OUR GIRL FRIDAY: After graduating from Northern Arizona University with degrees in English and French, Emily Carlson returned home to Santa Barbara and waited patiently for an internship position to open at The Santa Barbara Independent. And, boy, are we glad she did. Carlson quickly honed her writing skills, first with small online pieces and then stories printed nearly weekly in the Living section. The fact that she is an avid volleyball player and a dog lover served her well when she covered SBCC women’s volleyball and the Pit Bull Parade. This week, Carlson writes about this town’s accidental Santa. Next up for the budding writer? A move across the country to Raleigh, North Carolina.