The Hermiston Herald has a new face in its newsroom.

Jessica Pollard started Monday as the paper’s newest reporter. She will cover education and public safety on the west side of Umatilla County for both the Hermiston Herald and East Oregonian.

Pollard recently finished up a bachelor’s degree in geography from Portland State University and said she is looking forward to getting to know the rest of Oregon and experiencing life in a more rural area.

“I’m really excited for the change of pace,” she said.

She said she already appreciates the difference between Hermiston traffic and Portland traffic.

While at PSU Pollard wrote for several school publications, including acting as managing editor of the Pacific Sentinel, and completed an internship for the Willamette Week. She said she has wanted to be a reporter since the fifth grade, based on her love of talking to people and writing.

“Now it’s much more about getting information to people so they can make good decisions,” she said.

In her spare time she enjoys writing poetry, hiking and biking. She hopes to learn to play the guitar this year, and said she is looking forward to exploring the Blue Mountains and high desert scenery.

At the Herald, she looks forward to getting to know the school system and the area’s law enforcement and fire districts.

“I’m really excited to highlight the voices of students and teachers, and do some broader stories,” she said.

Hermiston Herald editor Jade McDowell was pleased to see Pollard jump right into the deep end on her first day and start setting up interviews for stories.

“Jessica is very motivated and enthusiastic, and I’m looking forward to the fresh energy she will bring to our newsroom,” she said.

Pollard can be reached at jpollard@eastoregonian.com or 541-564-4534.