McRae named associate editor

                             Ariel McRae

When Ariel McRae accepted her new job as news clerk for the Humboldt Chronicle, she had high hopes of working her way up the ladder. In 90 short days, she has done just that.

Chronicle Editor Danny Wade and General Manager Lee Ann Butler proudly announce McRae has been promoted to associate editor.

“When Ariel interviewed for the job, she said she was a quick learner,” Wade said of McRae. “She wasn’t joking. She picked things up on a daily basis. And the best part is, when you show her something, she soaks it up like a sponge.”

“Working at the Humboldt Chronicle has been such a joy,” McRae said with a smile on her face. “I’ve never worked somewhere the staff has fit together as seamlessly as we do here. Being treated like you are more than capable to do your job without someone hovering over your shoulder ensuring that your work is done has been such a new experience. They believe in me and my abilities and that means everything.”

“Not only has Ariel become an asset for the newspaper, she has become part of our team, our work family,” Wade continued. “She fit right in—like a glove.”

McRae’s tasks have increased regularly during her first three months from covering news stories, writing and photography, graphic design, posting on social media, building web pages and more. She even pens her own editorial column, “Ariel’s Airings” where she gets to express her opinions on an array of topics. McRae hopes to get public response from her column, pro or con, in the form of letters to the editor to be printed in the newspaper.

“I’m still working on learning how to accept compliments and praise where it is due,” McRae acknowledged. “It doesn’t come natural to me, but when people, like Mike Barker or Barbara Cleek stop me around town to specifically tell me they read everything I write and how much they love it, believing the compliments starts to get a little easier.”

“Ariel has a way with words—it’s a gift,” Wade exclaimed of her creativeness. “I want to employ her gift to bring in new readers, a new audience, so to speak, capture them with her brilliant journalistic creativity. Her youthfulness brings a new spin for our readers to experience each week.”

“When asked to introduce myself, I always tell people I am a reader, writer and mother,” McRae affirmed. “Now, I can add “editor” to that list. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to come to work every day, eager and in love with what I do. Isn’t one of the main goals in life figuring out how to be paid for your passions? I am very lucky to be fulfilling a dream.”