Opportunity comes in all forms and fashions, we believe. When serial entrepreneur Ron Brumbarger, he of Bitwise Solutions fame, began Apprentice University, we were all ears and major proponents of the effort. In short, AU takes the “educational industrial complex,” against which we have railed multiple times, and sends it straight down the garbage disposal. So Brumbarger got the bright idea to deploy apprentices, for pay, at area businesses, ones where they could learn up close and determine whether a particular profession is right for them. Here at Current Publishing, we decided to become more involved, and rather than simply be a supporter of AU we decided we should have our own apprentice. Enter Melissa Hicks, an AU enrollee that was sent our way without a lick of journalism experience. She had writing samples, but they were more along the lines of term papers rather than news or feature stories. So, this was going to be a ground-up initiative, and we were eager to take her on. Paying forward, we call it. People helped us once upon a time, so why not do the same? Easy answer. Done. Melissa, a Sheridan resident and a homeschooled, enthusiastic young woman, began her apprenticeship with Current a couple weeks ago. We told her she would start slowly, and we would communicate regularly in an attempt to green her as much as we’re able to in the five-month run of the apprenticeship. As a matter of fact, in our Community section today, you’ll see the initial fruits of her labor, “5 Minutes With …”. It’s not rocket science, and we told her that, but it is a perfect way for a young reporter to get out of the office, make connections and learn how to question an interview subject so that person may be “introduced” to his or her fellow readers. So far, so good. Her intellect and drive will serve her well here and well beyond the apprenticeship. It’s going to be fun helping her develop in this industry. Wish her luck.