When I accepted the job as a general assignment reporter for Wyoming Newspapers, Inc. (Torrington Telegram, Lingle Guide, Lusk Herald, Guernsey Gazette, Platte County Record-Times, Business Farmer) in December of 2020, I didn’t really know what to expect when I moved out here.

I grew up around journalism my entire life. My dad has worked at various newspapers, and I understood how important it is to have reporters in communities telling the stories of the people in town.

During college, I worked at the student newspaper and the majority of the stories I wrote were sports related. I was even the Sports Editor for my final seven months of college. 

In some of my classes I was required to branch out and cover things other than sports and I really enjoyed the opportunity to step outside of my comfort zone. When I first started looking for jobs, I was dead set on doing sports, but there weren’t many opportunities at the time.

When I saw the listing for Wyoming Newspapers, Inc., I decided to give it a shot. I always wanted to move back out west, and I love going to new places. It was the perfect place for me to go right out of college and continue to learn about journalism. 

My time here has come to an end sooner than I expected as this will be my last week reporting for Wyoming Newspapers before I head out on my next adventure to Arizona.

These past six and a half months have flown by. I’ve gotten the opportunity to cover different events and tell the stories of the people in this community. I did things I never thought I would do while I was in school studying to be a journalist.

I want to thank everyone in the community for embracing me and making me feel welcome in Goshen County, Niobrara County and Platte County. I’ve enjoyed learning about the community and immersing myself into all the different things your communities have to offer. 

During my time here, my main priorities were covering Torrington City Council meetings and Eastern Wyoming College (EWC) Board of Trustee meetings. I enjoyed working with all of the people on the council and the trustees. They all welcomed me in and helped me out whenever I needed anything.

If I had to pick a favorite story I’ve done while working here, I’d have to go with the story about Samantha Hill and her recovery after the tragic head-on vehicle accident that took the life of Tyler Shaub.

Seeing how this community rallied around both families and showed their support for them made me realize how special this community really is. Samantha is a strong young woman and seeing her walking and in such high spirits after being in a serious accident two months later was inspiring.

I will miss my coworkers who I’ve gotten to know well over the past six and a half months. They do great work and work hard to tell the stories of the people in this community. I’m excited to see the great work they will continue to do in the future.

As for me, I’ll be heading off on another adventure to Sierra Vista, Arizona. My uncle offered me the opportunity to move out there and stay with him while I learn from Public Affairs specialists at Fort Huachuca. I’ve been working on getting a government job for the last month or so and this opportunity will really help me in achieving that goal. 

I also have a lot of family who live out there who I haven’t seen in years. My grandpa is in his late eighties and is the only grandparent I have still alive. It will be nice to get to spend time with him and my other family members.

Saying goodbye is never easy, but I’m glad I will have many great memories from my time in Torrington. Thank you to everyone for allowing me to be a part of this community and I hope you all continue to support Wyoming Newspapers and appreciate all the hard work everyone does to cover this community and tell your stories.