From Green Crayon and Notepad to Journalist

Rachel Huser 

Staff Writer

I was 6 years old when I wrote my first story. I was in a car seat in the back of my mother’s Dodge Caravan. It was forest green, and it had a cassette player. My brother was sitting in his car seat next to me, my mother sitting in front of him and my father driving. We were road-tripping to Colorado for a wedding. It was my first road trip and I wanted to document it. So, I grabbed a notepad and a green crayon.  

And I started scribbling. Didn’t even write coherent words. I wanted to be like those journalists I had seen on television shows that wrote quickly. So that’s what I did. There’s a photo of me somewhere in my childhood home of me posing with that filled-in notepad, standing in front of the Rocky Mountains.  

Never did I think I would grow up to be one of those journalists that I had seen on television. My time at The Star has been unforgettable. My colleagues, advisers and interviewees have shown me that being a journalist is more than just writing stories. It’s about building connections, building relationships. And I have built many relationships while working for The Star, relationships I’ll cherish for a long time.  

So, I leave you all with a thank you. Thank you for allowing me to tell your stories. Thank you for reading them. Thank you all for your support in my journey as a budding journalist. May The Star continue to grow and serve the Dominican community as it has in the past. I’m grateful and honored to say that I was a part of it all. 

rhuser@my.dom.edu