This week is my last one with WNIJ. As I get ready to start a new chapter in my life in North Carolina, I think back to my nearly-two years here and how much has changed in my life.
I started as a first-gen graduate who was just looking for an opportunity in media and I found that in WNIJ Hola.
What I learned very quickly about this place is the people who work here constantly think about you, the listeners who call northern Illinois home.
They’re some of the most passionate, hardworking, and kind people I’ve met in my life.
They really care about providing honest, truthful, award-winning work for you.
Since joining WNIJ, I have interned for NPR, I’ve worked a lot of different side jobs to make ends meet, I’ve gone through the unexpected loss of my dog, and most recently, experienced my first heartbreak.
And as I get ready to step into a new chapter in my life as a reporter at Blue Ridge Public Radio, I remind myself that life is much like a roller coaster.
There’s going to be a lot of twists, turns, and downs. But no matter how turbulent the ride, we have to remember that we’re always gonna come back up.
Working here was one of the best times of my life. And it was an honor to call this place home.
I’m Jose Sandoval and that’s my perspective.
