‘I must go, uncertain of my fate.’ A farewell, sort of

Honestly, I’m not much of a Jane Austen fan, but these seven words from Captain Wentworth’s goodbye to Anne Elliot in “Persuasion” seem a good preface to what I’m about to write.

At the end of this month, I will no longer be a staff writer for the Frontiersman. It has been almost two and a half years since I received my first assignment, and since then I have written more than 600 stories for the newspaper. It seems like a lot, but when you’re part of a small staff with a big community to cover, the per-person production rate is going to be high.

To answer the first question that’s probably on your mind, I have no plans to work for another newspaper. Journalism is a demanding (but necessary) discipline, and it has taught me a lot about writing, reading, communication and that heavy, heady word, Truth. It also taught me a lot about people, which is something I think all of us could be more educated about.

However, being a reporter or editor was never my dream, and it’s time to try something different.

As a reporter for the Frontiersman, I wrote many “Schools” stories on student achievements, theater productions and class projects. I was also invited, on several occasions, to speak to various classes on writing and journalism, which I enjoyed every time. This, in part, is what led me to become a substitute teacher, and potentially pursue a full-time position down the road.

Throughout my schooling, I never wanted to be a teacher. My attitude toward teaching probably had a lot to do with the fact that my mom was and is a high school teacher, and I’ve been privy not only to her frustrations, but that of other teachers I know and love.

But in the last couple of years, I’ve really begun to realize how important education and educators are. It’s not an easy job, I know, and not all students can recognize what opportunities they’re being afforded at the time. I’ve witnessed student rebellion and laziness, at various stages of my life thus far, and I’ve seen the attentive and determined students succeed. Both are reasons to teach.

Subbing, I imagine, will also prepare me for another adventure that I hope to begin in August of 2017. I have applied for the Japan Exchange Teaching Program (JET) for the 2017-2018 school year, and will hopefully be selected by this coming April. I have been studying Japanese — my other major — since I was in middle school, and am hoping to solidify my skills abroad. I spent a semester in Osaka in the fall of 2013, and want to explore more of the country this time around.

In the meantime, I’ll be here. The Mat-Su Valley is my home, and I don’t know if I could live anywhere else (though I’ve thought about it). I will also be working some creative writing projects that have been on hiatus for the past couple of years, to include novels that I hope many of you will read someday.

You may also still see my byline from time to time. That quote I opened with continues, “but I shall return hither,” and I think that will always be true for me in terms of Alaska and journalistic writing.

If any of my friends and sources have story ideas for the Frontiersman in the future, please email news@frontiersman.com. If the editor thinks it’s up my alley, he’ll pass the message along.

Thank you to everyone who allowed me to tell their story.