I am looking forward to working as a reporter in the San Juan Islands.

While I was originally born in Youngstown, Ohio – and my family resides there now – I have lived all over the country in places like Fayetteville, N.C., Oxford, Miss., St. Louis, Mo., Leadville, Colo., Athens, Ohio and Atchison, Kan. I’m used to living in cities, communities and demographics of all shapes and sizes. Being new in town is nothing new to me, and is actually a situation I’m quite comfortable with.

I learned to follow the news at a young age as a result of moving often. It was a lonely life as a kid, and following the news allowed me to stay engaged and relate to people when I was the new face around. I decided to to study journalism after finishing one year at St. Louis Community College.

I transferred to Ohio University, and once I enrolled, I heard of the John R. Wilhelm Foreign Correspondence Scholarship, which is given by the journalism school at Ohio University every year to graduating seniors to cover all expenses for a three-month internship overseas. I made that my goal the day I enrolled. Last year I realized that goal and spent three months in Jakarta, Indonesia at the Jakarta Post. After my internship I moved to the Northwest to enjoy the fresh air and start searching for work.

Unbiased has often been the word used to describe a virtuous reporter. However, I feel fair is a better word. Our biases allow us to be rooted into our community and the truth. The words of those looking to manipulate, lie or deceive the public should not carry the same weight on a newspaper page as the words of honest thoughtful people. My goal here at the Journal is to be an honest, well, rounded, professional reporter with the goal of helping to build the community honestly and thoughtfully.

To contact Jimmy, email jroller@sanjuanjournal.com.