Ruby Annas
When I was a child, I was always asking questions. I asked so many questions that my dad, like many parents, would get tired of it.
Now, as an adult, I am a journalist – and my curiosity and drive for answers has not faltered.
I am Ruby Annas, the newest staff writer at The Graham Star. I am from Granite Falls, a small town in the Piedmont. I currently live in Cullowhee, where I went to Western Carolina University and obtained a bachelor’s degree in communications, with a concentration in journalism and a minor in creative writing.
Growing up, I always loved reading, writing and English – which was my favorite subject in school. As a kid, I would take a book with me everywhere I went and read to whoever could hear, including my dog’s puppies.
I knew I wanted writing and English to be a part of my future career, but I was not sure what. It was not until high school I realized what I wanted to be when I grew up.
I went to Caldwell Early College High school and in my junior year my class had to volunteer somewhere in the community. We could choose from a list of options, but I was not interested in any of the options presented because I wanted something that related to English or writing.
I looked up some options and chose the Lenoir News Topic. I did not know anything about journalism, but I decided to try it anyway.
Every Friday for four weeks, I helped around the office and I learned more about the daily life of a journalist. I learned that a journalist’s job is non-stop and is not a sit-down office job. I enjoyed seeing the process of listening to someone in the community and then sharing that information with the entire community.
On the last day of my volunteering, reporter Kara Fohner wanted me to write my own article. Fohner set up an interview with two police officers
at the station about a missing person and I was the one doing the interviewing. I was so nervous, but I followed what Fohner taught me and the interview went well.
I wrote a Facebook post about Cecil Rector Hayes, 81, who drove away in his white truck because he wanted to visit his mother. The problem was that Hayes’ mother had passed and he had Alzheimer’s Disease.
That weekend, I was at the grocery store with my mom, and I saw the Lenoir News topic paper on the rack with a picture of Hayes and my name right under it and the editor’s name who added more to the story.
Hayes was found, but he had drowned and died in the Yadkin River.
I could not believe that a story I wrote ended this way. It taught me that anything can happen when reporting the news.
This was the unexpected twists and turns of a career that I was striving for.
At Western Carolina University, I joined The Western Carolinian as a staff writer in my junior year. This was my first time choosing my own stories, conducting my own interviews and drafting the article from scratch. I enjoyed the fast-paced nature of it and connecting to my campus community.
I became known for a series of stories I wrote on Western Carolina University’s mold issue. I wrote three stories where I did extensive investigations and became engulfed in the topic.
From June-August, I was an intern staff writer at The Sylva Herald. I wrote about various topics, ranging from the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad to a court case.
Now, I am at The Graham Star, and I look forward to getting to know Graham County better and connecting with members of the community.
I am a passionate person who strives for the truth and I will report with the high quality that this community deserves.
Ruby Annas is the new staff writer for The Graham Star. She can be reached by phone, 828-479-3383; and email, news@grahamstar.com.