For Hayley Day, the Journal’s newest reporter, a love of writing came early.

“Writing has always been my strongest passion,” said Day. “I love journalism, as well as creative writing. In my dreams, I sound like Kurt Vonnegut.”

Day grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, where “soda” is called “pop” and baseball is a religion. She graduated from Miami University of Ohio and double-majored in journalism and women’s studies. She also earned a certificate in web and graphic design from the University of Cincinnati.

After graduation, she worked at a few nonprofits and freelanced for Cincinnati publications, like The Cincinnati Enquirer and CityBeat, as well as national publications, like Women’s Media Center. Her favorite topics to write on include music and food.

“When you write about something creative, your storytelling can be more creative,” said Day.

One day, she threw a dart at a map and it landed on The Journal of the San Juan Islands (conveniently after she was offered a reporting position there). So, she packed her rain boots and notepad, and made the two-thousand-mile trek to Washington — where she had never visited, but had seen the pilot to “Twin Peaks” once.

“Landing a job on a beautiful island off the coast of Washington is like a dream come true. Everyone I met has been so friendly and welcoming,” said Day. “Plus, thanks to the election results, I couldn’t have picked a better time to live near Canada.”

If you have any news tips or story ideas, you can contact Day by calling 378-5696 or by email at hday@sanjuanjournal.com.