New staff writer excited to join DAR

It feels strange to consider I’m now a career journalist when it was barely on my radar most of my life.

I’m a recent Poplar Bluff transplant from Paris, Illinois, who stumbled into reporting by virtue of working at a short-staffed local paper. Sure, journalism had always interested me for sure, and I ate up stories of Nellie Bly and Ernie Pyle (fun fact, his hometown of Dana, Indiana, is about half an hour from my family’s house). My grandmother was even a journalist. But if I’d been asked me five years ago what I thought of becoming a reporter, I would’ve held up my freshly printed art degree, explained in depth my plans to join Disney, and then said covering constant bad news wasn’t appealing.

Moving back to my hometown, Disney-less, I joined The Prairie Press as a paginator with no intention of writing.

Turns out, I’m bad at five-year plans, and that’s a good thing.

Instead of negativity, my journalism experience has revolved around forming connections and meeting people who are passionate about what they do. There were some mind-numbing meetings I could’ve missed, but interviewing people who handmake wooden pens or keep a small-town animal shelter afloat? Asking entrepreneurs how they survived Illinois’ COVID-19 shutdown? That’s cool stuff. And realizing my articles inspired people to patronize a business or donate to a fundraiser? Honestly mind-blowing.

I still didn’t realize I could fully embrace journalism as my career until this summer, when the DAR invited me to interview for its open staff writer position. Thinking about what journalism had come to mean to me, I realized it was more than a job I took in limbo — this was something I wanted to keep doing. Visiting Poplar Bluff and meeting my future coworkers confirmed this was a place where I could invest and grow.

If someone asked me now what I think of becoming a reporter, I’d answer that it’s deeply satisfying to contribute to communities, connect with others and share stories.

And that art degree? It’s coming in handy as the base of an arts and culture beat. You had your chance, Mickey.

Samantha Tucker is a staff writer at the Daily American Republic and can be reached at stucker.dar@gmail.com.