By Rachel Stanley

After a recommendation from a friend who has a home in Rappahannock County, I applied to Foothills Forum for a three-week internship for my senior capstone.

Living in Fairfax, attending an Arlington high school, city lights and rush-hour traffic is all I know. Though the D.C. area is filled with beautiful history and immense opportunity, ditching the constant noise and fast-paced environment was a recess I was ready to take. As countless streetlights turned into an occasional stop sign, and I-66 overheads faded into signs for Route 211, excitement for this new adventure burgeoned.

The charm of Rappahannock County extended to the workplace of Rappahannock News and Foothills Forum. Every team member I was lucky enough to shadow mixed expertise and intelligence with adaptability and kindness. Though I was constantly in different places such as the office, court and community events, the common denominator was that I never felt nervous to ask a question, or intimidated by the staff’s impressive knowledge.

It wasn’t easy to adapt to the small-town feel of rural Virginia where everyone knows everyone. When shadowing Foothills’ reporter Ireland Hayes, someone came up to her saying he recognized her from the paper. This interaction would rarely happen where I’m from, but it was super heartwarming to see.

I had the most fun shadowing Ireland and Rappahannock News’ editor Julia Shanahan at the local court. I sat in on cases and watched how local justice operates. I also saw county participation in local politics, which is rare in the D.C. area.

Everyone involved in the newspaper works together, like a puzzle, to produce the weekly publications. Every member plays a different role for maximum team cooperation. This leads to new ideas and keeping readers engaged in local news!

Rachel Stanley completed an internship with Foothills Forum, a nonprofit organization that supports local news in Rappahannock County. She will be attending Louisiana State University this fall.