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Love Jesus & family. Proud Virginia Tech alumnus. Post a LOT about Hokie hoops. Love VT football/Duke hoops, too. Editor & writer. Psalm 27:3 is my life verse.

Interview

What was your first job as a journalist?

Writer for 100,000-circulation newspaper

Have you ever used a typewriter?

No

How is social media changing news?

There is no longer a waiting period to get news out to a mass audience. You can get it out there in a split second with a simple tweet, etc.

Who's your favorite fictional journalist?

Orwell

What does it mean to be a journalist?

It means I have an opportunity to be an authoritative voice in my community and to the world.

What's the funniest news-related #hashtag you've seen?

How do you prefer to be pitched on stories?

Email

What tools and software do you use to do your job?

Microsoft Word, Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Acrobat Reader DC, Microsoft Excel

What's your favorite social network?

Twitter

Who do you wish followed you?

Brad Paisley, Virginia Tech men's basketball coach Mike Young

Why did you become a journalist?

I couldn't see myself being as personally fulfilled in any other line of work.

Did you work for your high school newspaper? If so, what did you do there?

No, there was no high school newspaper.

What story are you most proud of writing or working on?

It was a series of stories on two small children whose simultaneous battles with brain tumors brought their families and community together.

What advice can you offer to aspiring journalists?

Embrace constructive criticism. If you apply it to your work, you will only be better for it.

When's the best time to pitch you?

9 p.m.

What's the best pitch you ever got?

A fan of a local NASCAR driver called me to provide a news tip about a rival driver's off-track misconduct.

What's the worst pitch you ever got?

An editor asked me to compare Danica Patrick's emergence in NASCAR to the growing population of NASCAR drivers with young daughters.

What's your favorite drink?

Mountain Dew

When you're not at a computer, where are you most likely to be?

home, with family

Aside from your own, what's your favorite publication to read?

nascar.com, foxnews.com, cnn.com

What's the most common misperception about your beat?

It's that NASCAR drivers are not athletes and "just drive around in circles." Neither could be further from the truth.

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