When I was officially offered a job as reporter for the Federal Way Mirror, I almost screamed in the middle of a Japanese restaurant. I am very thankful for this opportunity to pursue my passion for reporting and get to know the Federal Way community.

I recently graduated from Washington State University (Go Cougs!), and I am excited to be joining the Mirror team as a news reporter.

I grew up in Washington for the most part, spending three years in Germany while my dad was in the Army. I was born in Olympia and spent most of my time reading when my mom wasn’t forcing me to play outside.

I shifted between career dreams a lot in high school, but finally settled on what seemed to be the perfect fit shortly before starting at WSU-Vancouver: a behavioral analyst for the FBI.

After my first year, I realized it was not the right path for me. I moved to WSU’s Pullman campus and switched to English, where my love of books and writing could be put to use.

I didn’t last long there either when I found out I’d rather read other’s stories than write my own. Shortly after this realization I discovered the Murrow College of Communication, and after speaking to an academic advisor, I fell in love. I began studying strategic communication and multimedia journalism, and graduated in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in strategic communication.

My senior year, I worked as a news reporter for the Daily Evergreen, WSU’s student newspaper, and discovered my passion for journalism. I continued pursuing my love of it by working as a freelance writer for the News Tribune after I graduated, and had other customer service jobs in the meantime.

Please feel free to reach out with any questions or story ideas.

Haley Donwerth is a reporter for the Federal Way Mirror. She can be reached at hdonwerth@fedwaymirror.com or 253-336-5352.