The Nevada Appeal has hired my replacement. Well, technically, she’s not just replacing me. She will be covering breaking news along with some education. I stopped by the Appeal office Friday to meet her. She seems nice, I think you’ll like her.
In a lot of ways, she’s similar to me when I started at the newspaper — except she seems to keep her desk clean and wears dresses … and the part about being nice. OK, so maybe we don’t have much in common, but we both got our journalism start at the Nevada Appeal.
Taylor Pettaway, 22, majored in journalism and criminology.
“I’ve always known I wanted to do something with writing,” she said. “In high school, I joined the newspaper and I loved it. I continued that in college. I just decided I loved writing more than I loved making money.”
I remember starting at the Appeal, feeling like an impostor, like any day someone was going to discover I was just a kid playing like an adult.
I think Taylor’s got a little bit of that going on, too.
“It’s my first big girl job,” she said.
But she’s found the transition to be easier than expected.
“So far, I love it. Everyone has been so nice and helpful,” she said. “It’s a lot less nerve wracking than I thought it was going to be. I don’t feel like the awkward new kid.”
She said the staff at the newspaper as well as the members of the community have been welcoming and kind — which is no surprise.
The one adjustment, she said, has been the size of the capital city.
From Castlewood, Colo., and having lived the last four years in Fort Collins, she’s used to much larger cities.
“You can almost drive through the whole town in 10 minutes,” she said. “That’s something that’s new to me.”
As a self-described “foodie,” she said she hopes to find interesting and eclectic places to eat. She’s already discovered the Lake Tahoe Brewery.
“I’m in love with that place already,” she said. “I’m going to keep exploring.”
I forgot to recommend she download the Visit Carson City app — it’s got all the restaurants and places of interest in Carson City (if you’re reading this Taylor, check it out). It also has a list of local hiking and biking trails.
“I like hiking and all of that,” she said. “A lot of people have told me there’s some really great trails. I’m excited to start exploring some of them.”
As for the future of journalism, she’s optimistic.
“Whether I’m picking up a newspaper or reading it on a computer screen, you still need the same skills,” she said. “I think people will be loyal to their newspaper regardless of the medium.”
Get to know Taylor better and read what she’s covering by following her on Twitter at TaylorNVAppeal or at tpettaway@nevadaappeal.com.
Teri Vance is a journalist, freelance writer and native Nevadan. Contact her with column ideas at terivance@rocketmail.com