By Josh Dawsey
Edited by Brittani Coleman
My start in journalism was at a community newspaper whose office in a town of 700 was a renovated barbershop. When the owners converted the old facility into a newsroom, they even forgot to pick up loose shreds of hair. Yet maybe that was a sign, as I was more qualified to clean floors than write copy. I hadn't even graduated high school.
As a fourth-year print journalism student from rural South Carolina. I've lived both on a dirt road and New York's Upper West Side, and I'm often torn about which I prefer. I've served as editor-in-chief of The Daily Gamecock and interned at Fortune magazine and two other daily newspapers in South Carolina. This summer, I'm headed for The Boston Globe. My time at Carolina has been filled with dichotomy: I've shared a beer with USC President Harris Pastides at a rooftop bar while also highlighting several of his missteps. One of my roommates says there are two prominent symbols of my life in Columbia: Pastides and Chrissy, our favorite waitress at a neighborhood haunt where where I'm known for being much more than a writer.
I'm hard charging and enjoy the pursuit of a good story. Yet I also try to remember that most people are inherently good. This semester will let me fulfill a longtime goal of mine: writing deep features without the pressure of daily deadlines. I hope I'll spend more time hanging out with Chrissy and less with Pastides.
