrant and interesting stories I have been able to capture. Thank you for that.
I’ve learned a lot in these four years - mainly that, even after a couple of years, I still know so little. I have much to learn, much to write, much to understand. I hope to keep doing this, keep learning and keep writing the stories of the people for many years yet.
All I can ask is that you all continue to keep reading about the people and events I write about, for in the words of J.K. Rowling: “no story lives unless someone wants to listen.”
Thank you, to everyone, for giving that girl a chance and letting her write about you, your communities and tell your stories – it's been a good four years of writing, heres to many more!