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Rising Stars Awards - 10 Years' Strong

Samantha Searles

Annie Ropeik to Host October Event  

This October, NHPR and its partner Stay Work Play celebrate ten years of the Rising Stars Awards. Each year, the much-anticipated awards ceremony recognizes talented young people from throughout New Hampshire who are making a difference by choosing to stay, work and play in the Granite State. In addition, companies and programs that create impact through recruiting and retaining young people are also honored.

NHPR is proud to be a partner of Stay Work Play on this initiative – a successful collaboration that now spans seven consecutive years of the decade-long course of this event.  This year’s Rising Stars Awards ceremony will be held Thursday, October 17, at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester. Annie Ropeik – NHPR’s Seacoast, environment and energy reporter – will step behind the lectern to serve as the evening’s host.

Annie came to NHPR in 2017, after stints reporting at public media stations in Indiana and Alaska. A native of Maryland, Annie vacationed in Maine, Vermont and sometimes Portsmouth during family vacations as she was growing up. As an undergraduate at Boston University, she also took road trips north of the border to New Hampshire.

Here, Annie shares her thoughts on why she chooses to “Stay, Work and Play” in New Hampshire:

WHY SHE STAYS:

I always loved visiting Northern New England – from its coasts to its lakes and mountains – so I was thrilled to get to put down roots in New Hampshire with a job at NHPR. It’s been a joy to get to know this state and my neighbors as both a journalist and a local. I’ve lived in three different towns since moving here – Concord, Somersworth, and now Newmarket – and each is full of its own hidden gems, from coffee shops to nature trails to historical connections. I love being an hour from any kind of recreation, city or landscape I could want, and I love experiencing New Hampshire’s distinct seasons and traditions as a resident and not just a visitor.

WHERE SHE WORKS: Even through my years working at other public radio stations across the country, I always knew NHPR was one of the best public media stations in the business. It’s a complete honor to be a part of this amazing newsroom, working alongside so many talented peers who also choose to make their homes here. As NHPR’s energy, environment and Seacoast reporter, I’ve been able to get an in-depth look at this state’s many natural wonders and the people that use them every day – whether it’s for business or recreation. And on the Seacoast, I’ve found a fascinating place from which to cover climate change, the energy transformation and other huge issues that matter here, but also have ramifications beyond our state borders

HOW SHE PLAYS: Every weekend in New Hampshire feels like an opportunity to get outside and experience something new. I know I’ll never exhaust all the natural beauty and prospects for exploration that this state has to offer, but I remain determined to try! I love to watch the seasons change from Routes 1A and 302 and 4, to find new trails to hike and marshes to kayak. And there’s such a good food scene to top it off – keeping my kitchen full of local produce, giving me a steady supply of new restaurants to try, and plying me with shellfish fresh from Great Bay.

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