Lauren Jost, Patch Staff

Lauren is the Associate Regional Editor for Patch sites in Prince William County and Fredericksburg. Lauren was born and raised in Woodbridge. Her work has been featured on UPIU.com, MasonVotes.com, InsideNova.com and Connect2Mason.com. Lauren won a Society of Professional Journalism Dateline award in 2012 for coverage of Tropical Storm Lee flooding in Woodbridge. Lauren is a passionate journalist with a knack for social media, an obsession with Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers and a love for all things gustatory (mostly bacon). She received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication, focused in Journalism, Cum Laude from George Mason University in Fairfax, VA where she was named the GMU C2M MVP (also known as the acronym award).

<b>Your Beliefs</b><br><i>At Patch, we promise always to report the facts as objectively as possible and otherwise adhere to the principles of good journalism. However, we also acknowledge that true impartiality is impossible because human beings have beliefs. So in the spirit of simple honesty, our policy is to encourage our editors to reveal their beliefs to the extent they feel comfortable. And if you ever see evidence that we failed in this mission, please let us know.</i><br><br><b>Politics </b><br>My political beliefs are my own, I tend to vote for the best candidate, regardless of party affiliation. Currently, I am unregistered with a political party. 

<b>Religion</b><br>I was raised in the United Methodist Church and am now a casual attendee. 

<b>Local Hot-Button Issues</b><br>The entire nation is feeling the stress of a downtrodden economy, but here in Woodbridge, thanks to the sizable job force in Washington, D.C., we&#39;ve been toughing it out. In addition to a suffering economy, transportation, immigration and rapid growth are issues that affect the Woodbridge community.  I want to hear your thoughts on these issues.