Farewell from Emily
By Emily Hessney Lynch
Published November 19, 2020.
It was March of 2016 when I was first featured on I Heart ROC; I was the 26th interview on the site. When my Instagram takeover and interview went live, I was in New Zealand visiting my brother who was studying abroad at the time (remember international travel?). Now, when I reread that interview, I feel like I’m reading the words of a different person. I liked early morning walks with iced coffee? Who is that person?! I lived in Park Ave at the time, my boyfriend and I had just moved in together, and I was working at a local university. Fast forward to 2020: there’s a global pandemic, a contentious election, I own a house, am married to the then-boyfriend, run my own social media consulting business, and have two rescue dogs. So much has changed!
After my feature ran on the site, I was asked to come onboard with the project. They told me I seemed super organized and like a great hypewoman, and they could use my help. I was psyched to be a part of the project! I threw myself into it, scheduling interviews and building connections in the community. Since joining the team in May 2016, I Heart ROC has become a constant in my life. It’s been this fun thing I get to do in addition to my day job; I felt lucky to get to interview people from this city we all love so much and share their stories with a growing online community. I’ve interviewed over 200 people, all in meaningful, one-on-one, face-to-face (until COVID) conversations.
I will always be grateful for the incredible experiences I’ve gotten to have through I Heart ROC over the past four and a half years. I was able to:
- tour the inside of Genesee Brewery
- attend Red Wings games and fancy dinners
- interview local political candidates
- meet painters and potters and writers
- participate in a professional development program through the Chamber of Commerce
- interview a musician in their home while the band warmed up
- partner with local organizations like Kiva Rochester to shine a spotlight on small businesses.
People have laughed with me and cried with me. They have been breathtakingly honest and thoughtful. I will always value the relationships forged through these interviews, these simple questions that can reveal so much about ourselves and our feelings towards our city.
Looking back at my own interview four years ago, I know one answer that I would change today. When asked “What could be improved about Rochester?” I said I wished more people were willing to proclaim their love for Rochester. That answer seems superficial now. The pandemic has revealed some of the deepest inequities in American society, and as a Board member and soon-to-be Board Chair at Cameron Community Ministries I’ve seen those effects firsthand in Rochester. There are massive gaps between the suburbs and the city here. We have the third highest childhood poverty rate in the nation. It’s not acceptable. That’s what we should be focused on improving about the city.
As I wrap up I Heart ROC, I’m looking forward to an increased focus on my work at Cameron as well as shifting my time to other creative endeavors. I’m confident that our city is full of fantastic storytellers and other creative people who will rise up to fill the void that folks may feel in our absence. Many of them are alumni of I Heart ROC! No project can last forever, but it’s still hard to say goodbye. I’d rather end on a positive note than run on too long and ruin things like that final season of How I Met Your Mother. So this is it. Thank you for supporting us over the past five years. Just because I Heart ROC has ended doesn’t mean our love for Rochester has too. Keep sharing your stories and spreading love for the ROC! And let’s keep on striving to make our community a better, more equitable place.
More selected projects
Ben Baker appreciates the inclusive and welcoming nature of Rochester’s music scene
INTERVIEW NO. 241
The Genesee Country Village & Museum in Mumford is something special for the region
INTERVIEW NO. 185
Eboni Jones loves how Rochester can feed you spiritually, creatively, and literally.
INTERVIEW NO. 48