Photo by Robyn Vining Photography
My first taste of the bylined life came at age 12, when the Minneapolis Star Tribune decided to run my letter to the editor. I was agog — and hooked on the scent of newsprint.
In the years that followed, I switched high schools so I could launch a new student newspaper, started interning for my local weekly at age 16, moved 600 miles away to the University of Missouri-Columbia to attend one of the nation’s top journalism schools, and then took reporting jobs in South Carolina and Wisconsin. I was making good progress on that 10-year career plan, thank you very much!
But then I spotted an intriguing opening for a writer/editor at Wisconsin’s largest private university. On a whim, I decided to apply — and got the job. As a first-generation college grad, I was delighted to return to a university campus, especially one teeming with so many interesting and inspiring stories. The next six years were a crash course in marketing as I penned everything from three-line ads to admissions viewbooks to fun interactive features for the web.
By 2012, I was hungry for a fresh challenge — and more work-life balance. Inspired by my parents, who both spent much of their careers self-employed, I decided to launch a freelance writing business focused on education, health care and nonprofits. Now every day I get to use my storytelling skills to help organizations and causes I believe in. How lucky am I?
When I’m not working, I enjoy reading, baking, gardening and geeking out over Masterpiece Theatre. I live in the Milwaukee area with my husband, who is a high school English teacher (we should get a bulk discount on red ink), two feisty children and a couple of cats who think they’re dogs.
