Over the past year, I have grown familiar with the side streets and art scenes in Nicholasville. I have learned to navigate the winding road to Wilmore with its small town charm, beautiful scenery and inviting atmosphere. Jessamine County has wrapped around me and created a feeling of home, but it is time for me to leave the warm embrace of my newfound familiars in search of a new adventure.

As many readers know, when I first came to The Jessamine Journal, I was fresh out of college. What some may not know is that I had little to no design experience when it came to putting together a newspaper. Readers have traveled that learning curve with me each week as they picked up a newspaper.

I feel over the past year, thanks to encouragement from readers and advice from mentors, my skills have grown.

From my first Spooky Time on Main to my last Gallery Walk, I have enjoyed the various happenings an ever-growing Nicholasville has to offer. And from my first Highbridge Festival to my last Wilmore City Council meeting, I have admired the quaint beauty and safety among the smiling faces in Wilmore.

I have enjoyed experiencing and covering everything Jessamine County has to offer, and this community has shaped me not only in my career but also as a person. This was my second venture into the field of journalism since college, and I feel the on-the-job training I have received is invaluable.

When I took over as managing editor, I said I wanted to act as a mirror for the community and reflect the traditions, people and places that are unique to Jessamine County.

Through the newspaper and Jessamine Life, I feel like I have done that. I have even gotten to add my own personal touch to Main Street with the banner I painted last month during Paint the Town Banner event. My star-splattered art piece can be found next to CVS.

Since Aug. 1, 2016, I have met some of the nicest and most helpful people, including the local law enforcement who work so hard to make the community safe, the council members who keep it functioning, the business owners who operate in the county and the community members who call it home.

An opportunity has presented itself and I have decided to pursue it.

I am passing the torch of the managing editor position to my very capable co-worker Nick Hon. I would like to thank Nick and Joe Hall for their sense of humor and good spirits that made those long days at the office seem a little less long.

And I would like to thank our former publisher Larry Hensley for taking a chance on me right out of college and believing in me to run a small town weekly newspaper. I would also like to thank our new publisher, Mike Caldwell, for teaching me so much in what little time we worked together.

Thank you to all those in the community who have helped me navigate through meetings and events so I could deliver accurate reports to our readers.

And to the readers, thank you so much for taking the time and having the interest to read the words Nick and I write every week. It is you who helps keep the pages of local newspapers full and turning. Thank you for traveling on this adventure with me and seeing me off on my next one.

Tosha Baker is a Clark County native who worked in Jessamine County for the past year.