Welcome Jina to the Anchor

Hi everyone! I want to introduce myself and tell you a little about me. My name is Jina Olson. I will be writing feature stories for the Manly Junction Signal, the Nora Springs/Rockford Register and the Northwood Anchor. Over the past week, I've been enjoying being a part of this wonderful group of people and am excited to begin this new career. I grew up in the country near Glenville, Minn. with my parents, brother and sister. I have lived in the same place my entire life, except when I was attending college in Mankato. I have always loved the quietness and scenery of the country, especially now because it is almost autumn and time for harvest. Growing up, I was active in soccer, dance and band. I played soccer for about 12 years and refereed for eight years. I was six years old when I started dancing. I was in tap and jazz, and sometimes still miss the performances and competitions. I became active in band because my older brother and sister were in it and I always had fun going to their performances and watching the marching band. I followed in my brother’s footsteps and started playing the trumpet when I was in fourth grade. I joined band, and became a member of the jazz bands and marching band in Albert Lea. One of the things I most enjoyed was being active in the Albert Lea High School newspapers, which is what inspired me to begin this job here. I was a staff member for the Sophisticate, the 10th grade newspaper and the AhLaHaSa. I graduated from high school in 2007 at Albert Lea. I went to Minnesota State University, Mankato and obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in English with an emphasis in Technical Writing and a minor in Spanish. I just graduated this July and am happy to finally be a college graduate. In my spare time, I like to read, write, exercise and spend time with my friends and family. I also like to travel and go on road trips to places I've never been to. When I first graduated from college, I was becoming anxious because I couldn't find a job anywhere. It wasn't until about two weeks ago that I saw an ad in the newspaper, and I knew this job would be perfect for me.