Navigation

Moving Beyond Telling Stories, Toward Impacting Them

After eight years of working for the Pulse in some fashion or another, it’s bittersweet to tell our readers that I’m moving on from my first “real job.”

I came here as a timid editorial intern, sitting mannequin-like by an ancient Mac in the window of what is now Bill’s Dry Goods in Sister Bay, and leave as the editor, typing this column with a view of Lake Michigan from Peninsula Publishing & Distribution’s home in Baileys Harbor.

When I graduated from college, English degree in hand, I thought I was destined to be a student for the rest of my life (or at least another five to six years until I had my masters and Ph.D.). The plan was to take a year off to travel, study for the GREs, and then return to academia. What I realized after my first fall in Door County is that life sometimes trumps plans.

Bustling weekends balanced with mid-week solitude shaped a rhythm of life that I appreciated, and this locale lured me back, again and again. I discovered that place and people truly matter. My desire to remain along the peninsula and utilize my education spurred me to approach the Pulse about an internship.

I could tell tales of my first editorial meeting, where embarrassment would surely ensue for a few not-to-be named individuals, but it seems that the organization I’m leaving is so far removed from those shenanigans that it’s hardly fair to reveal those details. What I will reveal is that I’ve had the pleasure of delving into the details of each and every word of our publications, prepping and planning, shaping and shifting, tweaking and tuning the stories into the creations readers have seen on our pages and on the screen.

What I’ve learned over the years about myself personally and professionally, as well as about this community, is immeasurable. I owe a thank you to owners David Eliot and Madeline Johnson, my many co-workers, the multitude of contributors, and all of the readers for the role they’ve played in my growth. A girl really couldn’t have asked for a better first job in preparation for any position in Door County.

In hopes of moving beyond telling the stories of Door County and toward impacting them, I’ll leave this office this month to become the Director of Healthy Living at the Northern Door Y and Coordinator for the Pioneering Healthy Communities initiative.

I’ve always aimed to live a healthy lifestyle, but I recognize I’ve got a lot to learn now that this falls into the realm of my profession. So, perhaps the notion that I’d be a student for the rest of my life wasn’t that far off – it’s just that my learning won’t take place in a classroom, and my name won’t be followed by a few letters.

If there’s one thing I do know, however, it’s that I’ll continue to read each and every word of the Pulse and Door County Living (and I hope you do, too).