Growing up, my grandfather had a fresh copy of the Boston Globe on the kitchen table every morning. Every time I was at my grandparent’s house, I’d flip through the newspaper that was twice the size of me, not sure of what any of the words meant, but I flipped through it just to copy my grandfather. I remember him staring at the crossword puzzles for ages, and when he’d put the paper down, I’d stare at the crossword puzzle to try and figure out what he was so puzzled about. This was before I was literate. I think I did this because my grandfather, John Pendleton, was my greatest inspiration.
Through middle and high school, English was always my strongest subject. Coming into my freshman year at the University of New Hampshire (UNH), I had no idea what I wanted to do. I took many discovery classes and came to the conclusion that if I wanted to be successful, I had to be a business major to do so. That was before I defined what success meant to me.
I’ve always loved English, but I never thought I could pursue it as a career. As I mentioned I grew up around my grandfather who loved English, as he was an English teacher at Proctor Academy. After taking many business classes during my freshman year that I didn’t like, my sophomore year, I took a 21st Century Journalism class with Tom Haines. I loved it. It combined everything I was passionate about, from justice to politics, and sharing the human experience, all into one format to educate people and share impactful stories.
After 21st Century Journalism, I knew I wanted to declare a journalism major as I really loved it. Since then, I joined The New Hampshire (TNH), and for the past three years, I’ve reported stories ranging from Earth Day to protests against an anti-abortion demonstration in light of the reversal of Roe v. Wade in 2022.
Reporting for The New Hampshire gave me a sense of purpose. Each Monday I’d get excited for our weekly evening meeting in the newsroom, excited to talk about story ideas with my fellow peers and staff. The camaraderie of the newsroom really facilitated some of the great work we’ve achieved, specifically earning third place in the best digital news site from the New Hampshire Press Association.
By my senior year, I realized I had defined what success meant to me. That is, working incredibly hard at something that makes a real impact on other people’s lives and feels fulfilling at the end of the day. Doing something I know my grandpa would be proud of. Journalism has given me a lens into so many different fields of study, and I’ve met so many incredible people from all walks of life who have shared their stories with me. I realized that I didn’t have to do what I thought I was “supposed” to do. Doing the opposite of that has been the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done.
I specifically would like to thank Max Scheinblum, former executive editor, and Melanie Matts, former managing editor, for working tirelessly in helping transform our content to digital and for helping our staff significantly improve their writing and reporting. I’d like to thank the entire current editorial team, for being the best staff to work with and making each one of my Mondays better. Thank you to the entire TNH staff for creating incredible, important content for our readers each week that has informed the UNH community and beyond. Thank you to Tom Haines for being an inspiration and incredible mentor. I’m truly going to miss working with you all and being a part of TNH, but I hope I can return in the future and educate the TNH staff about what journalism’s like out in the field! Always a Wildcat!
