FELLOWS: One journalist, officially Big Rapids bound

[ad_1]

After spending all summer looking for possible apartments in both Big Rapids and Grand Rapids, losing multiple locations, getting spooky by lots of offers, traveling and finally ending up on a complex with availability, I have found an apartment in town.

The decision to move to Big Rapids was one of the toughest, but also the easiest, that I had to make. I’ve lived just outside Grand Rapids in Allendale, where Grand Valley State University is for four years. My brother Peter lived downtown Grand Rapids for the full four years of my college experience, and his closeness to him has been a real gift during the tough days. Just last year my brother Austin moved to Grand Rapids to study medicine at Michigan State.

Being a little further away from my brothers is hard, but the decision to move was also an easy one because being in the city I work in makes my job exponentially easier. From the few visits I’ve made to the office and the coverage I’ve made around the city and surrounding areas, I can say that Big Rapids has a great community of supportive individuals and dedicated business owners who work hard community members. Getting to know the area through its people showed me that it will be a great place for me to live and work.

The benefits of moving further north, I’ve already noticed, are that I live an hour closer to my home on Lake Leelanau and minutes from the Pioneer’s office, but there’s a lot more about Big Rapids that is i have to learn. I look forward to hearing about people’s suggestions on the cool, lesser-known neighborhoods, the best places to eat in town, and the things to do, see, and places to eat.

To discover a new place for the first time as a resident is really exciting. It was when I was a freshman in college, away from home for the first time, and I have no doubt it will be a real adult again.

Being closer to home has always been a part of my post-college life plan, and that feels pretty great. I’ve always wanted to make a difference in my work and grow as a writer and journalist, and The Pioneer is a wonderful publication to do that. Big Rapids has the same small town feel that I love, and the community is vibrant and active. It’s all I could want in a place to live.

I am so excited to start making my future apartment my own and using my creativity to make it unique and pleasant to live in and comfortable. I’ve really been feeling like an adult lately, and the opportunity to have my own space will be a great opportunity to stretch my legs as a young professional.

For anyone with suggestions on great parts of Big Rapids that I should check out, feel free to email me and tell me what and why. I want to get to know this town from the good people who live here now because as a local at home on Leelanau Lake I know that the current residents of a particular place are the best people to ask about the hot spot.

Overall, I’m just looking forward to making a good, positive change in my life with this step. This has been a long time coming and I will celebrate the personal victory and my own hard work with some new home items and good food.

This is about finding victories in places you never expected and finding happiness in a new place. Cant wait to see you Big Rapids I hope you are ready for me.

[ad_2]