The day I interviewed to work at the Pioneer, former editor and newspaper veteran Matt Cory walked me back to his office.
鈥淪o, you鈥檙e from East Grand Forks, huh?鈥� he asked along the way, fully aware I hailed from his hometown.
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When I confirmed, he hired me before we reached his office.
Of course, his tongue-in-cheek recruitment wasn鈥檛 quite that simple. But that little connection, forged of nothing more than happenstance, afforded me the chance to find my niche in this community through a beloved part-time gig in the sports department.
More than seven years later, it鈥檚 now time for me to rediscover my role in Bemidji. Today is my last day at the Pioneer.
Working here, particularly as the sports editor for the past year and a half, has been the greatest professional honor of my life. I鈥檓 terribly sad to leave but am excited to begin a new chapter in the same community that I鈥檝e long called home.
Before I go, however, I need to get some things off my chest. So I have a few confessions to make.
One night, I was late getting back to the office after covering a game because I was playing H-O-R-S-E with the BHS girls basketball team. I鈥檝e also used the same quote twice in one story by mistake.
During one of my earliest college basketball interviews, I accidentally called the league the 鈥淣CIS鈥� instead of the 鈥淣SIC.鈥� And speaking of crime dramas, I binged all 16 seasons of 鈥淐riminal Minds鈥� while working from home during the pandemic.
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I also showed up to work one day wearing the exact same outfit as my boss, complete with the $24.99 Kohl鈥檚 sweater.
Despite a handful of mishaps and antics, though, I鈥檓 darn proud of what we鈥檝e accomplished.
I鈥檝e had five job titles here and now 1,850 stories with my name on them. I survived the Hockey Day Minnesota polar vortex of 2019 and the Chet Anderson Stadium mega-weekend of 2022. Our sports department has won 16 state newspaper awards, including best sports section in 2017, 2021 and 2022.
I鈥檝e experienced the full scope of 鈥渙ther duties as assigned,鈥� which ranged from covering a presidential visit to hanging out underneath the downtown bridge at 1 a.m.
But most of all, I鈥檝e witnessed incredible heroism through athletics, like an unstoppable Derek Thompson scoring a program-record 45 points for Bemidji State men鈥檚 basketball. I chronicled back-to-back historic seasons from BSU football and women鈥檚 soccer, which even played out side-by-side. And I was there for Annah Schussman鈥檚 unforgettable 鈥渟trike from the heavens!鈥� to help BHS girls soccer win a section championship. (Another confession: We jumped the fence to break out of Husky Stadium that night because they locked the outer gates while we were still in the press box.)
I also found a particular passion for preserving Bemidji鈥檚 history, drumming up old tales of local lore that had been buried beneath decades of fading memories. I鈥檝e been lucky to write about some of the greatest teams to ever pass through town and legendary athletes who can rival Paul Bunyan in renown.
Come Monday, I鈥檒l be the communications coordinator for the Bemidji State Alumni & Foundation. It鈥檚 a great move for me and my family, and I鈥檓 excited to invest in our town through a new lens.
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I鈥檓 still going to show up at games, but now I get to abandon neutrality and cheer on the Lumberjacks and Beavers for the first time. My resurrected fandom may take some getting used to, but I鈥檒l bet it comes quite naturally.
So many people warrant my sincerest gratitude. Bemidji鈥檚 athletes and coaches have always been gracious to me, and I鈥檓 proud to have worked alongside many coworkers and colleagues who have become friends. As Pioneer icon Jim Carrington once wrote, 鈥淭here were some bad times but mostly good times. 鈥� And the good times were legend.鈥�
Finally, thank you, readers, for supporting local journalism and affording me the avenue to share the tribulations and triumphs of our neighbors. This role has been a privilege, one I鈥檝e taken quite seriously, and a true passion.
I have loved the Pioneer dearly and I will miss it dearly. What began as a dream job somehow evolved into something so much more.
Luckily Matt hired me that day.
The Trust Project
