By Cam Powell
Edited by Ryan Bethea
I grew up in the stereotypical American nuclear family: a father, a mother, two sons and two dogs living in an upper-middle class suburban neighborhood in southeastern Virginia. But it was the unusual culture of my hometown, with its nearly even ratio of white and African-American residents, two military bases and one of the nation's largest shipbuilding corporations, that largely defined my optimistic outlook.
Writing came naturally. I was lucky enough to have English teachers in middle and high school who nurtured my talent and encouraged me to pursue work in writing.
Because I had no desire to teach or to work in a coffee shop all my life, I ruled out an English major once I got to college and decided journalism was best for my career.
I didn't anticipate many of the differences between writing essays and being a journalist; I simply thought writing was writing. I was entirely wrong.
Shifting from my often grandiose style for writing English papers to producing succinct and informative copy wasn't easy, though I have accepted the challenge and continue to hone my journalistic skills.
I now appreciate the role of the journalist as the ears and eyes of the public, helping people gain as much knowledge about their world as possible.
