Almost 30 years ago, Roxanne Hooper made a splash in the newspaper industry, but not the way one might expect. She started by emptying garbage cans, delivering newspapers, taking classified advertisements, shooting photographs, and re-writing occasional press releases for the Langley Advance. By age 18 she was enrolled in the journalism program at Vancouver Community College's Langara Campus, and by age 20, with her first series of awards in hand, she was working full-time in community newspapers.

Roxanne has worked in the daily and community newspaper industry in B.C. for the past three decades, much of it right here in the Lower Mainland, with only a few years at the Kamloops Daily News.

Today, the seasoned reporter is back home in Langley, where she grew up and where her family remains. And she loves being part of the Advance's editorial team.

She has covered a full spectrum of beats and written a wide range of stories, including several that have earned her provincial and national recognition. As a veteran reporter, she still covers a wide gammut of topics, including entertainment, community happenings, business, personality profiles, and news. She's even known to pick up a camera once in a while and try her hand at photography.