Sentinel Welcomes Hazen To Its Staff

     Hello, my name is Rebecca Hazen, and I am the new news editor for the “Dade County Sentinel.”
     Some of you may remember me, I reported in the community late last year and earlier this year. I am glad to be back and get started again.
     I got my start as a journalist over 10 years ago in Pennsylvania. Since then, I have reported in Texas, Tennessee and now Georgia. I have worked in all different aspects of journalism, mostly smaller newsrooms for rural communities – although with one rather big exception. Most recently, I worked for a marketing company in Chattanooga that specialized in health care related journalism.
     My husband, Derek, and I have lived in the Chattanooga area for little over a year. We moved here for him to teach at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he is an instructor in graphic design.
     Previously, we lived in Houston, Texas where I was a reporter and newspaper page designer at the “Houston Chronicle” and Derek was a seldom-seen grad student. I worked there during Hurricane Harvey and, although I no longer like driving in the rain, it showed me how communities can come together and show resiliency in the aftermath of a crisis.
     I consider myself lucky to have been able to have found so many of my passions in my work. Many of my hobbies are similar to what I do on a daily basis for work. I even write in my spare time, keeping a blog on my local adventures for friends and family back home.
     I also enjoy photography and scrapbooking, and I constantly have my nose in a book. I love history, mainly World War II and the Civil War. I have spent the last year visiting all the local Civil War sites, such as Chickamauga Battlefield, the Cravens House up on Lookout Mountain, and Orchard Knob.
     A new hobby of mine is hiking. Derek and I have hiked all over the area in the past few months. We’re slowly building up our comfort and experience. My favorite so far was the Cumberland Trail starting from Signal Point. On the next chilly-but-not-cold day, I plan to go to Cloudland Canyon State Park to hike the waterfalls trail!
     My favorite articles to write are human-interest. That’s stories about people and their personal histories. So, if you know of anyone that should be featured, please let me know by emailing me at rhazen@dadesentinel.com. Likewise, please don’t hesitate to contact me if you know of anything happening that you think should be covered!