Cool companies, up and coming entrepreneurs, and civic leaders making a difference will be honored Thursday, October 11, at the Rising Stars Awards ceremony. Each year, Stay Work Play recognizes and celebrates the wonderful talent in New Hampshire’s young professional community, and highlights initiatives, businesses and programs that help young people thrive in the Granite State. NHPR is a proud partner of Stay Work Play for this annual celebration.
NHPR’s Data & Investigations Reporter Casey McDermott will host this year’s awards ceremony at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester. Casey is a Pennsylvania native who moved to the Granite State after college to work at the Concord Monitor. She gives her thoughts on why she chooses to “Stay, Work and Play” in New Hampshire:
WHY SHE STAYS: Before I accepted a job in New Hampshire, I’d only spent about one day in the state — and most of that was occupied by a job interview. But it didn’t take long for me to fall in love with the state after I accepted that job and moved here in 2014. A big part of what’s kept me around was the realization that I was only a few hours away in any direction from any kind of day trip I could want: a day in the city, a hike in the mountains, a day at the beach or a quiet afternoon in a charming town hidden somewhere in between.
WHERE SHE WORKS: I love working for a news organization where the word “public” is right there in the name — it’s a reminder of who we really work for. And I especially love getting to work in a job that has taken me to corners of the state I might never have explored and introduced me to so many people I otherwise wouldn’t have met.
HOW SHE PLAYS: Cooking is one of my favorite ways to unplug for a few hours at a time, and luckily New Hampshire offers so many great local farmstands and other venues to sample all kinds of local ingredients. I also love spending my weekends exploring new restaurants and breweries — it’s a great way to explore the state, one snack or sip at a time.
