Bedtime stories were always a highlight of my childhood. Both of my parents kindled my imagination by reading aloud from a big blue storybook filled with the adventures of Rapunzel, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, The Princess and the Pea and many other classic tales. With each turning of the page, I was transported to whimsical scenes and foreign lands, but it was my father who truly stole the show when it came to the art of storytelling.
On special occasions, my dad would invent his own tales of victory and woe. He would begin every story with the same stirring phrase. “A long time ago in a far, far away place,” he would say in his deep, animated voice.
The best part about my father’s stories was that each adventure he originated always starred myself and my younger brother, Jack. We were the heroes of every journey, conquering our greatest fears and facing challenging tasks with courage and bravery. On many nights, I would drift off to sleep, my father’s voice fading as my own mind picked up the story where he left off. I would imagine the happy ending in my dreams.
As I grew older, so did my fascination for good storytelling. In grade school I loved to read and write. I became captivated by the books on the library shelves, and I was often the little girl carrying home a stack larger than what I could handle.
Later, in high school, I excelled in my newswriting and literature classes. I can remember taking an advanced placement course as a junior and getting lost in the pages of Jane Eyre. The bell would ring, signaling the next class period. I would still be sitting silently with my nose in my book, oblivious to the new group of students taking their seats.
When it came time to choosing a career path at Iowa State University, journalism seemed like a no-brainer. Although the program was fitting for my skill set, I felt I was lacking purpose in my future area of study. That’s when I discovered agricultural communications.
For a farm girl from northwest Iowa who loves working outside as much as she loves putting pen to paper, a double major in agricultural communications and journalism was the perfect combination. This plan allowed me to fuse my passion for agriculture with my passion for writing, while exploring career opportunities. It is my hope that one day I will be the voice of Iowa’s farm families through the written word.
I love the challenge of finding the right combination of words to engage and captivate an audience. Reflecting on my abilities as a reader and writer, I attribute my success to my father who showed me the power of a good story, and I think about his make-believe tales and the worn pages of the big blue story book.