Iron String Press New Hire Roberts Wants To Tell Your Stories
COOPERSTOWN—In late November, Iron String Press welcomed a new member to its editorial staff. Sarah Roberts, 23, came to Cooperstown in August 2023 to join the Cooperstown Graduate Program in pursuit of her master’s degree in museum studies. She graduates in May 2025 and hopes to enter the nonprofit sphere in the areas of fundraising and development.
Roberts, who hails from Bovina Center, has covered local news before. Her summer job in high school was with the “Catskill Mountain News” in Arkville. There, she shadowed reporters, wrote a weekly “this day in history” column and learned the basics of the industry.
“I grew up in a small town,” Roberts said, “So I know that in places like this, local news is such an important part of the community. We can get overlooked by national and state news outlets—so it is important that we tell our own stories when we can.”
“Sarah has fit in with our staff from the first day,” said Iron String Publisher Tara Barnwell. “She wants to be a part of the community and that’s what we are all about. We are so fortunate to have found her, recognized her talent, and have her be a part of our local presence.”
After spending four years at SUNY Geneseo, pursuing a major and minor in anthropology and geography, respectively—including completing focused “microcredential” programs in archeology and Geographic Information System studies, partaking in an intensive archeological field school, and graduating magna cum laude—Roberts applied to CGP in the winter of 2023 and was welcomed into the class of 2025.
“Anthropology is a fascinating subject, and I really had fun with geography and GIS,” she explained, “but I was drawn to the educational aspects of museums.”
However, after beginning classes at CGP, Roberts found herself drawn to a field she never expected—nonprofit fundraising—and switched her focus.
“My family looked at me like I was crazy,” she chuckled. “I’m not the sort you’d expect to like that type of thing.”
This past summer, Roberts completed an 11-week internship at Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, Montana. While there, her duties included events planning, management, and support as part of MoR’s development team.
“MoR is a great place—they have one of the most extensive dinosaur fossil collections in the country, and have so many great programs for everyone, from kids to seniors and everyone in between,” Roberts explained.
“I helped with an exhibit opening, their major summer fundraiser, a beer tasting and brewing history event, and a ‘friend-raising’ lecture series at a local dude ranch. They had just lost their director of development and another member of the team shortly before I arrived so, all the while, I was filling in the gaps wherever else needed.”
Roberts is a fantasy lover and a storyteller at heart, spending her free hours writing a fantasy novel series as well as playing Dungeons and Dragons with some of her classmates at CGP.
After graduation, Roberts hopes to enter the nonprofit world as a member of a development and fundraising team—particularly as an events coordinator or manager—to continue to expand the skills she gained at MoR.
“There’s a special pride that comes from spending weeks planning and preparing for an event, and then watching it successfully come to pass. It’s exhausting, but so rewarding,” she said.
“Sarah is our second CGP intern in as many semesters, and we could not be more pleased to have her on board,” said Iron String Press General Manager and Senior Editor Darla M. Youngs.
“It quickly became apparent that Sarah’s skill set was such that she would make an excellent reporter, and she’s coming along far more quickly than we could ever have anticipated. We are grateful to CGP, and especially to Sarah, for the new insight and perspective she brings to our team. Her experience here will translate well to any career she chooses.”
Iron String Press Inc. publishes “The Freeman’s Journal,” one of the nation’s oldest weekly newspapers, “Hometown Oneonta and the AllOtsego.com website.
