By Katie Smith
After spending nearly a full week driving in my car with my mother, I arrived in this small mountain town in one piece.
It’s a long drive from Prince Edward Island to British Columbia, roughly 5,000 kilometres, so when I told my mom I got a job in Fernie, she was immediately excited to drive across the country with me. I can’t say I shared the same level of enthusiasm about making the long trek, but I was, admittedly, more than happy to have some company on my journey.
I received my Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and was left still wondering what I was going to be when I grew up. A couple of years later, I went back to school where I received my journalism diploma. I worked as a reporter for a couple of years, and then was out of the industry for some time.
I recently got back into it and before moving to Fernie, I was working in New Brunswick as a reporter in a contract position.
With my contract soon ending, I knew I’d soon have to find another job. So I went online and one of the first ads I saw was for a position at The Free Press.
I have a cousin who lives here, and I figured it might not be such a bad idea to apply, so I did.
A few days later, I had an interview with the paper’s publisher, Andrea Horton, and was offered the position of editor.
Without a moment of hesitation, I accepted.
Three weeks later, I was slowly but surely making my way across this vast land and when I got here, I knew I made the right move. The beautiful mountains and the friendly people were a welcomed change.
I am looking forward to accepting this challenge, getting to know the town and getting involved in the community.