It all started with my love for writing.

By the time I celebrated my Sweet 16, the Palisade Tribune published my work on a weekly basis. Over the course of six years, my writing earned me bylines and photo credits above the fold, awards from The Colorado and National Newspaper Associations, and some very spirited letters to the editor!

As a reporter, columnist, ad saleswoman, and graphic designer at the Palisade Tribune (and the Fruita Times, too) I was convinced I had the best job ever.

Culture-makers and leaders in my community were taking time out of their busy schedules to answer all 99 questions I had for them about what they do, how they knew it was their calling, and how it contributes to the greater good. I caught their contagious passions for business, artistry, agriculture, and hospitality. I felt the true power of storytelling in connecting people and businesses with the ecosystems they need to bloom and flourish. I loved every minute.

I’m grateful that I recognized my calling at such an early age and rolled with it.

I longboarded to my interview appointments with business owners embracing Palisade’s evolution into a tourism destination before (and after) I got my driver’s license. I covered the burgeoning recognition of Palisade as an exciting and promising wine region before I was old enough to partake! These opportunities to learn from local business owners about their inspirations and challenges were totally riveting to me in the moment — and have become more and more valuable nuggets of wisdom to know as my career and our local economy evolve.

The real bummer with the weekly newspaper as a creative outlet was the limited space.

I only got so many column inches (which I had to measure with an actual pica pole in the beginning) to tell the story. Five hundred words and a couple of photos were never enough! In 2011, I graduated from Colorado Mesa University’s Mass Communications program with an emphasis in “New Media” — Advertising and Journalism. Around the same time, my beloved little newspapers were sold to a bigger one and discontinued.

With a thick portfolio of published stories and a vibrant network of people I had written about, I began my new journey as an “embedded reporter” for small businesses — identifying their most important audiences and telling the whole story with creative branding, advertising, and public relations campaigns. No word count limits. No publishing gatekeepers. Endless potential.

I still have the best job ever — and it keeps getting better.