COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — To appreciate what you've achieved, sometimes it takes a visit to where it all began. A woman is proud to share an especially unique journey.
"When I go on the mic, I picture my listeners as they're driving in their cars, and they're like, 'oh, I love this song! I haven't heard this in forever!'" smiled Emily Paton. "That's what I picture when I do my programs."
WTTU at Tennessee Tech University just feels like home for 2020 alum Emily.
"It's just the sound and the feel of it and the music playing to my left here," she said.
There's the Oingo Boingo album above the room and the rules posted on the walls. 'No dead air.' 'Be groovy or leave, man.'
"I think it's really cool that they have CDs," Emily said about the wall of CDs in the room.
For Emily, this station is key to her story.
"I'm completely blind, and honestly, my blindness is just who I am," she said. "I don't see myself as being any different than everybody else."
Emily arrived to Tennessee Tech with a passion for alternative music, songs often neglected by mainstream radio. Emily had a want to get on the mic and share that music with others.
"It wasn't easy when we first started out," she said. "There were definite technical glitches."
In this space, people believed in Emily and got her the practice time. In the years since her graduation, Emily's work has grown into something else.
"What I'm planning to do is make an episode of The Emily Paton Show," she said, furiously working on her iPhone.
Using the Backpack Studio app through her iPhone, Emily creates playlists and broadcasts a show completely on her own, usually from her home.
"We'll be going on air soon!" she said, putting on her headphones.
Among the platforms that feature her is the streaming station NewHD Media.
"NewHD Radio, creating jobs for people with autism, disabilities, and veterans," Emily said in her broadcast. "That was Violent Femmes from 1983. Blister in the Sun. Hey, how you doin? It is your girl Emily Paton with you hoping you are having a great day, a great week. Here's The Killers now with Bright Lights. It's new music now on HD."
"I just want people to be inspired by the content I create, not because I do it with a disability," Emily said. "There's nothing really amazing about it. It's just me being me!"
Do you have a positive, good news story? You can email me at forrest.sanders@newschannel5.com.
It's truly the small things that add up to a great day - and Warrick in Lebanon is having a big impact. His familiar face is becoming a staple in one part of the community and inspiring closer connection in the simplest way. Enjoy his warm personality! You may even feel inclined to wave to a stranger today, too.
-Rebecca Schleicher
