Before working as the Communications and Media Manager for the City of Crown Point, Mary Freda was just a girl who loved writing stories.
“Ever since I was a little girl, I would take my dad's yellow legal notepads and I would jot down stories or just ideas for stories that I had. English was one of my favorite subjects in school. It was the one I excelled at. I just love words,” said Freda.
Freda has had a passion for writing since she was young, and was able to even take this passion to college to study news journalism. From there, Freda worked herself up to the role she has now in Crown Point.
“I always loved writing, and when I found out I could write for a living and report on things that matter to the community, I knew that's what I wanted to do. I went to Ball State to study journalism. When I graduated, I actually started at the ‘Times of Northwest Indiana.' I was there for two and a half years before transitioning to my role at the city. I was just looking to flex my talents in communication, so I felt my skills would fit well in this position, but I would also be able to grow and learn new things as I worked with the city,” said Freda.
Inspiration can be crucial to writing, and luckily for Freda she has many inspiring, strong people in her life.
“All of the women in my life inspire me to be not only who I am, but also help me strive to be a better person. I look up to a lot of people, whether it be my older sister Tassie or my twin sister Mercedes or my best friend, Bryn. I see what they bring into the world and the qualities that they have and they push me to be a better person, not only professionally but personally. All the women who I've encountered in my life have really encouraged me to grow and to become the person I am today. I can't say enough great things about any of them, and I couldn't be any more grateful for them for helping me shape my identity,” said Freda.
Freda has worked for the City of Crown Point since October of 2021. She has dedicated a lot of her time to Crown Point, spending time with her community and working hard to make it a better place.
“I think community is extremely important, no matter where you work or who you are. Even at the lowest level, if you're just donating some time to the city or county you live in, I think there's value in that and I think it's extremely important in my role at the city. I'm grateful that I can connect with our residents and even the Northwest Indiana community as a whole to communicate important information about any new events coming to town, or anything that folks should be aware of, like a road closure, or a new project coming into the city. I'm not just working internally with our city departments. I get to connect with the community, I am always out and about and I really enjoyed that aspect of the job,” said Freda.
Freda is very proud of being a part of Crown Point, and loves that her job allows her to build an even greater community around a place so near and dear to her heart.
“I love working for the city of Crown Point and being able to connect with people not only on a surface level, but in-person connecting with people hearing their concerns and any suggestions for the city. The connecting part of my job is what I'm really passionate about and what I truly love. Here in Crown Point we believe that it's important to build a stronger community from within, and I'm certainly happy to be a part of that. I'm really grateful to be someone who can do that to bring that vision to life, even if it's a small portion," said Freda.