This is the first article in a series on people who grew up in the greater Atlantic area, moved away, and chose to return to the area before they retired.
A few weeks ago, Jeff Lundquist, Editor of the Atlantic News Telegraph, invited me to write a series profiling people who grew up in the greater Atlantic area, moved away, and later chose to return while still working.
To start us off, I’ll tell you my own story.
I grew up on a farm north of Atlantic and graduated from Atlantic High School in 2004. My parents are Dan Hoegh and Allison Berryhill.
While in high school, I reached out to Jeff Lundquist asking if I could write articles for the Atlantic News Telegraph. One of my initial assignments was to write about an older Atlantic couple’s recent travels.
In a way, that article represents why I live here now: I enjoy engaging with my community, facilitating connections between people, and adventuring––whether the adventure is an international trip or a new food-growing endeavor.
After high school, I attended Grinnell College and worked as an intern at Nationwide Insurance in Des Moines. I then spent a year teaching English in China. I returned to the States and picked up where I left off, working for Nationwide.
From 2013 to 2016, I traveled to Chicago almost every weekend as I pursued a Masters in Business Administration. I loved the city, but during the MBA, I was encouraged to reflect on what I wanted in my career. I found myself drawn to community engagement and itching to try something different.
In 2016, while finishing my MBA, I moved to the house I’d grown up in north of Atlantic. My parents had built a house down the road, so they were my neighbors.
I continued working for Nationwide and commuted to Des Moines for three days a week, working remotely for the other two. After many weekends in Chicago, the farmhouse felt peaceful and quiet. I loved the sunsets. I started growing sweet corn with my dad.
After graduating, I got married, and shortly thereafter an executive at Nationwide shared with me that he was working 80 hours a week and would be missing his son’s birthday dinner that night due to a work obligation.
Until that conversation, I’d been happy to strive for the next step on the corporate ladder, but I suddenly realized if I wasn’t intentional about stepping off, corporate work would be the only work I’d experience and it could potentially take all my time. Shortly thereafter, I put in my notice–with no real plan for next steps–and set out to explore food growing.
I then worked a series and combination of part-time jobs related to local food in the Atlantic area; I worked on Denise O’Brien’s farm, Rolling Acres, managed Atlantic’s Produce in the Park farmers market, and served as the Cass County Wellness Coordinator.
In late 2021, I bought a small house north of Atlantic from my mentor and friend, LaVon Eblen. Luckily for both of us, her four delightful cats stayed with the house.
Life comes with ups and downs. A year after buying the house, I got divorced. Financially, my part-time jobs weren’t sustainable, so two years ago I began working remotely for Centene, a large health insurer.
Remote work has made it possible for me and many others to pursue careers (and obtain salaries) that are otherwise hard to come by in rural areas. But working remotely comes with its downsides: I am less connected to both my community and my coworkers. I continue to wrestle with the costs and benefits of remote work.
Today, I love living close to my brother Harrison and his family, who moved back to the area last August. The older I get, the more I appreciate being near my parents. I am involved locally with Produce in the Park, Grow Another Row, Nishna Valley Trails, and the Cass County Local Food Policy Council, and enjoy biking and gardening. Schildberg Recreation Area is my favorite local park, and I was excited to show it to my high school classmates when they were back for our 20-year reunion this fall.
That said, I still appreciate being just an hour from Des Moines where I go for yoga, rock climbing, musicals, concerts, restaurants, and shopping.
So, that’s my Coming Home story. Next time, I’ll be exploring someone else’s journey of growing up in the area, moving away, and Coming Home.