By Jarred Moore
South Grand Prairie High
Making a difference and speaking for unheard voices is something Courier-
Journal reporter Sheryl Edelen, once employed at Kinko's, takes seriously.
Edelen, who attended college at Eastern Kentucky University
in Richmond, initially majored in special education. Edelen soon realized that it
was not for her and quickly changed her major to journalism.
While attending EKU, Edelen joined her local college paper and thus began
her passion for writing. After graduating, Edelen worked for Kinko's, a copy service for
two and a half years and wrote freelance.
"Doing the right thing all the time because it is the right thing," Edelen is also a
straight forward person who gets the facts when it comes to her current job working for
The Courier-Journal, Edelen said,
"Always identify yourself as a member of the press," she said. Also in he spare
time, she said she enjoys giving speeches to other minority students. She cited the
minority journalism workshop as an example.
Two stories, which has really influenced Edelen in her writing, was a kid who had
a brain disease. The boy constantly had seizures and could hardly function. The boy had
to have surgury in order to save his life so he had half of his brain cut of. Today the boy
is parlayed on one side of his body.
Another story that influenced Edelen was a girl named Ann Hathoway who was
kidnapped and murdered. The killer was never arrested, but a story she published in The
Courier-Journal resulted in the passage of new state laws protecting children.
Edelen also said when you are a journalist you always use your own
ethics, read the newspaper every day and just enjoy what you do.