by ANDY LYONS, News Editor

This semester kicks off with me stepping into a pair of very large shoes leftover from my predecessor, Ellen Becker.

I’d like to start off by telling the students and faculty a bit about myself.  This is my fourth year at the University of Central Missouri and my third as a reporter for The Muleskinner.  I came to UCM when I was 24 years old.

As a younger man, I went to a community college in my hometown of Hannibal and decided I was the king of the world and dropped out to work.  Well, after a while at that I realized, Mo. that my “dream” career would continuously evade me until I had a degree and I chose UCM as the place to pursue a journalism degree with a minor in creative writing.

I don’t regret my decisions at this point, as I gained a lot of experience in the real world before coming back to school.  I have always been an avid reader and paid attention to the news, and I am glad I have an opportunity to bring the happenings of UCM to you, the reader.

So, I’ve had the opportunity to live on my own.  In 2007, I moved from Hannibal to Liberty, Mo. where I worked for RadioShack and TruGreen.  If I didn’t have three roommates I would have definitely been homeless.  That, coupled with the passing of my aunt, started a desire to come back to college and pursue a degree.  I have always been a huge fan of fantasy fiction, R.A. Salvatore is my favorite, and have always enjoyed being the storyteller out of my group of friends.

Journalism started out as a means to an end as far as my writing career is concerned.  However, the more I read magazines and newspapers the more I want to write them.  I’m a music junkie so a career at a magazine like Revolver or Rolling Stone is a dream.

The faculty at UCM have instilled a lot of desire in me to become a better writer, and I hope I show how much I’ve learned during my, hopefully, long tenure as the news editor.