by Rachel Everett-Fry, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Though I have only been writing for you a short while, it is with a tear in my eye that I tell you this will be the last time you see my name in the byline, for a while at least.

I have been offered a spot at the University of Cambridge to pursue a PhD in Anthropology. I have received funding from the Commonwealth Cambridge Trust and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada to boot.

I realize that I am incredibly lucky, and that this is an opportunity many would jump at. But believe me when I say, I agonized over this decision. I very nearly decided not to go. And now it breaks my heart to write this from an ocean away. I love North Grenville, and writing for the Times has been a great honour.

The North Grenville Times, as an independent local newspaper, has given me countless opportunities to get involved in our community, develop relationships in order to accurately give voice to the people whose stories I tell, and the platform from which to speak my conscience when necessary. I want to thank you for your role in making this experience at once humbling and empowering.

This paper is a jewel, for our community and for journalism, and I hope that you all continue to support it. Papers like this one provide a space for community-led conversations that are politically and socially necessary for North Grenville as we continue to grow. Independent papers also have a key function in keeping businesses, governments, organizations, and individuals accountable for their public claims.

I hope to use my time at Cambridge to gather life experience and skills that I can put to use in serving our community upon my return. It is my intention that this will, at least in part, involve a return to the North Grenville Times. In the meantime, please take care of one another and the beautiful place we call home.

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