Hey there!
I'm Hope
I’M A STORYTELLER, TOURISM ADVOCATE, RADIO PERSONALITY, PUBLISHED AUTHOR, PUBLIC SPEAKER, AND ROCHESTER ENTHUSIAST WITH A BIG LOVE FOR LOCAL.
Very into: anything chocolate, mirror selfie-worthy bathrooms, and turning hidden gems into household names. Known for making strangers feel like friends and friends feel like VIPs.
I didn’t start with a newsletter, a mic, or even a clue what I was doing. Just me, my camera roll full of park pics, and a borderline unhealthy obsession with all things Rochester.
In 2017, I started posting weekend recs and local gems for fun—and somehow, people kept following along. ROCthecitywithHope has since grown into a full-blown love letter to this city, one park selfie and coffee shop rec at a time.
That movement has landed me in some pretty cool places—from being nominated *Best Ambassador of Rochester* by City Magazine in 2021 and *Best Social Media Account* in 2023, to receiving “Executive Member of the Year” and being named a finalist for “The People’s Choice Award” by NXT Level Collective. In 2025, I was honored to be nominated for a *Women of Excellence Award* by the Rochester Business Journal.
Today, ROCtheCityWithHope fuels a digital magazine, a local newsletter, an annual awards program spotlighting Rochester’s newest gems, and yes—my “day” job as an on-air personality on the Bee Morning Coffee Club on 92.5 WBEE.
You can usually find me exploring local parks, taste-testing my way through new menus, or curled up with my rescue pup Duke (a lab-shepherd mix who runs the house and his own Instagram, @thedukeofroc )
CURRENTLY...
I’m probably sipping hot coffee (year-round, don’t @ me), making a Canva graphic, or talking about Rochester to literally anyone who will listen.
Want to know what lights me up?
Helping people fall in love with the place they live. Giving small businesses the big spotlight they deserve. Turning locals into tourists. Turning tourists into fans. And proving that there's nothing small about supporting small business.
If you’re new here, welcome. I believe Rochester is worth rooting for—and that every city needs a hype girl. Glad you found yours.
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