Kristen Letsinger spends her days telling stories.
And no, she's not a first-grade teacher or a mom of toddlers.
Letsinger, originally from Franklin, Tenn., works for the Opelika-Auburn News as the education reporter, covering grades K-12 and Auburn University.
Her favorite stories to tell revolve around ordinary people, she said.
"People are so interesting," she said. "I believe there is no boring person out there."
Letsinger remembers writing a profile story about a local World War II veteran who was being honored in Washington, D.C.
He later called and thanked her for writing the article because no one had told his story before, she said.
"To tell people's stories that deserve to be told and then to see the look on your face that you've made their day--that's really rewarding," Letsinger said.
Ed Lammon works as the city editor for the OA News. Everything Letsinger writes goes through Lammon, who took the position in October 2010.
"Kristen knows how to tell a story well," he said, attributing this to her engaging leads and conversational tone.
Letsinger said she also enjoys the exhilaration of breaking-news stories.
"Your heart starts beating, and you want to get it up before anyone else," she said.
She said some of the most unusual stories are the ones that just fall into place.
The job keeps her on her toes, but Letsinger said she doesn't mind. She enjoys the challenge of doing something different each day.
Lammon said Letsinger's love for her work is evident in the office.
"She's almost always in high spirits," he said. "This contributes to a fun and lively work environment."
Letsinger started with the OA News in May, less than two weeks after graduating from the University of Tennessee in journalism and electronic media.
"Some days when I'm going on campus to cover a story, I feel like I should be one of the ones hurrying to class, that I should be one of the ones in the library studying," she said. "Well that is a pleasant adjustment--not being in the library studying."
Lammon said her youthful enthusiasm translates into a great attitude while covering stories.
"As an editor, it's nice to see when a reporter is actually excited to get an assignment," he said.
Her schedule requires her to work every Saturday, which she said was difficult at first because she was used to sleeping in Saturday mornings during college.
"It's kind of like the initiation into the field, I guess," she said. "But now I don't mind it at all."
A few similarities between Auburn and Knoxville, Tenn., the home of the Tennessee Volunteers, made the transition easier.
"I love that it's a college town and the tradition of Auburn because I came from a college town, an SEC school," Letsinger said. "I didn't know anybody, but I feel like I've still got the SEC family.
"It's like home."
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