About Emily

1. I may not have a southern accent, but I love being able to say I grew up in the south. I lived in Georgia during the first couple years of my life, and I have lived in West Virginia (mostly) for the rest of my total of 21 years in the world. Needless to say, from the time spent below the Mason Dixon line, I cannot turn down biscuits and sausage gravy (this could very well be my excuse for loving the food so much).

During the last year of high school, I spent a total of four years in Texas and Arizona studying, trying to figure out who I was, and making plenty of mistakes that I believe have shaped me into who I am now. 

I took those years off, decided I wanted to come back to West Virginia, and started at Shepherd three semesters ago. It has been so fun, and I laugh at how long it took me to realize that I wanted to go to school right down there road from the house I grew up in. Nevertheless, the journey I took was full of humor, growing, and learning -- I wouldn't trade it for anything. 

2. I currently am a reporter and local opinion columnist at The Journal Newspaper in Martinsburg. It is the best part-time job and it has helped me grow tremendously as a writer. I can always improve, that being one of the main reasons I am taking this class. 

Among other reasons, I have been trying to figure out my "voice" since starting this job and taking classes at Shepherd. By "voice" I mean the style and way I write and communicate my thoughts. 

Sometimes I believe I get into this routine way of writing papers, articles, and facts. By getting into this routine, I can lose my authentic voice and way of communicating things. I am excited for this class to allow me to write blogs, responses, and papers that challenge and encourage me to let that authentic voice come alive through my writing. 

( I also am notorious for getting AP Journalism Style and Standard Written Edited English confused due to the nature of my job. I write both styles almost every day, and it can be quite confusing for me, especially if I have not had enough coffee.) 

That is another thing about me, I love, love, love my coffee. 

3.  Like Dr. H, I laugh a lot as well. I laugh at memes, funny videos, ironic situations, and newsroom jokes between my co-workers. I also laugh when I go fishing and actually catch something. I tend to laugh because I am both scared and excited, laughing due to an uncomfortable situation, which I also do sometimes. 

The woman in my life who makes me laugh the most is my great grandmother, Nancy. She is 92 years old, healthy, vibrant, and hilarious. She has a way with words and humor. I visit her once or twice a month and love every moment of it. 

Here are some photos I thought would go along with this post nicely: 

One of my favorite quotes by Maya Angelou. 

Me with a fish. 

My great grandmother that I mentioned with my great grandfather in 1949.