Lauren Dean is our new West Virginia bureau chief. She takes over the assignment from Davina van Buren, who during her tenure as Mountain State correspondent shared tales of pastry hot dogs and critter dinners. While we’ll miss Davina’s enthusiasm for her adopted home, we’re terrifically excited for regular columns from Lauren, a poet based in Morgantown.
Trying something new can be terrifying. It means putting yourself out there, vulnerable to judgment, uncertainty, rejection, and, worst of all, failure. That feels all too familiar as I step into my new role as West Virginia bureau chief. It’s easy to let doubts creep in, for no amount of confidence can truly defeat the deep-rooted human desire to be accepted, to be liked, to belong.
