Throughout my life, my love for writing has presented itself in many different ways.
As a child, I began writing love songs, though I was far too young to have truly experienced what I was writing about first hand. Rather than sticking to playing with my toys, I would look at random bottles in the bath and challenge myself to sing a full song simply from the names of shampoos and body washes. I can no longer recall those songs, but I can say with confidence that Taylor Swift’s career would remain intact if I were to have released them.
As a teenager, I attended high school in my hometown at Leslie County High School. High school was never an easy ride for me, but my English classes were. In fact, I only looked forward to two things during high school: one, seeing my handful of friends, and two, attending my English classes. Sitting in those classrooms was the only time during the day which I felt intelligent because unlike the math classes, writing came naturally to me. While my performance in math classes was horrid, I was in an AP English class, and I was proud of that.
Following high school, I attended Alice Lloyd College. Going to college was not originally a plan of mine, but during my senior year of high school, I joked that if I were to attend college, I would inevitably major in English. This is both because it was all I thought I was talented at, and it also was not out of character for me to correct my loved ones’ grammar, earning me the title of “grammar nazi.”
I decided on a whim that I would give Alice Lloyd College a chance, and it was the best decision of my life. I made countless memories and met incredibly impactful people, one of which being Jennifer Hall, Director of Marketing & Communications. Without her, I would not be where I am today. From her, I learned the ins and outs of journalism. For the first time in my life, I was being trusted to take photos on a nice camera and write about what I saw. I mostly took photos of the college’s convocations and plays. My favorite part of all, though, was getting to interview people, whether it was about themselves or an experience.
While I was loosely interested in a career in journalism throughout my life, working in Marketing & Communications reassured me that it was what I wanted to do. Then once I earned my English degree, it was time to find a job. I worked at a few different places, trying my hands at multiple things. However after I moved to London last year, there was no question that I wanted to be involved with the Sentinel-Echo.
I began as a correspondent, writing everything from feature pieces to my first concert review, and I loved every second of it. I hoped that one day I could be a full-time reporter, but I had my doubts that it was a possibility for me. To my surprise, I received a call around a month ago informing me that I was being considered for a full-time position. When asked if I was interested, it was impossible to contain my excited, “yes!”
My current writing is still inspired by my everyday surroundings in a similar way to how it was in childhood. Now, it has a tendency to show through me rushing to grab a napkin so I can write down lyrics that pop into my head before I forget, or through me writing stories about important and exciting topics within my community. I feel indescribably blessed to have an opportunity to do the latter. I could not be more excited and grateful to be beginning my career at London Sentinel-Echo. Let’s get this dream started.
Madison Nantz is the staff writer for The Sentinel-Echo. Reach her at mnantz@sentinel-echo.com
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