Who am I? My name is Blake Mosel. I'm a journalism student at UMD and have been attending the school since September of 2011. I've never worked at a news outlet before. My only job experience so far in life has been in grocery stores and restaurants. My hometown of Chisholm, Minnesota is about an hour to the northeast of Duluth and is known mostly for, like most Iron Range towns, its mining community.
What interests me? My favorite stories to write are about people who are passionate about something. Whether it be an actor in a play, the leader of the bicycle club, or the owner of a restaurant, working with people who have a real drive to meet a goal is exciting and leads to great conversation. Stories like this also make the best reads to me. The best thing I've ever read in a newspaper was about a hobbyist safecracker in San Francisco. The article weaved his passion into cracking his first-ever safe with his life story in such a way that its really stuck with me.
Why I chose Duluth? I came to the city of Duluth to go to school. To be honest, I began my journey here resenting the city for not being Minneapolis, where I really wanted to attend but couldn't. Within 10 months of being here, Duluth became my new home. This city has a tendency to latch onto people and not let go, and it didn't take long for me to realize that. A big reason why I love it so much is because Duluth just does its own thing. The weather here is different, the events here are different, and the community here is, as well. While different isn't what everyone is looking for, it's certainly what I was looking for.
Got a story idea? Contact me at mose0178@d.umn.edu.