When I graduated from high school, I swore I was never coming back. That I ended up in a college town seemingly more remote than Cazenovia was inconsequential.

But then I graduated, and I found a job back home.

It was a good job, an interesting job, and as a bonus, I could live rent-free with my parents for as long as I wanted!

The best part? I could get paid to learn.

I hardly knew the difference between the village and the town of Cazenovia before I started at Eagle Newspapers. But between the challenges of reporting local news, taking photos and putting together an entire newspaper every week, I slowly grew both as a journalist and as a plain old person.

While I was editor, my parents were always an invaluable resource. Even after a year and a half, when I finally moved out of my childhood bedroom into my own apartment, they kept e-mailing and calling with leads. My mom’s job as a teacher in the district and my dad’s knack for striking up a conversation with pretty much anybody made them two of my best sources.

But now, after just about two years as editor of the Cazenovia Republican, it looks like my time is up.

Don’t worry! I’ll still be around; if you try to call Eagle Newspapers and dial the wrong extension, there’s a small chance you’ll reach me.

I’m excited to be moving into a new position at Eagle, managing our online presence and contributing in varying degrees to many aspects of our publications.

Replacing me will be Pierce Smith, a rookie reporter with a suspiciously familiar backstory – a graduate of Cazenovia High School, Pierce has been writing for us since the summer, and will be an excellent fit at Eagle.

I’d like to thank everyone who has helped me and contributed to this paper for the last two years. It was never my paper, but yours, and I was incredibly fortunate to be given stewardship of it, however briefly.

Please, keep sending your stories, updates and photos to Pierce. His e-mail address will be [email protected]. And if you need to reach me, I’ll be at [email protected].

I’m sure I’ll be seeing you.