Hi dear readers,

I have been praying for God to open new doors of opportunity, but I never dreamed those doors would lead to my byline on a story for USA Today. Or several stories for an NPR affiliate. But both of those things happened this month, and I honestly (still) can’t quite believe it.

Not only are these professional highlights, but the stories themselves are important–even ground-breaking. And that’s the bigger news, because it’s extremely fulfilling to put these stories out into the world.

Here’s how one of them came about:

Four years ago, I “discovered” a guy named John Naylor posting photos of trash he was pulling out of the Susquehanna River on Instagram. I messaged him and became the first journalist to write about his one-man environmental efforts.

Fast-forward to now: What a joy it was, to circle back and write about his longtime goal, achieved! Here’s my story for the York Daily Record, “York man pulled 26,000 pieces of trash from the Susquehanna – 1 boatload at a time.”

Next, something happened that still sends chills down my spine, in a good way: One day after my freelance story published, it was republished by its parent newspaper, USA Today. What a thrill!

I think John’s story is one that we can all relate to, on some level. His story addresses a question many of us have asked of ourselves: What difference can I truly make, as one person? Read his story in USA Today, to find out–and to perhaps be inspired by his impact.

A freelancing unicorn: That’s what it’s like, having a freelance story published in USA Today. Huge thanks to John Naylor and Ted Evgeniadis for entrusting their words to me, to two key editors who believed in me and green-lighted the story, and to God for making it all possible.

Two additional May highlights include freelance stories for WITF (NPR) and their StateImpact Pennsylvania partnership. These stories, (below) as well as the one above, are ones that I’m extremely proud to make available to the public because they are all ground-breaking stories (scoops) that haven’t been previously reported. As a freelancer, I have to say, in all humility, these are wonderful little feathers in my cap.

“In Pa., climate change threatens the state tree, bird and fish. Work is under way to help the native species”

“Pennsylvania leads the nation in Lyme disease. The state is responding with new tick testing, research and education“

Here’s a photo gallery I shot during my reporting:

In the story, Jim Altemus describes what it sounds like when one of these giants of the forest comes down: like a gunshot that reverberates through the woods. It can be a very dangerous situation, as you can imagine, if you’re close by. And as I was taking some of the hemlock photos above, I witnessed this first-hand. As I was walking along the trail, I was spooked by the sound–several times–of branches breaking and falling nearby. Thankfully, they weren’t too close to me and didn’t sound like full trees. But the sounds, echoing through the forest, triggered increases in my pulse and pace. Wow.

And a personal note:

As I began my reporting in January, little did I know that one of those species would impact my own personal health. I truly feel like covering these stories may have saved my life.

During the timeframe when I was reporting on the story, I began treatment for Lyme disease. I’m optimistic that I’m going to be fine! But it’s you I’m worried about. PA has led the nation in the number of Lyme disease cases 11 of the past 12 years. Because of my reporting, thankfully I knew what to do and where to turn for resources. That’s why I’m sharing my personal story alongside my journalism story. If it could happen to me (Lyme disease), then it truly could happen to anyone. I would encourage you to arm yourself with facts about ticks, and take as many precautions as you can. See my story for more information.

Switching gears, here are three additional and lighter feature stories that published in May:

“Earth-Friendly Eats: How to eat a sustainable diet for your health and the planet,” published in Susquehanna Style, May 2023.

“Blessings Abound: A family’s quest for the American dream,” published in Celebrate Gettysburg, May/June 2023.

“Where’s Waldo’s? A decade of community-building puts Waldo’s on the map,” published in Celebrate Gettysburg, May/June 2023.

Thanks for reading, and happy (almost) summer!