AHOSKIE – There’s no better way to learn that the hands-on approach.

That’s the way Meagan Williford of Rich Square will approach her job this summer as she has been hired as a newsroom intern for the Roanoke-Chowan News-Herald and Gates County Index.

Williford will spend her final summer before her senior year at Barton College in Wilson learning the ropes from the editorial staff of both newspapers.

“We are extremely pleased to have Meagan join our award-winning news team over the summer months,” Roanoke-Chowan Publications Publisher Jeff Findley said. “She comes to us very highly recommended from another North Carolina newspaper where she worked earlier.”

Two weeks into her new job and Findley is already impressed with Williford’s work ethic.

“This young lady has a chance to make a name for herself in our line of work if that’s the career path she chooses after college,” Findley said. “It’s our job to help prepare her for that possible career.”

A native of Rich Square, Meagan is the daughter of

Richard and Lisa Williford. Her grandparents are J.G. and Barbara Baker of Roxobel. Meagan has a younger sister Brooks and a younger brother Justin.

Meagan is a rising senior at Barton where she is majoring in English. She has always loved to read and has always hated math.

In her free time, she likes to hang out with her family.

She loves to play Scrabble; her mom and dad taught her to play when she was a little girl.

Meagan is addicted to crossword puzzles; she attempts one every day.

She became interested in journalism when she switched her major from education to English in her sophomore year and her adviser suggested that she join Barton’s student newspaper, The Collegiate.

Meagan was hesitant about joining the publication at first, but she soon found that she thrived on the challenge.

She reported on campus events and enjoyed writing and realized that she loved to edit as well.

Meagan covered all of the stories about the Student Government Association (SGA) at Barton this past year.

She attended all of the SGA meetings and wrote about the events SGA was involved in.

Since this was the first time that SGA had a budget, it was the focus of much campus news.

This past school year she was the managing editor of The Collegiate. She will be the editor in chief of the newspaper during the 2007-08 academic year.

Williford is no stranger to newspaper work, having interned at the Kenly News last semester.

Meagan wants to go to graduate school and receive her master’s degree after earning her bachelor’s degree from Barton.

She is strongly considering attending N.C. State University’s graduate program.

Her career plans include living on the Outer Banks and her dream is to write children’s books and own a bookstore with her sister.