The News Journal took a chance on me. As I prepare to leave, I am so grateful

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18 hours ago

I started at The News Journal in January 2022 as a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed and wholly unprepared college student intern.
Flash forward a few months and I was hired full time with The News Journal, working on the business and development beat, and sneaking some environmental stories in there when I could.
I've learned a lot over the past three years, and it is with a burning bittersweet feeling in my heart that I announce that I will be departing The News Journal.
The things that I've learned from the people who work here will be embedded in my brain forever – from what the right questions to ask are to what routes to avoid on my commute.
Newsroom connections: I am who I am thanks to people I've met over the years in my newsroom
The knowledge and insight of the people in this newsroom have changed me as a reporter, writer and as a person.
I started at this job at 21 and am leaving it at 25. A lot has changed over the years, and people often ask me what my favorite story I wrote was.
I hate that question. But here is my attempt to answer it.
Writing about Jaquata Whittle, a Wilmington resident whose home was contaminated for over a decade until it collapsed, represented a huge turning point for me.
As a science and environment nerd who often writes about development trends around Delaware, this story combined the things that I am passionate about with a beat that I have become especially familiar with.
I first heard from Ms. Whittle via email. She told me her business and apartment above it were found to have potentially harmful contaminants. She had spent years fighting for answers about her home, all to no avail.
One day before my scheduled meeting time, the parking garage behind her apartment collapsed – leaving her home condemned, a fact I did not realize until photographer Damian Giletto and I arrived on the scene.
We had to change gears quickly. This story became not just a story of environmental contamination and an analysis of who bears the responsibility for its cleanup, but where Whittle and her son would live – and who would cover the costs.
Reaching out to the city of Wilmington, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, the former owner of the apartment, the Red Cross and more – painted a complex picture that, to me, shed light on the complications that arise in local and state government and how the lines of responsibility can blur despite everyone's best intentions.
Another fact about me: I don't know much about sports. The only thing I know 100% for certain is that I am a Philadelphia fan through and through and that is a life sentence bestowed on me at birth.
So, when I was tapped to assist with NFC Championship and Super Bowl coverage, I was honestly a little intimidated. I don't know anything about positions, play names or players that aren't regularly playing for the Eagles or dating Taylor Swift.
When the Super Bowl rolled around, I was hoping and praying not only that my favorite team would win, but that I wouldn't have to interview angry Eagles fans for the rest of the night.
Luckily, the Super Bowl ended with a resounding victory, and my Broad Street trip became a lot less daunting.
Getting to talk to Philly fans, some neighbors I'd never met before, and hearing their excitement was one of the most fun assignments I had ever been on. A few weeks later, I similarly covered the Eagles parade.
Getting to walk up and down Broad Street with no police intervention (thank you, press pass) was one of the coolest moments I have had as a Philadelphian and a reporter. I got to experience my city at its best, happiest and craziest – all while getting paid.
I can confidently say none of those assignments felt like work.
Thank you, Delaware Online, for the past three-plus years! And thank you, readers, for following along with me!
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: The News Journal's development reporter reflects on the past three years