What first started as a passion of mine in high school has now spread to a profession that would make everyday an adventure. Along the way, I have gained experience covering the Federal Aviation Agency, the Missouri Supreme Court and statewide issues for the 6,000+ readers of the daily newspaper, The Columbia Missourian. I have set through countless local county governments, city councils, ambulance boards and fire protection districts meetings for the Cedar County Republican; the Buffalo Reflex; and the Bowling Green Times and brought the stories that impacted reader's lives home to them through those weekly publications. As a senior at the University of Missouri double majoring in print journalism reporting and political science with a minor in history, I have the experience to report stories on local governments, while also tackling those larger statewide or even national political stories and breaking them down for the readers of the organization my byline is associated. I have realized over the years that I love being a storyteller — connecting what is being discussed in the state legislature to the impact that would have back home with readers. I strive everyday in the newsroom to write something that matters, anyone can write a sentence about what happened —it takes a journalist with a proven track record to tell a story. An article I wrote about a proposed constitutional amendment to alter the Missouri Supreme Court's non-partisan selection process, known as the Missouri Plan, brought both sides of the issue to readers across southwest Missouri so they could decide where they stood on the issue. An editorial on the continued value of hometown newspapers was reprinted by 20 newspapers as part of Newspapers in Education in March 2013.As a journalist, I have an responsibility to turn words and pictures into pieces of history that capture exactly as it happened. In doing so, I can inspire; I can investigate; I can teach; I can help others to be better.