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Time to say goodbye

By Jovana Ruzicic, Former EWG Press Secretary

I will never forget my job interview here at EWG--I woke up at 3am to catch the plane from Detroit and to make my 9am interview time. I slept for one hour the night before because I was nervous and quite honestly, scared. A few weeks before I had graduated from Michigan State University with my Master's in Public Relations and was ready to make the difference in the professional world, working for a non-profit advocacy in the nation's capital.

The moment I walked in to the EWG office, I fell in love with it. The people, the atmosphere and the décor, plastered with EWG' s slogan the power of information, made me feel right at home. As the daughter of a former journalist, I was raised with the mantra that information is power.

I spend almost 3 years here at EWG bringing that information to you, as EWG's Press Secretary. I made contact with thousands of reporters nationwide, and I've blogged since the day one. So, as I am sure you can imagine, it is with sadness that I write my last blog at Enviroblog. Friday is my last day at EWG.

It is difficult to decide what would be my favorite moment at EWG - would it be the first interview I ever set up with Fox affiliate in Boston about a fluoride industry cover-up; the time we persuaded EPA not to expose the public to chromium-6, a known carcinogen; or meeting so many people who loved EWG? Or even meeting those who worked for the "other side," and who told me openly that they fear "EWG coming after them"? It could also be the moment a few weeks ago when my mom sent me a power-point presentation in Serbian on the dangers of BPA, the issue we brought to light. The professional challenges and successes of working at EWG have helped me grow as a professional and a person. The people that I have worked with have been an inspiration to me as well as comrades in arms. We have all worked together to protect the most vulnerable populations from chemicals and toxins.

So, why am I leaving and where am I going?

I came to the US 11 years. I meant to stay for a year, to learn English. I ended up staying here much longer. The NATO bombing of my country prevented me from returning, and then school and work kept me here for another decade. Even though my years in the US have been a growing and developing experience for me, the time has come, I feel, to reunite with my family. So the move from EWG is a transcontinental one for me. Before I settle back in my city, Belgrade, I plan to spend some time teaching English at Samveda Training & Research Centre in Davangere, India.

So this is my final note, from this continent, on this blog. It's been an honor to be the part of the amazing team at EWG, as well as a writer for this blog. And as one of my favorite quotations goes: How lucky I am to have something that makes saying good-bye so hard.

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