I chose journalism because truth has always mattered to me — and I’ve always believed that writing is one of the most powerful ways to make sure it sees the light. When words fail me out loud, they never fail me on the page. I’ve kept diaries my whole life. Writing my feelings wasn’t something I learned — it was something I always just did.
I grew up in Virginia, neurodivergent, a little different, and not always accepted for it. I buzzed my head. I dressed how I wanted. I got bullied for both. In middle school my family went through a house fire that turned our lives upside down for a while. Those experiences didn’t break me — they gave me something to say.
I came to journalism because justice gets served through storytelling. Because the truth deserves a platform. Because somebody has to write it down — and I’ve always been that somebody.