Greetings, Bryan County News readers! My name is Andrea Gutierrez, and I will be this publication’s newest editor starting in late October, so I thought it would be nice to share a bit about myself and talk about why I’m so excited for this new opportunity!

To start off, I was born and raised in nearby Savannah, Georgia. I went to high school at St. Vincent’s Academy (SVA Hey!) before majoring in Journalism at the University of Georgia (Go Dawgs!).

Choosing to study Journalism was a no-brainer: I love reading and writing, and I could combine those passions with staying informed and in touch with the world around me. At UGA, I worked at publications such as the Oglethorpe Echo and The Red & Black, where my wide-ranging stories resonated with communities both on and off-campus.

When I accepted this position in August, what drew me in was this sense of purpose in this small but mighty newsroom. Look, it’s no secret that local news nationwide is strugglingover 2,200 weekly newspapers have shut down in the United States in the past 20 years alone.

But when Jeff Whitten, the current managing editor started showing me around the newsroom and the county it serves, it hit home to me just how vital local reporting is to this area in particular.

All of Bryan County is growing by the day, filled with individuals and families seeking new jobs and newer surroundings.

I believe that Bryan County News can and should be a continued source for trusted reporting, covering what folks want and need to hear about. From electric vehicle megasites to seafood festivals, no story is too big or too small for this paper.

And as Bryan County itself grows, so will I. This is my first job straight out of college, and so I am eternally grateful to the Bryan County News for not demanding “10+ years of experience” in some video editing software that probably came out a month ago or asking me about THE GAP in my resumé between 2012-2015 (I was in junior high, too busy worrying about THE GAP between my classroom and the cafeteria when it was time for lunch).

They say you learn something new everyday. I just wish that I’ll have many, many days to learn ahead of me working as your editor with Bryan County News.

Thank you so much for reading, and I hope you’ll stick around for more.