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Column: A fond farewell and the beginning of something new

I never expected to be leaving the publication so soon, but life never goes exactly the way you plan it to. What I have found is it’s the unexpected twists and turns in life that make it worthwhile. 

Goodbyes are never easy. Sometimes goodbyes are also unexpected which can, admittedly, make them harder.  

I’ve said a few goodbyes in my life – to people and places. And while each one has been difficult in its own way it has also brought with it new opportunities and personal growth.  

When I started as a reporter with Airdrie City View and Rocky View Weekly in March 2021, I was eager to leap headfirst into my first official gig as a journalist. After all, I had spent six years studying to work in the field of media and communications, earning a degree and diploma to that end in 2019. 

Immediately after graduating, I worked for some time as an insurance broker – a job that truly taught me that you can please some of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all the people all the time.  The pay was good, but I knew I had to do something in line with my passion and training.  

Thanks to the thoughtfulness of a former colleague, I heard of an opening at Airdrie City View/Rocky View Weekly, and I jumped at the chance to work as a reporter, putting to use the skills I had learned during my school years.  

Over the last two years I have certainly put those skills to good use writing articles, photographing stunning rural landscapes, and speaking to countless community members who have made the (sometime) stresses of the job all worthwhile.  

In my very first column, I spoke about my passion for storytelling and how it is at the root of all I love to do. When I first started as a reporter, I had hoped to effect some kind of change in the world through my work – whether bringing a smile to someone’s face, a tear to their eye, or making them question or consider things in a new way.  

While I can’t say for certain the effect of my work on the community at large, I can say that during my tenure with the publication, I have personally laughed, cried, and pondered along with my fellow community members. I have shared in their unique stories, lamented their tragedies, championed their causes, and highlighted their personal successes. 

Sometimes I have also covered some hot topics that brought about heated debate in the community – and thank goodness for that. After all, free speech and open discourse is paramount to a free and democratic society. 

I never expected to be leaving the publication so suddenly, but life never goes exactly the way you plan it to. What I have found is it’s the unexpected twists and turns in life that make it worthwhile. 

And with that, I say a fond farewell and thank you to all those who have laughed, cried, and pondered along with me over the last two years.  

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