Ridgefield is a journalist incubator

A few months ago we announced that we’d added a lil’ local talent out of Ridgefield, Mary Broten. This proved to be a great choice. Mary, our photographer, works extremely hard and is responsible for our paper looking pretty. For a great example of her work, grab a copy of our 2019 Readers’ Choice when it drops on June 12. She wrote and took all the photos for the entire thing! 

Anyways, enough plugs for our paper. 

Actually, no, I’ve got more. 

It seems we weren’t done pulling from Ridgefield’s talent pool. 

A few weeks ago we added to our news staff Cameron Kast, a young whippersnapper who had barely crossed the Washington State University Vancouver graduation stage before we were sending him out to soccer games and hunting for ghosts.

Cameron, who wrote for WSUV’s student newspaper and hosted a couple of campus radio shows, had contacted us a few times about a reporter job throughout his last year of school, but we weren’t looking for another writer at the time and quickly forgot about him. 

But listen up, anyone entering any workforce soon. 

Cameron kept his name in the conversation. He’d send an occasional email checking in, like our stuff on social media, etc. 

But when it was time to hire a new reporter, it was the opinion of some people I trusted that landed Cameron the gig, even up against some talented journalists with more experience. 

First, Lori Lindberg from Rocksolid Teen Center emailed me last summer recommending him for an internship. Landing a recommendation from Lori, who is one of the most respected community leaders in Battle Ground, was a big win. 

Cameron played that smart. Understanding that we serve a niche market, he found a significant player in that niche to stump for him. 

One of his former professors, Elizabeth Candello at WSU Vancouver also sang his praises. I had Elizabeth as one of my instructors during my time at WSU Vancouver as well. Although I only took one class with her, she left a lasting impact as, well, superhuman. She managed to do in a day what most people hope to do in a week, but still took time to help students toward their career goals. If you get a reference from Superwoman, you must be doing something right. 

And lastly, our new photographer Mary kept annoying me about him. Apparently, they went to middle school together and she thought he’d be a good addition. She even told him to email me and drop her name, which he did. 

I took the time to say all this because experiencing it first-hand really opened my eyes to what a difference it makes to, for lack of a better word, keep poking someone when you’re looking to break into a career.  

Cameron is covering sports and lifestyle for us, along with some social media stuff and will play a key role in helping us launch podcasts in the near future. Although he was born and raised in Ridgefield, he recently moved to Battle Ground. 

And, fortunately, I can attest after only a few works that he’s carrying his water. He joined the ship right when spring sports were hitting playoffs, which means some long weekends of lukewarm coffee and screen-light stained eyes. He took the blows in stride though, and even found it in his heart to supply the office with jellybeans. 

Here’s a quick Q&A to get to know our newest staff member better: 

What’s your favorite quote?

“The best way to know if you can trust somebody is to trust them” ~ Ernest Hemingway

Where’s an interesting place you traveled recently?

I recently traveled to Victoria, Canada. It was my first time in Canada!

What’s your family’s history in Clark County?

I was born in Salt Lake City but my family moved here when I was 15 months old. We’ve been here ever since.

What hobbies do you have?

My hobbies include reading, collecting vinyl records and computer games. My favorite music is ‘70s music and my favorite band is Pink Floyd. My favorite book is Catch-22. 

Where’d you graduate high school? 

I graduated from Ridgefield High School 

Favorite North County restaurant?

Probably Don & Jo’s

Jonathan Haukaas is editor in chief of The Reflector. He can be reached at 360-723-5704 or jonathan@thereflector.com.