RobyLane and Georgia | Photo courtesy of RobyLane Kelley

RobyLane Kelley

Editorial Assistant

When I applied as an intern at Northeast News nearly seven months ago, I saw this as an opportunity to learn and grow as a journalist. I never imagined becoming so attached to a community newspaper that I didn’t grow up with.

I graduate from the University of Missouri – Kansas City (UMKC) on Sunday, Dec. 15, and while I am excited and ready to no longer be in school, other doors are closing along with the doors to Haag Hall. I will no longer be able to work at Northeast News after I leave college as I will no longer qualify for the Mellon Foundation grant, which has paid for the majority of my work.

My time at Northeast has served as a learning opportunity — one after another. I also met some amazing people I will forever be grateful for. 

Michael Bushnell took a chance on me. I came in as a disabled journalist with little real-world reporting experience. Not only did he give me the job, but he constantly encouraged me when it was deserved and helped me find beats I liked.

Julia Williams has been an amazing editor. Many do not know this is not the job she originally applied for. She is a recent college graduate and has been learning the ins and outs of running a paper. She has been continuing to grow, while encouraging everyone around her.

Staff members Dorri Partain, Alex Andersen and Lillian Gibbs, while I didn’t work with them much one on one, all three of these amazing people made working through changes in the office an easier process.

And finally, Emily Wheeler. Wheeler is one of the most passionate journalists I have ever met. She’s kind, and having her as my partner-in-crime these last few months has always made me feel like I could take on the world. Wheeler taught me that no matter what, I should believe in myself. I know she believes in me — making it easier to think I’m maybe okay at what I do.

Going beyond the office, I’m grateful to have met the passionate people of Northeast Kansas City. Gene Chávez and Whitney Barnardo were some of my favorite sources to work with.

Chávez taught me about the importance of heritage. While not my own, he fostered my interest in the Hispanic community and this culture’s influence on the Northeast and the U.S. as a whole. At first, the Vaqueros story was one I was just assigned, but after our first conversation, I was sharing all of these amazing facts about cowboys and old westerns with anyone who would listen. I could talk to Chávez for days and still learn something new. 

Barnardo has a deep connection to her community in Pendleton Heights. Saying her enthusiasm is inspiring would be an understatement. From the Honey Harvest in the summer, where she helped organize vendors for children’s education and a way for the community orchard to grow — no pun intended — to organizing the orchard festival, which allowed local organizations to have an outlet to connect to the community.

As I close off what will be my final article with Northeast News, I want to say thank you to the people I’ve met along my journey and share a message with any young writers in the Northeast area. I was once told, “Write because you have to.” That simple phrase has changed meaning to me over time, so it could mean something completely different to each writer. But do it. Write every day if you can. If you know multiple languages, inquire with Northeast News about writing coverage in your languages. Going back to my increased interest in heritage, I believe that as journalists, our job is to make news accessible. Daisy can’t write all of the Spanish content herself; that isn’t the only language spoken in this incredibly diverse community.

Thank you to the readers who have stayed loyal to the paper as it’s changed. Thank you for staying when it seemed the world was ending, and thank you for your encouraging comments on the Facebook group. 

Thank you to the skeptical readers; keep asking questions. Your comments and questions encourage us to try harder. No one can grow on praise alone.

At the time of writing this, my next steps aren’t finalized. I am applying to more places in the metro, so I hope to get to cover Northeast in the light it deserves on a larger scale. As Roy Rogers and Dale Evans said, “Happy trails to you, until we meet again.”