[ FROM THE EDITOR ]

Looking at resumes is somewhat of a guilty pleasure. You learn a lot about people from where they have started and how they moved around their career to bring them to where they are now – it’s a condensed version of an autobiography.

As a young intern, my editor gave me the best gift on my last day. He opened up a folder to more than a 100 resumes and set it on my desk. “Here is your competition,” he said. “Take a look.”

That folder was like opening a secret passage into what I needed to do to up my career game. In the stack, there were some that were stiff competition and some that needed more edits.

As I glanced over the resumes and profiles of the new class of 40 under 40, we have the right to pin these 40 as stiff competition. (See Page 19 for the full story.)

Some of the names might sound familiar as I like to think of the selected 40 as ambassadors for Shreveport.

Jennifer Adams was one of the first people in the nonprofit sector to welcome me when I worked for the Girl Scouts. She always has a bright smile on her face and a cheery disposition.

Within the first couple of months, I got to spend time with Jessica Lowe Hall of the United Way of Northwest Louisiana. Her calm demeanor and friendly attitude was a big help in my early months as editor.

These days, the TOOMASOOBA characters are pasted around the city. Jeremy Johnson is one of the 40 that is making a name for his art outside of his job at Centenary College.

I met Chauncy and his wife, Kirstie Horton at one of the 40 under 40 photo shoots. Chauncy and his wife are still in the newly-wed stage after being married for two years. It was sweet to see Kirstie look at her husband with so much pride. She is hoping to take the reigns from her husband in 2014 as a nominee.

Lydia Earhart

Editor The Forum and CityLife

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