Shawna Konieczny joins

Throughout my life, I have lived in a number of different houses, occasionally moving from one town to another. Despite the amount of times my family has moved, I’ve never left the Medford area. Having been born and raised in Medford, I’ve spent most of my childhood here, but I’ve spent a fair amount of time living in Rib Lake as well.

During my time at school, I was very interested in math and science and thinking I’d pursue a career in one of those fields, so it came as quite a shock to many, along with myself, when I decided to move to Boston, MA to pursue a degree in writing, literature, and publishing.

I have been studying at Emerson College in Boston since the fall of 2018. I started my course of study with a focus on publishing, but then switched to an interdisciplinary program that focuses on screenwriting and the study of film and books.

Growing up, I spent a lot of time reading books, which is why I originally decided to go into the publishing industry. Along with that, I have always loved watching TV shows and movies. So after I discovered a passion for creative writing, I changed routes and decided that I wanted to enter the entertainment industry. Also during my time at Emerson so far, I had the opportunity to study abroad in the Netherlands where I was able to travel across Europe before the COVID-19 pandemic started.

Since going off to college, I have spent every summer at home to spend time with my family and to help save money to pay for college. While at home, I spend a lot of time reading and catching up on all my favorite shows. I also enjoy camping with my family, spending time with my brother and sisters, and meeting up with friends from high school. I also spend a fair amount of time at baseball diamonds watching my little sisters play softball. This summer, I’m looking forward to interning at The Star News and spending more time with my family before I move to Emerson’s Los Angeles campus for my last semester of college.

As someone who spent all my life in the Medford Area, I really didn’t appreciate the charm of the small town until I left it. While I enjoy living in a large city and plan to spend the majority of my life in one, the small town community does have its perks. The friendly atmosphere in a small town makes it a nice place to live.

Something that I have learned is that there’s a story everywhere you look. Thanks to the encouragement of a close friend, I started writing for my college’s studentrun newspaper where I have had the opportunity to talk to so many alumni and other students who are doing cool things. Meeting all types of people and seeing the endless amount of possibilities in the world has been very beneficial to me as a writer. I’m hoping that my time here at The Star News will show me more types of experiences and deepen my connection with the Medford area before I enter the vast and competitive world outside of Wisconsin.