When I was in high school, I often told people I wanted to either move to Nashville to pursue music or become a journalist. I guess I was onto something there.
While music is still one of my passions, journalism has taken center stage for me over the last several years. Fresh out of grad school and back-to-back internships in Washington, I moved to Nashville in 2018 to join the digital team at The Tennessean. I worked my way over to the “other” side of the room where the reporters sat in 2020, taking on a role covering trending and breaking news in the throes of the pandemic. In 2023, I took on the children’s issues beat — a new spin on the longstanding education beat at The Tennessean that includes children’s education, health and welfare.
All three of those came into sharp focus the week I started my new beat. The day I fully transitioned into the role is one seared into the memories of the Nashville community as a whole: March 27, 2023.
I was driving across town to pick up a set of public records to hand off to my old teammates when I got a flurry of texts and phone calls with words nobody wants to hear: school shooting. I was near the Green Hills neighborhood and immediately knew where I needed to be. I set my course for the Covenant School, parked as close as I could and started the long walk up the hill, meeting a few worried parents and bystanders along the way.
Covering the unspeakable tragedy of the school shooting and its fallout is the one of the hardest things I’ve done in my life. But it also reinforced the reason I do this job: to serve my community, makes their voices heard and tell their stories the best I know how.
Every day looks a little different on my beat. Sometimes I’m hanging out at schools and hearing kids tell me their stories. Other days I’m posted up at the Tennessee Capitol tracking legislation that affects schools, children and families. Some days I find myself out on a boat or knee deep in a wave pool or climbing up a 52-foot slide while I explore the spaces that empower and bring joy to Nashville kids.
Want to keep up with it all? Subscribe to my weekly School Zone newsletter for the latest news on kids, education and more at profile.tennessean.com/newsletters/school-zone.
Reach Rachel Wegner at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @RachelAnnWegner.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Meet Tennessee education reporter Rachel Wegner
Amanda Smith is a dedicated U.S. correspondent with a passion for uncovering the stories that shape the nation. With a background in political science, she provides in-depth analysis and insightful commentary on domestic affairs, ensuring readers are well-informed about the latest developments across the United States.
