Growing up on the East Coast of Massachusetts, just a 10-minute drive from TD Garden, I always appreciated the Boston powerhouse of sports. But my passion for sports storytelling didn't come until much later.
It was Week 17 in 2019 when the San Francisco 49ers had a playoff bye week on the line. The score against the Seattle Seahawks was 26-21 in favor of the Niners. With eight seconds on the clock and the Seahawks inches away from a game-winning touchdown on fourth-and-goal, I sat on the edge of my couch thinking of anything and everything Seattle could call and what San Francisco's defensive response had to be. As tight end Jacob Hollister headed towards the end zone, Dre Greenlaw and Fred Warner made a clean stop just one yard away from a Seahawks touchdown.I will remember those final eight seconds forever. That was when I knew I wanted to pursue sports writing. Three years later, I added Sports Journalism to my academic plan at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst alongside by English major. Combining my passion for creative writing and sports, I marked my place in a field I never thought I could call home.
I joined The Massachusetts Daily Collegian as a sophomore that same year. While I was initially excited to start covering football, hockey was the first beat I joined and eventually my hardest goodbye as a senior. I grew a love for the double overtimes, long nights, and months of interviews for a story I stepped back from knowing it's exactly how I imagined. I developed a passion for feature writing. Even in hockey, it was a reminder of my love for storytelling all the way back in Week 17 in 2019.
The football press box tested me, being the only woman there reporting on the team. Saturday by Saturday, I grew more confident in my writing and abilities, and even a 13-hour, lightning delayed evening couldn't keep me away.
Football was the reason I started this journey. It wasn't going to be the reason I turned away. As I look towards my future career, I know my home is in a media room, a press box, and hopefully in team reporting long-term.
