In Austin Daily Herald reporter Trey Mewes’ opinion, there is no better place to hone his journalism skills than Austin, Minn.

Mewes, a Twin Cities native, started with the Herald soon after he graduated from the University of Minnesota in May 2010.

“Being at the Herald is a blessing for a starting journalist,” Mewes said. “I feel very fortunate to be here.”

Mewes said Austin — a news market with plenty of local and national-level stories — is the perfect place to sharpen his skills. As an education, arts and feature writer, Mewes has reported on local controversy — such as sheriff’s deputies removing protesters from a school board meeting — and national hot-button issues — like the reverse-immigration of Hispanics taking place in Austin.

Mewes also produces and anchors the Herald’s daily online news broadcast of the top headlines, and interacts with readers on the Herald’s Facebook page.

“Given the opportunity to work on multimedia and social media reinforces a lot of journalism lessons,” he said.

Mewes also supervises the quarterly magazine Southern Minnesota put out by the Herald and the Albert Lea Tribune. As the magazine’s co-editor, he works with an editorial staff of 13, and edits and oversees layout.

“This has been a tremendous experience for me. I’ve gained valuable leadership experience and skills that help me translate good stories across multiple mediums,” he said. “I’ve always been interested in magazines, and working on Southern Minnesota has been wonderful.”