When I first came to App State in the fall of 2022, I was as much running away from my own mistakes and regrets as I was running toward some ill-defined goal that didn’t really suit me.
I didn’t have a clue what I wanted to do with my life, and I felt completely and utterly purposeless.
It only took a month after I started for me to realize that I’d made a mistake and needed a change. It was then I decided to give journalism a try — that’s turned out to be one of the best choices I’ve ever made.
I’d always wanted to be involved with sports, but honestly, I’d never had the talent or drive to be an athlete and I’d long since given up on it. Joining the sports desk was the best way for me to get involved in something I love, and I dove in headfirst.
I’ve had the privilege of covering several memorable games both as a reporter and editor, and those occasions are some of my favorite memories in Boone.
Beyond the work, the people I’ve met have become some of my best friends and that’s not something I expected when I walked into my first full staff meeting in the fall of 2023.
All of the things that I’ve experienced at App State and The Appalachian during my time here have changed me so much.
I can’t say I don’t have regrets about my time here, but they’re outweighed by the good the people I’ve met have done in my life and I hope that they feel the same about me.
And now at the end of this chapter of my life, I realize that for the first time in all my 21 years of life, this place and these people finally gave me some sort of purpose.
