If you had told me that when I was in journalism school, I would find myself working for a newspaper in Devils Lake, N.D., I would probably say you’re drunk, crazy, or both. But that’s the funny thing about my life. There are things I never thought I would do that I would wind up doing.
I don’t want to kill the lede as they say in the business. As of May 23, 2025, was my last day working at the Devils Lake Journal. Why am I leaving? In short, I got a great offer for a job opportunity in New York City that I couldn’t turn down. I apologize this letter is going out much later when I am already gone, it’s just the nature of the news business sometimes.
When I moved to Devils Lake in September 2023, I was unsure of what to make of my life. Would the town of 8,000-plus people like me or hate me? Would I survive a North Dakota snowstorm? Would I be able to survive with places only staying open to about 10 p.m.?
I packed everything I could into my Nissan Altima, and after about three days of driving, I wound up here. I won’t lie I was nervous. But I adjusted to the new environment. I got to meet so many great people. Too many people to list here. Great people at LRSC, the high school, the DLJ, the coffee shops, my apartment complex, and so many more.
I can tell you right now I will NOT miss the winters. But that’s probably the only thing I can say I did not like about North Dakota.
What I like about here is that people are “real.” People are hard workers, there’s no tomfoolery, and they are down-to-earth. Too many people in New York City like to put on a facade or a character, and you can never tell if they’re being real or fake. But people in North Dakota and in Devils Lake are not like that.
I’m going to miss the great home-cooked food at Main Street Cafe, the great drinks and supper at the KC Hall, being able to drive only five minutes to most places, the great members of the law enforcement center, my neighbors, my friends, my co-workers, members of the Spirit Lake Tribe, and too much more to list.
I hope I left a good impression of myself and represented the people of Devils Lake as best I could. I know that I made mistakes along the way, but I can only say I did my best to write as many compelling stories and I hope you all got enjoyment and out of them. Please continue supporting the DLJ as much as you can!
While writing this letter, I really mulled over what to say. I’m not really good at goodbyes. Simply because I’m never the type who really says goodbye. There is a misconception that “sayonara” in Japanese means “goodbye.” What it actually is supposed to convey is “goodbye. I won’t be seeing you for a long time.” When people in Japanese say “I will see you again,” they say “jya mata.” I do not leave saying “sayonara,” but say “jya mata” Devils Lake.
Hey, if things don’t work out, maybe you’ll see me sooner rather than later!
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