55.0°,
Mostly Cloudy A big thank you and goodbye
Two years can seem like a short amount of time. In the grand scheme of things, maybe it is. But so much can happen in that time, and for these past couple years, I’ve reported on that “so much” in Oceanside, Island Park and Rockville Centre. I’m writing now because after two years, I am moving on from my position as your local reporter to pursue the next chapter of my career as digital editor at the Long Island Press.
My first assignment here was a vigil at the Oceanside Veterans Triangle to honor the 11 lives lost at the Tree of Life Congregation in Pittsburgh, where on Oct. 27, 2018, a man walked into the synagogue and opened fire. This rising anti-Semitism and violence reverberated from Pittsburgh and shook the community of Oceanside, but that night, more than 400 residents stood strong together to denounce it.
I admit, before this, I had never been to Oceanside. I had been to Island Park to eat at Pancho’s and to Rockville Centre for an event at Kasey’s, but I really did not know the towns well. I grew up and live about 20 minutes east in Seaford. Now, as my mom pointed out after a recent shopping trip in Oceanside, I know how to get around the area just as well as my hometown.
In two years, I’ve reported on the highest of highs and lowest of lows in these communities. And they have really been through a lot — from tragic deaths of those who were too young to a pandemic that changed absolutely everything.
I spoke with advocates in Rockville Centre, who work hard to raise awareness for mental health and substance abuse problems in the community and find solutions. I spoke with concerned parents in Oceanside, who this summer just hoped they would make the right decision between remote and in-person learning for their children.
I spoke with countless business owners, like ones in Island Park, who wondered if their store or restaurant would even be around another month in this pandemic. I listened, and I tried to bring their stories to light in my writing.
I also spoke to incoming entrepreneurs, residents creating and accomplishing wonderful things, teens graduating high school and community leaders helping others in times of need. I hope my articles helped to amplify their voices.
Thank you to all my sources in these three towns for trusting me to tell your stories, for letting me pick your brains. All in all, I just feel humbled to have played a role in keeping residents informed while everyone tries to live their lives among everything that’s happened — good and bad. I hope that my work helped readers to feel a little more connected to their towns.
I also feel grateful that I had the opportunity to deliver local journalism early in my career. Its lessons will live with me for years to come. From that first evening in Oceanside, to covering happier events like Rockville Centre’s food truck nights and annual tree lightings, to visiting the Island Park Public Library recently as its staff prepared for patrons to return, and “so much” more, I learned what makes a community whole and how to write about it with fairness and compassion.
Thank you to all my editors and colleagues who helped along the way. I’ll miss the Herald, and as for Oceanside, Island Park, and Rockville Centre, though I won’t be around as much, I know I’ll be returning to support your charming businesses for years to come.
