So it comes to the end of summer for the summer student.
After graduating from Thompson Rivers University in April, I wasn’t sure what to expect when I took the student position in Vernon.
It’s tough wandering into a new community with no previous experience with the location, but the editorial staff at The Morning Star did an excellent job breaking the ice for me.
Vernon has a wonderful community, rich in sports and debates on Stickle Road.
Never have I seen such enthusiastic people, willing to send piles of letters each week regarding the danger that is Stickle Road.
I also enjoyed seeing the evolution of the Coldstream rainbow crosswalk, and am glad to see a community that takes a stand for LGBQT rights.
Now, it’s time to properly thank the newsroom.
Thank you Richard Rolke for your machine-like ability to churn out copy, and for fact checking my stories. No one knows the North Okanagan like you do.
Thank you photographer Lisa VanderVelde for your sense of humour, keeping me updated on episodes of The Bachelorette, and for showing me tricks to be a better photographer.
Thank you Roger Knox for providing me with realistic perspectives on life, and even though you hate sports, you do an amazing job writing sports features, and an even better job at getting to the heart of the story.
Thank you Katherine Mortimer for your help with my feature writing. Your eye for Canadian Press style is phenomenal.
Thank you Jennifer Smith for your compassion, dedication to the job, and even when life gets you down, proving that hard work produces an exceptional paper.
Thank you Glenn Mitchell for being the most relaxed editor I’ve ever had, even in times of stress, and for editing the crap out of my stories.
Thank you Kristin Froneman for your colourful writing and creativity, and for inspiring me to look up musicians whose names I’ve never of heard before.
Thank you Kevin “Skippy” Mitchell for being the source of laughter in the office, and for being a tough sports editor. It’s made my writing better and I hope to carry your lessons forward in my career.
In contrast to the previous summer student’s final goodbye, I don’t believe we should build a statue of Kevin Mitchell outside of The Morning Star.
I think we should build statues of the entire newsroom because they are the best group of mentors a rookie like me could ask for.
Last but not least, thank you to the North Okanagan for sharing your stories with me.
I’m off to Salmon Arm for a time, but I hope to continue exploring the Okanagan.
If you see me on the streets, share your stories.
I live for the stuff.
