"I'm going to be a disc jockey!" said a 15-year-old me after taking a mass media class in high school back in the late 70s. "And I'm going to do it west of the Mississippi so I don't have to try and say 'double u' so much." (radio stations start with K on the west side) I volunteered to read our high school news (badly) at the local AM polka station. Yep, I said polka- it's the Midwest don'tcha know. It was 50's music on Saturday mornings when I was there, so a little less uncool, ha!I then volunteered at my college radio station for the two years I was at college. I continued reading the news (equally as bad) until one day the on-air jock ran off to take an exam after showing me the ropes for about a minute, eek! Equal parts scared and excited. I cued up a record, repeated the calls and slogan in my head, and then said it for real, into the microphone and out to anyone listening, As soon as I heard my voice in my headphones, I knew this was what I was destined to do for the rest of my life! I ditched reading the news and became a music jock with a shift on Saturday nights. I moved to San Diego, California, and got my first paid gig a few years later. I then moved to Colorado to continue my career, get married and have kids. 38 years later I'm still doing it. I've been up and down the radio dial, AM and FM, every format, every job on and off the air, and have had a blast the entire time! Over that time I've seen a lot of changes and technological advances that have been good and not so good for radio and their listeners. I am grateful to be on a community radio station currently that allows me to do radio like it used to be done. meeting listeners, taking requests, and helping non-profits and businesses get the word out about what they do. It is very satisfying to play music that people enjoy and connect with listeners and the community meaningfully. I love what I do, and say to myself every weekday morning, "I get to be on the radio today!"