It was only nine months ago when I packed all my belongings into my Jeep and embarked on a 900-mile cross-country trip from the land of corn and soybeans to the happy valley to begin my journalism career.
Two months before Purdue University would churn out a new batch of graduates, I, like many other students, spent every waking hour — those not already committed to homework — polishing my resume with fingers crossed that an employer would actually ponder the application rather than give it a glance and shove it to the bottom of the stack.
“There’s no way,” I thought to myself after submitting my application to the email listed on a job posting for an open reporter position at a New England newspaper. I was in Indiana and although I wasn’t obligated to stay in the area, I wasn’t receiving many responses from nearby employers. Actually, out of all the resumes that circulated through my Gmail account, only two employers contacted me and with graduation quickly approaching, I had to decided if I would move to Michigan or Massachusetts; I chose the latter.
I accepted the position at The Recorder about a week after a three-hour video interview where Editor George Forcier questioned every aspect of my education and work experience and, concluding the first hour, surprised me with a task to interview now-former Features Editor Sam Wood and write an article about her so he could analyze my grammatical strengths and weaknesses and interview skills.
“Don’t get your hopes up,” I told my mom over the phone the following day. “It was brutal.”
I wasn’t expecting to receive a phone call with Forcier on the other end offering me the job. I was ecstatic, beyond belief that my hard work paid off and I was actually going to fulfill my dream of becoming a writer. I had to fill the shoes of four-year Recorder veteran Dave Rainville as he moved into a copy-editing position and I became the new North County correspondent, tasked with covering all the news in Bernardston, Leyden, Northfield and Warwick.
My first day on the job was smooth as I learned the computer software and how to use the office phones. My second day, however, was a reassurance as to why I was in the media business. I received a phone call, minutes after arriving at the office, about a protest at Pioneer Valley Regional School. The Northfield resident who brought the issue to my attention was a parent of a student who was suspended with seven fellow classmates after chaperones on the senior class trip to Ocean City, Md., found them in possession of marijuana.
I ran out to cover the early morning protest, trying to gather as much information from students and parents as possible so we could get the breaking news online. It didn’t take long for me to realize my job at The Recorder would be a challenging yet rewarding opportunity, which sadly I have had to let go to as I prepare to move to the Sunshine State alongside my boyfriend as he enters the job market.
When people asked me what I typically wrote about, it was always the same answer: “anything and everything in North County,” I responded. I traveled between my four towns from Tuesday to Friday and was the face of The Recorder every Saturday, which was typically my favorite work day because of the varying assignments I was given throughout the entire county.
I never would have imaged I would fly on a trapeze with a circus arts performer, gear up in a firefighter’s suit for a close look inside a burning room during a training exercise or cover numerous protests regarding the proposed natural gas pipeline. These were only some of the weekend assignments I was thrilled to cover.
From articles on the minutia of budgets, municipal improvement plans and, of course, the controversial gas pipeline project, to feature stories about hot rods, musicians, artists and everything else in between, I thank all of the people who allowed me the opportunity to share their incredible stories with the rest of the county.
I wanted to become a reporter ever since I completed my first journalism class in high school. Allowing individuals to relive the past through the written word has and will continue to be a passion of mine and although I don’t have a job lined up yet, I plan to travel down a path that allows me to continue sharing the stories of my neighbors.
To the editors who helped me become the writer I am today, to my interviewees who agreed to share their thoughts with me and to the readers who continued to support my work — even with some mistakes — I cannot thank you enough for the impact you’ve made on my life and my career.
Your Midwestern New Englander,
Rachel Rapkin