Shannon Antinori, Patch Staff

I grew up in Joliet, where I attended Catholic schools, graduating from Joliet Catholic Academy in 1997.

I knew I wanted to be a writer at a young age, and never dreamed of doing anything else. My love of writing was born when a grade-school teacher encouraged me to try my hand at fiction. I took her advice, but quickly gave up make-believe stories for the real thing.

I got involved with my high school newspaper before enrolling at the University of St. Francis with a double major in journalism and English.

I graduated with honors in 2002 and landed my first newspaper job within six months. I spent eight years at The Enterprise newspaper in Plainfield, where I developed my passion for community journalism.

When a coworker pointed me in the direction of Patch.com, I jumped at the chance to be part of the future of local news.