Hey there, West Michigan!
If you're reading this biography, thank you for taking the time to watch and read local news. I believe in storytelling and its ability to connect us with our neighbors, whether in big cities like Grand Rapids or smaller towns like Hudsonville, where I was raised among the celery stalks in the muck fields.
In 2022, I joined FOX 17 after graduating from Dordt University, leaving the rolling cornfields of Northwest Iowa with a major in journalism and minors in English and film.
One of my first stories at the station descended into the cold, damp gypsum mines buried beneath Grand Rapids. I took a freight elevator 85-feet below the surface to walk among the remnants of the city's lost industry, now sealed from the public.
READ MORE: Lost Labor: The cold, dark history of the Grand Rapids gypsum mines
Since then, West Michigan history has become a favorite topic of mine and I always appreciate learning about the secret, sometimes forgotten stories carefully tucked into every town's past.
READ MORE: Roadside burial site holds Plainfield Township family history
I also report on conservation and the environment, as I'm drawn to the Great Lakes and the plant and animal life they've supported for many millenniums. Their future depends on our continued care.
READ MORE: Michigan DNR collects walleye eggs from Muskegon River
Growing up in the Christian Reformed Church, I also like to tell stories of faith and am both professionally and personally challenged by how religion can both bring people together and push them apart.
Truly, I have a heart for this job and feel called to report on the cities and shoreline I've known since my childhood. I believe in the importance of home-grown journalism, that writing is an act of love, and that rooting for Detroit sports teams makes you a better person, (at least in the long run).
If you have a story that's worth telling (or a movie that's worth watching), send me an email! I'll be happy to check it out.
