Meet Your Peers: Michael Webster

"Hello, I’m Michael Webster. I grew up in an old gold mining town in the Sierra foothills of Northern California. My childhood was spent in the surrounding woods fostering a love of the outdoors and exploration. Fascinated by human anatomy and physiology, I earned my bachelor’s degree in kinesiology in 2002 from Gordon College, just outside of Boston, Mass. After two years of ski-bumming in the winter, attending friends’ weddings seemingly full-time in the summer, and collecting a few stamps in my passport, I moved to Bozeman, Mont., in 2004. Primarily out of convenience and lack of a better plan, I earned a master’s degree in exercise physiology at Montana State in 2007.

"Many people are surprised that I’m making the change to journalism, but I’m a big believer in striving for a “D-plus” knowledge of the universe. It’s the idea of having a passable understanding-- or at least a vague comprehension-- of everything. I have too many interests to pigeonhole myself into a career limited in scope, so I’m excited about journalism’s potential to promote my love of researching and learning about many topics and then sharing those stories. I think any subject can be fascinating if its story is well told. I’m excited to move to Missoula and learn how to write those stories while enjoying an active, outdoor lifestyle in another Montana mountain town. My other hobbies include cycling, hiking, camping, photography, and, when I get a chance, scuba diving."