Hello, Pine Knot News readers. My name is Lydia Stone, and I'll be a senior in the fall, part of Cloquet's class of 2022. This summer, I'll be working as an intern, writing stories and columns, conducting interviews, taking photos, and getting to know the history and current events surrounding the Cloquet community.

My childhood was full of books, fairy tales, and reading with my siblings and parents before bed. I've always been a passionate reader, and my love of literature has grown stronger through the years. As I read the Pine Knot internship flyer, I was intrigued by the thought of expanding my knowledge of literature to newspapers and current events. I am excited to grow through journalistic experiences and relationships, and cultivate skills such as time management, social interactions, writing, and photography. Working on a time crunch, further developing my initiative, and exploring new ideas, people, and places will assist me in the future.

Outside of this internship, I enjoy spending time with my family. As a middle child of five, I'm constantly surrounded by sporting events, life updates, messy rooms, and loud laughter. My older siblings, Jessica and Isaac, both graduated from CHS and have since moved on to college and careers. My younger siblings, Edward and Abigail, are also involved in the community, and keep me busy with their nagging me to drive them to see their friends.

Both of my parents, Molly and Bill Stone, work in the aerospace industry: my mom works as an engineer contractor for multiple aerospace companies through her business, MTech Engineering Services, and my dad owns and operates a flight school, Venture North Aviation, at the Cloquet Airport. My border collie, Nana, also keeps me busy with her neverending amount of energy and infinite need to be cuddled.

Additionally, I spend a lot of time with music, whether that is singing, playing piano or guitar, listening to my siblings pound away at their lesson songs, or enjoying my own playlists. I have been taking piano lessons for 10 years, and have been involved with choir since seventh grade. I have also recently picked up sewing. I'm not very good, and all I've successfully made is a tote bag. But, hopefully I'll be better at the end of the summer.

In the fall, you will see me playing tennis and performing in the fall musical. In the winter, I spend my time on the CHS Ripsaw Robotics logistics team, and in the spring, I run track and will attempt to finish up school in one piece. Year-round, I participate in Knowledge Bowl, student council, Junior Exec, National Honor Society and Madrigals. All of my activities bring with them a family and mentors I can learn and grow from.

I enjoy everything I'm a part of and highly recommend all of these activities.

I am extremely thankful for this opportunity to work for the Pine Knot this summer, and am excited to spend time reporting on what happens in my hometown. Delving into the world of newspapers will grant me experiences I'm not able to find elsewhere, and lifelong memories.

Feel free to contact our Pine Knot News interns at [email protected] or call the office at 218-878-9332.