Hello!

My name is Madeline Combs and I love to write. But that much you probably figured out already.

Born and raised in Minnesota I spent much of my time exploring the greater Twin Cities area along with the rest of the state. My Midwest roots go deep.

I graduated from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul in May of 2024 with a bachelor's in journalism and Spanish linguistics.

I have been learning Spanish since I was around 10 years old when my parents enrolled me in a before-school immersion program. Their hope was that I would stick with the language and become nearly fluent. Looks like they got their wish.

My background in journalism goes back to high school when I began writing for the school newspaper after my ninth grade English teacher read some of my in-class writing and suggested I try out for the paper. As painfully shy as I was, I gave it a shot.

At that point in time, I had my sights set on studying science after high school. Maybe go to medical school, maybe become a doctor. I wanted to help people.

But journalism soon proved to be my real passion.

Throughout the rest of high school and into college I found it to be a deeply fulfilling discipline that still allowed me to help people, but in a different way.

Shortly after graduating from St. Thomas, I began working as a general assignment reporter for the Storm Lake Times Pilot in Storm Lake, Iowa - the Pulitzer Prize winning paper whose editor, Art Cullen, is a fellow St. Thomas alum.

Beginning my professional journalism career in northwest Iowa wasn't exactly what I had envisioned. But I have gained countless bits of knowledge, had invaluable experiences and grown as both a journalist and a person.

My reporting with the Times Pilot has allowed me to write about a variety of topics and find my personal niches that I may not have found elsewhere. I have covered the process of a small community library fighting to stay alive, the growing presence of renewable energy in rural America, education in rural America, avian influenza and the effects of the latest presidential administration in a largely conservative town with a prevalent immigrant population.

I hope to continue growing and challenging both myself and my assumptions. I strive to help people understand complex issues that may affect them as well as the decisions made by people in power and what they mean for all members of the community.

When not on assignment, I can be found writing creatively, reading, listening to music, crafting, baking, traveling, exploring new coffee shops, going to concerts and spending time with family and friends.

Below are some of my favorite photos:

Me and my family in Colorado, Sept. 2023

During my semester abroad to Italy in the fall of 2021, I was interviewed by a local TV station in a remote part of the country where my cohort and I were the first group of American students to visit.

My love for journalism goes back to my high school years. One of my senior photos features me holding an issue of the school newspaper, Aug. 2019

Madeline Combs

Grading of F Avenue makes steady progress