ACRES welcomes new communications manager

ACRES recently welcomed Bridgett Hernandez to our team as communications manager. In this new role, Bridgett will capture and share ACRES stories online and in the Quarterly.

By Bridgett Hernandez

As someone who grew up in northeast Indiana, I feel incredibly fortunate to join the ACRES team and play a role in protecting land in my new role as Communications Manager.

My passion for storytelling revealed itself at an early age. I began my reporting career in high school as a student journalist and went on to graduate from Ball State with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. A deep sense of curiosity attracted me to the profession; it’s given me the opportunity to learn new things, interview interesting people and gain access to areas that are off limits to the general public.

In 2012, this curiosity led me to South Korea, where I lived and worked as an English teacher for more than three years. When I wasn’t in the classroom, I was learning the language, exploring the culture and traveling to the peninsula’s volcanic islands, bamboo forests and mountain-top temples. I documented these experiences on my travel blog and wrote articles for publications, including Stars and Stripes.

I returned to Fort Wayne in 2016 with a renewed appreciation for the region’s natural spaces. As a journalist covering northeast Indiana, some of my favorite stories have taken me outside from following a first-time hunting class for women to interviewing outdoor enthusiasts about the joys of winter hiking.

I look forward to getting to know the ACRES community and learning your stories. Of course, the land itself has its own stories to share. These natural spaces are so much more than beautiful backdrops: They offer windows into the past and future, sustain plants and animals and play a vital role in the health of our planet.

If you have a story idea, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. I look forward to meeting you!