Nose for News by Sarah Stultz

 

I knew we had a catch the moment Albert Lea Tribune Publisher Crystal Miller and I started talking to her during her interview a little over two years ago.

Augustana University graduate Sarah Kocher was a person who was smart, professional and had a passion for solid journalism.

Her passion and desire for quality reporting was contagious, and I knew we had to do whatever we could to have her be a part of our team here at the Tribune.

Lucky for us, Sarah accepted our offer to become a reporter at our newspaper, and we soon found out that her enthusiasm for journalism was only the start to her admirable qualities. For me and many others, her enthusiasm and positive attitude for life were equally as noteworthy and contagious. She has a natural talent to connect with people and the skill to make any subject interesting. Her co-workers admired her so much that last January she earned the Tribbie of the Year recognition at our annual work holiday party.

In January, Sarah was also awarded the Dave Pyle New Journalist of the Year award during the Minnesota Newspaper Association’s annual Better Newspaper Contest, competing against journalists at all other daily newspapers in the state. This is a feat we were especially proud of, as the winner was selected by our peers from another state in the newspaper industry.

It was only confirmation of what we had already been blessed to know in Albert Lea. I knew that with her wonderful people skills, her intellect and her talent and passion for journalism, it was only a matter of time until a larger paper would snatch her up.

Unfortunately that day has come, as Sarah has accepted a position as a reporter with the St. Cloud Times and will have her last day at the Albert Lea Tribune on Friday.

Though we are sad to see her go, we are excited to see her continue to grow and leave her mark on another community and on the world of journalism.

I expect her to continue to achieve great things, and I have no doubt she will have a successful career in the newspaper industry.

If you see this woman out and about the rest of this week, please tell her thank you for her dedication to quality journalism.

The Albert Lea Tribune and the community of Albert Lea have been a better place because of her time here.

Sarah Stultz is the managing editor of the Albert Lea Tribune.