“We just don’t recognize life’s most significant moments while they’re happening.” — Dr. Archibald “Moonlight” Graham, Field of Dreams

I am fortunate to say that Moonlight Graham was wrong. When I look back on my life’s most significant moments, I knew they were happening. You know those moments? Have you felt them? When your hands are shaking and you want to cry and you feel eternal.

I felt it when I got my acceptance package from USC. Felt it when I found out I would be working at the London Olympics. Felt it when each of my sisters was getting married. And I am privileged to feel it again.

I’m delighted to tell you all that I will soon begin as a video journalist for WKBN-TV in Youngstown, Ohio. I have been working since I was 12 years old to get to say these words: I am going to be a television reporter.

A few details about my first full-time job…

• I am over the moon that I will be working less than one hour from my home in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, my heaven on Earth. When I started seeking out jobs, I never thought I would be able to find an on-air gig so close to Pittsburgh. But I found it. If you believe in God, thank Him. If you believe in gratitude, thank the forces that make such wonderful things possible.Even more than being on television, it means everything to me that I get to remain so close to family, to friends and to a certain someone. It also means that I get to tell the stories of people with whom I have a rapport: the good folks of Northeast Ohio. They are my neighbors, soon to be my friends. I can’t wait to meet them all.

• Before you ask, no, this is not a sports job. Sister station WYTV does have a sports segment, which I have already contributed to and am sure I will again. This is a news job, and I am just as excited about taking it on as I would for a sports job. I am a journalist first and a sports guy second.

• I will be moving to Boardman, Ohio, just south of Youngstown and close to the station. However, you Pittsburghers won’t be able to get rid of me that easily. I will still be within a 60-minute drive of the ‘Burgh, and I will be back home often for games, concerts, shows and just to quell any homesickness. Nothing changes on that end.

So here we go. I feel absolutely wonderful that my professional goals are on track, and I am ready to get started telling stories in the Youngstown area.

If you want to follow what I am doing at WKBN, you can follow me on Facebook or on Twitter.

Already follow me on Twitter and are not interested in the goings-on in Northeast Ohio? Don’t worry, my Twitter feed will still be mostly covering sports and silly musings (this is either good or bad, depending on how you feel about my current tweets). WKBN is paying me to do TV news, not to tweet. Good decision by them.

If you live in the Mahoning Valley, please drop me a line at jrsantelli@gmail.com. Whether you have a story idea or just want to grab a drink, I would love to hear from you.

The dream starts now…