Love of journalism started at age 10

Not many 10-year-olds decide to start up a newsletter for their community.

Most don't even think about the news at that age. But Amanda Erd did.

Though it was a short-lived publication (and had a distribution of only four), Amanda developed "The South Tyler Times" and ultimately kick-started her dreams of working in the journalism industry. The one-page, double-sided newsletter typically included sports results, the weather forecast and a "kid of the week" trivia challenge.

From that point on, there was never any doubt what she planned to do. Journalism was it.

Now, Amanda is a multiplatform editor and paginator on the Daily Herald copy desk. Her primary tasks include editing stories and designing pages for news, sports and some of the downstate newspapers owned by Paddock Publications.

Amanda also plays the role of night sports editor - designing the front page and overseeing production of the sports section - when needed. Her design work has earned her second- and third-place finishes in the most-recent Northern Illinois Newspaper Association newspaper contest as well as multiple nominations for other awards.

Before starting at the Daily Herald in September 2015, Amanda attended Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, where she earned her bachelor's degree in journalism with a minor in creative writing.

An avid sports fan, she initially planned on pursuing a career as a sports reporter. She later fell in love with the design world after starting at the DH and hasn't looked back.

Born and raised in St. Charles, Amanda hasn't strayed much from her suburban roots. She spent a short time in Carol Stream after college before returning to St. Charles, where she now lives with her young son and pomsky pup.