gen•e•sis: the origin or mode of formation of something; evolution, inception
It all began back in elementary school; earlier, even. The clipping in the local South Bay Newspaper heralding the entrance of the Class of 2000...into kindergarten. I was a part of that storied graduating class, and as we progressed through the next dozen or so years of schooling, the various accolades of my fellow Lindy alums would be documented within the pages of our neighborhood paper. My own graduation announcement was featured there, as I moved on from the halls of Lindy High and began my studies in journalism on the opposite shore at the C.W. Post campus of Long Island University.
Four years later, it was time to take a stab at a career in the real world and, upon the encouragement of my mom, I sent a random query to the newly minted South Bay’s Neighbor, thinking it might be an ideal place to gain my footing in the field. As luck would have it, the paper was in the process of a major overhaul, transitioning from its rather antiquated black and white format and beginning the arduous task of streamlining what had been, to that point, an extremely labor-intensive, manual ordeal week after week.
I entered the picture as an editorial assistant, designated as the one to cull through the incoming e-mails and process the local community news submitted by readers. Photos, press releases, upcoming events - whatever seemed newsworthy was prepared, along with a selection of handwritten articles penned by our original editor, Lillian Nolin, still a fixture at the old Lindenhurst office. As I worked from my desk in Farmingdale, monitoring the weekly content, I was fortunate to be surrounded by a staff that took me under its collective wing, teaching me the ins and outs of editing, formatting and even a little graphic design.
Fast forward three or so years, and the 11 original editions had morphed into 43. Lillian had retired, leaving me as the “veteran” editor, now responsible for penning my own weekly column, serving as a “roving reporter” of sorts covering select community events, taking photographs, and coming up with my own concepts for new features. At all of 25 years-old, I was entrusted with the responsibility of driving this product to the next level editorially - and I loved every second of it.
Over the next decade {wow, a whole decade}, the structure of South Bay’s Neighbor progressed and transformed, as did the staff, the content and the design. In the winter of 2014, we added a magazine to the mix, introducing Seasons, our high-end glossy feature, publishing five times a year. Always evolving, this was yet another opportunity to be a part of a product from the ground up, and to showcase our creativity in a new format for an even wider audience.
What began as a first step into the field of journalism turned into a large portion of my career, a solid foundation from which to build upon and grow. I have often said that, although my 13-year tenure here has been, technically, one job, it has felt like several all rolled into one. In many ways, the evolution has come full circle - from the local clipping back in 1987, to now, as I pen my second-to-last column for the old hometown South Bay...a Lindy girl at heart, always.
Published: August 29, 2018