I wanted to be an accountant. Yes, the girl who thinks balancing a checkbook means trying to walk with it on your head, wanted to devote her life to numbers. Then came the reality of college. Despite hitting the books like a major league slugger, I managed to whiff out in the grade department. After whining to a friend about the injustice of it all, he asked a simple question: You love to write, why don’t you be a journalist?
He was on to something. After earning my bachelor’s degree in journalism, I spent the next 16 years covering community journalism with the Daily Californian in El Cajon, first as a reporter, community, and features editor and eventually the News Editor. After the paper was bought out, I went to work as Managing Editor (and primary writer) for the Christian Examiner newspaper and its successor Refreshed magazine. In addition to putting my storytelling skills to work, I was honored along the way by numerous organizations, including the Evangelical Press Association, the Religion Newswriters Association, Fellowship of Christian Newspapers, California Newspaper Publishers Association, Society of Professional Journalists, California School Board Association and San Diego Press Club.
Turns out, I’m much stronger with letters than numbers.