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(THOMAS WALLNER | THE GRAHAM LEADER) In his second week, Alex Havardansky has settled into his position as sports writer at The Graham Leader.
It was a passion for sports and community news that drove Alex Havardansky to make the 1,600-mile trek from New Jersey to Graham and take the position of sports writer at The Graham Leader.
In his second week, Havardansky has settled into his position at The Leader and is looking at what the future holds for sports and news in Graham.
“A lot of people that I know in the journalism field who have wanted to work in sports, it's a very competitive field to go into and there's not a lot of options to turn to. So the fact that I was lucky enough to find an outlet that still allows me to do that while also focusing on the community side, I think I'm really fortunate,” he said.
Havardansky said he enjoys the people in Graham and that the landscape itself is a monumental change from New Jersey.
“I would say mainly I'm more from South Brunswick. That's a town of about 45,000 to 50,000 people. So to go from that to a town of about 9,000 is certainly a big change. But to be honest, it's been a change in all the right ways so far,” he said. “...Coming from New Jersey, you don't realize just how tight everything is and how congested it is, until you sort of live in a small town like this.”
His interest in journalism blossomed from his high school newspaper and his natural enthusiasm for storytelling.
“I've always just had a fascination with storytelling, whether that was through watching movies, TV shows as a kid, things like that. I've always been fascinated with how people interact with each other and how they interact in a larger narrative. So I think that just kind of naturally took to writing,” he said.
As Havardansky progressed through school he looked for a way to apply an interest in writing in a practical sense. He found that sports were an avenue to pursue his passion and after graduation researched universities.
Havardansky attended Quinnipiac University in Hamden, Connecticut, where he received his bachelors degree in journalism in May 2023 and his masters degree in May 2024.
“I went to Quinnipiac because they offered me a spot in their three plus one program that allowed me to graduate with both my bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism in just four years,” he said. “I was able to meet a lot of great professors. I was able to continue to explore my passion for sports journalism, but then also develop a passion for community journalism through different news organizations.”
Havardansky has experience in covering municipal government reporting after working with the Westfield Leader and Union County Hawk, a New Jersey newspaper publication. He also worked for websites and his college newspaper where he connected with locals in Hamden.
With his experience and passion he is hoping to continue providing the community local coverage.
To contact Havardansky, call 940-549-7800, or email sports@grahamleader.com.
