Hello Haliburton County. I’m your Highlander reporter for the summer.
I’m very excited to be here in the Highlands. I am very happy to introduce myself in this column. I am passionate about storytelling and journalism – breaking the news – and communications.
I believe in the power of journalism to tell great stories, keep power to account, and feature unique things one’s never heard of. I am going into my final year of the journalism program at Toronto Metropolitan University in the fall; I’m going to be doing an internship in the winter semester of 2025 and will be taking courses like video production and reporting on race.
I came up to Haliburton County for the summer because I’m interested in community reporting, and building relationships with people in the community. I like that Haliburton County has a small-town feel to it, and that people know one another and talk to each other. It’s a world of difference away from Oakville and the Greater Toronto Area, but it’s a positive change and a change I’m welcoming. I’m interested in arts stories, and was ecstatic to hear that Haliburton has a vibrant arts scene.
I’m really looking forward to my time here in the Highlands. I’ve been to Algonquin Provincial Park for camping in August and again last year, when I came to see the fall colours in the park and stayed in Huntsville. I’ve been living in Oakville for the past 16 years and consider myself to have grown up there.
I used to play piano growing up. I did the Royal Conservatory of Music program and completed Grade 9, along with the accompanying Grade 3 Harmony and History component, with honours. I wrote briefly for the engineering school newspaper, in the form of a monthly column. I covered tips and tricks for university, and what to do during reading week, among other topics. I also like to cover human interest stories and write feature stories as well. Before coming to The Highlander, I read up on the newspaper and liked the profiles of people living in the community. I plan to write more about these and arts and community reporting during my summer here.
Although I’m dipping my toes into community reporting and wading in the waters of it this summer, my long-term goal is to work for a big daily newspaper, like The Toronto Star. This may change, as I continue working at The Highlander; I may find I like community reporting so much and want to stick with it. I’m a big believer in living alone as a way of gaining new skills and experiences and am looking forward to trying out some new restaurants with my family in the area and cooking for myself.
If you would like to reach me this summer, my email address is reporter@thehighlander.ca. If you have any tips, questions, or would like to e-introduce yourself, email me. I may just feature your idea or story tip.
