Erika Poole-Fuller, a former patriot and Park Press staff member, has had tremendous success following her 2009 graduation. Enrolling at Point Park University, Erika pursued her passion for journalism by declaring her major. However, the future had other plans for her. “I had such a passion for journalism in high school. I would just write and write and it would be for myself. But once I got into college writing became more of a job for me. I didn’t enjoy it as much anymore.” 

As time moved passed, Erika’s love for writing became stored in the back of her head. She became a mother, and a wife, and through all of that managed to find her way back to what she loved. “After CJ was born, I found it so hard to get back into everyday life. So one day I decided to just open my journal and start writing, and from that day on I haven’t stopped since.” 

On August 10, 2017, Erika published her first novel out of a two-part series. “This has been my dream for as long as I can remember, and now it’s come true.” In the span of four years, Erika has published 10 novels and has been invited to a book signing in Australia. There are so many people who think the place they were born deters them from success, but Erika debunked that theory, proving it’s the person, not the place. “If anyone can take anything with them from this interview, I want people to know that Wheeling does produce greatness, but the mentality that it doesn’t is what holds people from their greatness.”