By Josh Burgeron
The Selma Times-Journal

What do you want to do with your life?

It’s a question I’ve been asked many times.

My answer recently places my career heading on the path of an accomplished journalist.

Journalism is something I love.

It’s fun to ask public officials tough questions. It’s fun to write stories about average citizens doing extraordinary things. It’s not so fun to sit through 4-hour public meetings, but I enjoy what I do nonetheless.

More so than being a journalist, I’m interested in exploring the world.

I’ve been able to do some of that as an army brat.

I’ve traveled to Paris, Rome, London and other countries in western Europe, but there is nothing quite like “The South.”

After living overseas for three years, my family moved to north Alabama, where I graduated from high school.

I considered attending the University of Alabama and Auburn University briefly, but decided to attend a school far away from home and out of my comfort zone — the one, the only Louisiana State University.

While at LSU, I explored the beaches, bayous and marshlands. Louisiana is a sportsman’s paradise and the home of the best college football team in the nation.

After graduating in three years, I once again decided to move to another place far away from home — Natchez, Miss.

Natchez is known for its beautiful antebellum homes and views of the Mississippi River. I was only able to scratch the surface of the city’s history, before deciding to move to another foreign place — Selma.

Selma is undoubtedly an interesting place, but not just for its civil rights history. I think there are fascinating things going on that even life-long Selma residents are unaware of. My ultimate goal is to learn one anecdote about every corner of Selma and Dallas County. If it’s important to even one resident, it’s important to me.

I’m excited to tell the stories of Selma and Dallas County residents.

If you see me shopping for groceries, stop and introduce yourself. If I am running downtown, I’ll be winded, but I still want to hear your story.

I firmly believe one of the most important aspects of journalism is immersing yourself in the community and I am excited to do that in Selma.