Fall Intern Remy Samuels Brings Fresh Perspective To Northern NJ

MILLBURN, NJ — Hello! I’m Remy Samuels, an editorial intern for Patch this fall. As a recent graduate from the University of Pittsburgh, I am excited to launch my career as a journalist by covering local news in northern New Jersey.

Born and raised in Millburn, I always had a passion for writing and storytelling. But it wasn’t until I escaped my Millburn bubble and began writing for my university’s newspaper that I realized I wanted to pursue journalism as a career.

On a whim, I applied to write for The Pitt News at a club fair my first week of college. Before I knew it, I was riding a city bus to the Pittsburgh Zoo to report on my first story. While all my friends were attending a Pitt football game that Saturday, I was interviewing local protestors who were enraged by the death of a baby elephant.

Although this was a small protest, I felt a huge responsibility to retrieve all the facts and produce an accurate story. I quickly discovered that I loved uncovering the truth and nitty-gritty details of a story, no matter what it was about. I continued to write for the news desk for the next two years — covering anything from air pollution in Pittsburgh to a Bernie Sanders rally on campus.

My junior year, I decided to transition to the opinion desk, where I wrote columns on topics that I pitched myself. These longer, more deeply-researched pieces allowed me to stretch a creative muscle and delve more into topics I was interested in writing about. The majority of my columns centered around social justice issues and pop culture trends, such as racial discrimination in the criminal justice system and a lack of diversity represented in television and the media.

Through writing about my local community in Pittsburgh, I came across people from all different walks of life with very diverse backgrounds. This experience widened my perspective on the power of local journalism and how it can serve as a means to share people’s stories that wouldn’t otherwise be told.

Returning to Millburn post-grad, I feel I have a unique perspective on the town, as someone who has seen its evolution over the past 22 years. I am eager to bring this perspective to Patch this fall, as well as tackle important stories throughout Bergen County.

When I’m not writing, I love playing tennis, bike riding and listening to podcasts.

If anyone would like to connect with me, please feel free to email me at remy.samuels@patch.com.