By Amanda Saunders, BCN intern.

Editor’s note: Amanda Saunders is our newest intern at the Bryan County News. She is participating in Richmond Hill High School’s work-based learning program. She wrote her own introduction as one of her first assignments. Read on.

Hello, my name is Amanda Saunders, and I am a senior at Richmond Hill High School. I am a new intern here at Bryan County News, and I am introducing myself to you, the readers.

I am almost 17 years old and have gone to school in Bryan County since eighth grade. I am originally from Waynesville, North Carolina, a small town outside of the more well-known city of Asheville. However, I have lived in Georgia since I was three and have moved around the coastal area.

When I lived in Effingham County, I played softball at the recreation department, and in Bryan County, I played volleyball. From the ages of four to ten, I participated in karate. After six years of hard work, I earned my second-degree black belt. I enjoy gardening, traveling, riding rollercoasters, working outside, painting, and listening to 80s hair bands. I have three dogs and a goldfish. I have two sisters, one in the same grade and the other is an eighth grader at RHMS.

Since I moved here, I have attended a few local events. With this internship, I am looking forward to becoming more involved in the community and learning more about how the city functions. I did not have an interest in journalism until I joined the yearbook staff and attended WJMC. I have since learned I love writing, taking photographs, and telling people’s stories.

Discovering my passion for journalism has opened me up to so many opportunities, one of which being this internship. I want to pursue journalism, specifically medical journalism, to help those that need help but cannot get the attention that is necessary to receive it. Through writing, you can tell someone about an issue. With a photograph, you can uncover things that may not be describable in words. Journalism is vital to me because, with pen and paper, I can write about the change that needs to happen in the world.

One of the two years I was on the yearbook staff, I was the copy editor. In that position, I would oversee every spread and proofread the text. On top of that, I would complete the same tasks as the other staff members, such as writing, taking photos, and get interviews.

I am a dual enrollment student at Augusta University and plan on attending there after graduating high school. I aspire to be an emergency room physician and medical journalist. I represented Richmond Hill as a National Youth Correspondent at the Washington Journalism and Media Conference in July. Listening to the guest speakers and doing simulations inspired me to become a better journalist. I am excited to work with the Bryan County News staff members and the people within the community of Richmond Hill.