I’ll never forget one of my first stories done for TNH as a staff writer: a feature which reported upon a Dining Services wage increase, the central interview of which took place underneath Hoco in their kitchen as the chef prepared Swedish meatballs. Funny enough, the story hadn’t been spurred on by a faculty member with a tip about the wage increase, but by my interest in why exactly the Hoco Stir Fry Bar had been closed down for the first few weeks of the semester. As such, I think it’s fair to say that I learned pretty quickly that one’s curiosity while reporting can take you into some very interesting and unusual places.
I had little-to-no Journalistic experience when I stepped foot on the UNH campus my sophomore year as a transfer student. I loved writing, and Journalism seemed like a great path which allowed that passion to thrive. However, I very quickly discovered that Journalism would prove to be more than an outlet for writing, but also the perfect scenario through which I could be pushed out of my introverted shell.
My junior year as a staff writer was marked by coverage of dining wage increases, Palestine protests, and university finances, amongst a few other things. I had never really pictured myself covering any of these issues, but that’s perhaps one of the greatest things I learned about Journalism: you can never anticipate what stories you’ll be telling on any given day. Looking back on it, I’m grateful for all the opportunities I was given that first year as a staff writer because I feel it helped me develop and discover what types of stories I truly enjoy pursuing.
No article reminiscing on my time at TNH and the UNH Journalism Program would be complete without me mentioning the professors I’ve had over the years, especially Tom Haines and Lisa Miller; Both of whom have been instrumental in the development of my writing & reporting skills. In particular, I want to shout out Tom Haines’ Investigative Reporting class, because without it I would have never caught the investigative reporting bug.
I also want to thank the TNH staff, especially Executive Editor Sophia Schlichtmann and Managing Editor Emma Kostyun. Not have they been a pair of incredibly supportive peers, but they’ve also been great mentors to me in my writing and editing.
Lastly, I’m excited for what the future of TNH holds under their new Executive Editor, Rebecca Colby. Best of luck to next year’s staff and the great stories they’re going to tell!
