I was recently reminded of a favorite aspect of my career in journalism, and that rekindling has inspired something I’m very excited to share with our readers. But first, let’s add some context.
While attending the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD), I worked at the student-run multimedia news organization known as The Bark. In that shared open bullpen, I learned my craft and honed my skills as a journalist. I grew as a person and garnered a heightened confidence I never thought possible.
My first introduction to the paper was nothing extraordinary, but it was a monumental moment in my life. It was a September tabling event in the Fall Semester of 2017. Then called The Statesman for some odd reason, I approached a table with two women sitting at it.
One, Natalie Grant, was bubbly and excited to have my interest in joining. The other, one of my good friends and frequent Daily Planet contributor, Becka Kottke, recognized my introvertedness and encouraged me to sit in on a newsroom meeting.
I felt welcomed and wanted, so I timidly attended the meeting. I offered my services up for some oddball pieces and did a fairly decent job making them into fun newsy pieces. I was soon hired to the publication by my now good friend and Daily Planet Board Member Ellie Gerst, who assigned me to a few simple stories so I could fulfill my internship requirement.
I worked my way up the ranks at The Bark and found myself doing bigger news stories and topical features on programs and people. I loved my position at The Bark and appreciated the support and respect I earned there. I flourished as a journalist, and I owe a lot of my success with the Daily Planet to that publication, which brings us back to my announcement in this article.
Inspired by The Bark’s former profiles on influential people on campus, dubbed “Bulldog of the Month,” I’m starting a similar series here at my passion project the Daily Planet. I’m naming the column “Metropolitan of the Month” after the city in which our source of inspiration resides.
The column will explore one individual each month who is making waves of change in their neighborhood. Subjects will be selected by Daily Planet team members, but nominations are more than welcome for us to consider. We want to bolster those who are making an impact on our planet, emphasizing our mantra here: that every story matters.
