“There and back again: a gracious journey”

If a person with a microphone and camera crew approached you on the street and asked you, “Who would you like to thank for getting you to where you are today?”

What would you say?

You could give the facetious answer: “legs and feet” or the novelty response: “mom and dad,” but in retrospect neither of these replies truly uncovers how you became the person you are today.

Whether or not you feel you have someone to thank, there are many factors in everyone’s lives that if absent would alter them completely.

After given the opportunity to intern this summer at Mt. Lebanon Magazine, I took the time to ponder this fact and all the people that helped me get to the desk and chair I am sitting in while writing this blog.

Undoubtedly my parents, though cliché, are the most important people in shaping me. My father instilled the oddly competitive drive in me that all journalists have to be the most informed and intelligent person in any room they enter. While my mother taught me perspective and how to apply it to all people I meet that insures every piece I write has the golden human element.

Teachers who taught me what journalism is and professors who taught me what real journalism is, all enhanced my thirst to pursue the craft.

But most importantly I’d thank my hometown. Mt. Lebanon helped me by creating an environment lucrative enough for me to organically evolve into a young woman with the passion to absorb information. From our exceptional schools to our access to an even more exceptional city, Mt. Lebanon provides the environment where people can explore with grace.

Thus, with gratitude and excitement I begin my internship with the Mt. Lebanon Magazine—wanting to in some small way give a part of myself to the town that gave me everything.