To think back four years ago, when I first decided I wanted to pursue a career in journalism — and sports journalism, for that matter — I could not have predicted the fulfillment and opportunities it has given me.
Naturally, sports have been a big part of my life from the beginning. My first word as a baby was "so" — not just because it was easy to get me to say, but because it was the name of the former St. Louis Cardinals outfielder So Taguchi, who played for a team that I was raised loving (thanks Mom and Dad!). I know that said team probably isn't popular around the Lafayette area, but please give me some grace.
At the start, my love for sports was on the field, playing baseball, soccer and basketball. As I grew up and began high school, I loved it in a different way. I started to keep closer track of sports leagues and debating numerous topics with my friends, which resulted in a couple of moderately successful Instagram accounts that I frequently posted on. But that was just the groundwork for what I ultimately decided to do.
Choosing the Missouri School of Journalism wasn't very difficult. I had always excelled in reading and writing far more than I did in math and science, and I sure wrote a lot. Even in fifth grade, I spent some of my free time typing up mini biographies of a variety of people, from U.S. presidents to Larry Bird to Robert Downey Jr.
I didn't have a whole lot of journalism experience before college, but the stories I wrote for my high school paper showed me I not only could do it, but that I really, really enjoyed it. And with home being only two hours away from one of the most renowned journalism schools in the country, it was a no-brainer for me.

#high