One of my first memories is being in a Dallas hotel room with my Dad, watching Tim Tebow lead Florida to the 2008 national title. When Urban Meyer raised that trophy, I was hooked. From that moment on, I knew I wanted a career in sports.
My name is Elijah Klepczyk and I am from Claremore, Oklahoma and I have come to Mississippi to chase my dreams to become a sports journalist.
About a month ago, my wife Joselyn and I packed up and moved to Philadelphia after I accepted the job covering high‑school sports in Choctaw, Attala, and Winston counties. Day to day, that means I’ll be spending a lot of time at Choctaw County High School, Ethel High School, and Grace Christian School.
I did not originally go to school to be a journalist, but rather I went to school to be a pilot! I attended both Tulsa Community College and the University of Oklahoma for an aviation degree. Due to unforeseen circumstances I had to put my pilot career on halt, but that is when I received a phone call from my Dad that he had met a man by the name of Austin Bishop who had an interesting proposal for me.
I called Austin and he told me about what it means to be a sports writer and if I was really that interested in it, he would help me out.
I started off writing for free at the Kemper County Messenger and covering athletics at Kemper Academy all the way from Oklahoma.
Each week I learned something new from Austin and eventually I decided that I was ready to take this passion project to the next level.
Now a year later I am living in Mississippi excited to start this new career, and absolutely loving this part of the state.
Both of my parents, Brian and Prissi, have been instrumental in my growth as a writer and as a person. They help run a foster‑care home in Hot Springs, Arkansas called Compact Family Services, which is also where they met Austin, who was there on a mission trip.
My older brother, Noah, who lives in Los Angeles and is newly engaged, has been one of my greatest influences as I’ve pursued sports journalism. He taught me the importance of chasing your dreams and embracing creativity, and he’ll always be my biggest hero.
My wife, Joselyn, is my inspiration in everything I do. We are high-school sweethearts and have just recently celebrated our first year of marriage. She is the bravest, strongest woman I know and I owe every ounce of success to her support. She will also be teaching at Kemper County Elementary School as a 5th grade math teacher. I also can’t leave out my Golden Retriever, Goose, who keeps me busy when I am trying to write.
If there’s one thing I hope you learn about me while I’m here, it’s that I love to write — and I’m committed to giving these communities the best coverage I can, not only of their sports, but of the people who live and work here every day.
If you need to reach me you can call or text me at 918-282-3115 or shoot me an email at elijah1luke@gmail.com.
I am so excited and blessed to get to cover and meet all of the wonderful people in this community.
