Admittedly, Mary Hood doesn’t have an Eastern Shore pedigree. In fact, the 22-year-old Georgia native has lived in a number of places, including inland cities in California, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Oklahoma and Texas.

She considers Fairhope home, however. Once her dad, a longtime Kimberly Clark employee, moved the family to this area, Hood quickly grew accustomed to no longer being landlocked.

“I’ve only been here since I was in eighth grade,” said the Auburn University senior. “It’s amazing to me how important the water has become to me in my life. I’ll go away for a semester and I’m always glad when I finally pull into Spanish Fort because I’m home. I like the bay, the river and the Gulf.”

Hood also enjoys writing. That’s why she began a summer internship with the Fairhope Courier on Monday, quickly settling in at the downtown office.

“Ever since I could write, I’ve been keeping a journal,” she said. “I document everything that happens in my life. I’m a storyteller. A friend tells me I take the complicated way out of a situation so I’ll have a story to tell.”

The turning point for Hood was her junior year at Fairhope High School when she attended Kay Brown’s advanced placement English class.

“She had faith in me,” Hood said. “She pushed me to excellence. That’s when I realized I was good at (writing) and decided to go into journalism.”

She began her college career at Samford University in Birmingham, but was soon drawn to Auburn’s noted journalism program. Coming home to tell the stories of others is merely a natural progression.

“Since I’ve been home, I’ve been seeing people I know in Wal-Mart and Target,” Hood said. “I remember going to Papa’s for a slice of pizza and hanging out on the pier when I was in middle school. I love the small-town feel of Fairhope.”

And she believes the media has a part to play in helping weave the fabric of the community.

Hood said, “I think journalism still does have a watchdog role. But, a lot of the metro dailies are losing a grip on integrity. Dailies are pandering to people’s lurid curiosities. Small town weeklies will always have a place.”

While daily newspapers in other areas of the country are sometimes questioned about their focus, particularly in this time of increased interest in the Internet as a solid news source, Hood plans to devote her time this summer to telling stories about the people and places that make this area unique.

“I look forward to doing anything and everything,” she said. “I’m so excited about being down here. It’s going to be exciting seeing Fairhope on a different level.”

Hood plans to get back to creative writing during her spare time. She said, “I can be poetic in my own way. I like to use fun adjectives and fun verbs.”

She also enjoys jogging in her down time, and admitted with a laugh, “I like to sleep. What college student doesn’t?”

As Hood began her higher education experience, her mom and dad, Jan and Clay, moved to London, where they lived for two years. She said, “I was already anxious about going to college and suddenly I had to hop on a plane for eight hours to see my parents. It’s not something you can do over a weekend.”

Now they are living in Wisconsin, and Hood relishes every monent she gets to spend with them. Her two older brothers, Scott, 24, and Brian 27, complete the family although Scott lives in Atlanta and Brian is soon moving to Miami.

Many of Hood’s Auburn classmates are now beginning summer internships as well, some in larger cities, and at higher profile media outlets. But, will they gain a more rewarding experience as a result?

“They’re going to be the coffee-getters,” she said. “Here, I am going to get my hands dirty and that’s what I want to do.”