Leadership & Team Building
I take great pride in building genuine connections with every staff member beyond our time in the publications suite. From the start, I try to understand what drives each person. Some respond best to encouragement paired with gentle constructive criticism, while others benefit from a more lighthearted dynamic, with direct and profound feedback when necessary. Ultimately, the key to being an effective editor is understanding your team and adapting to different personalities. I strive to do both every day.
My most important role is to direct all digital content, as I know everyone on staff looks to me for guidance throughout the publishing process as a trusted editor. But this wasn’t always the case. When the website first launched, many of my peers were skeptical about the website, wondering why they should have to do more work than they already were. I understood their point; it was new to them— new to the school– and it can be hard to believe in the publication when it’s not concrete like the paper. Through my passion and work ethic for the website, I slowly convinced others to buy into the project. Now, the website has earned the respect of many people across campus, and staff members look forward to producing digital content.
Similarly to the website, when I brought up my multimedia improvement plan to senior staff members and the film department, many didn’t believe high schoolers could produce high-quality news content. But, after our first video of the year went viral, others saw my commitment to leading a team through the demanding process and wanted to become part of our shared success. As a result, our staff realized our hard work opened new journalistic frontiers.
Website & Video Leadership
For the last two years, I’ve been a member of our editorial board, working to shape the direction of our publication, plan quality content and mentor younger writers. In our meetings, I ensure we do not shy away from significant topics because, while they may be daunting, we have a responsibility to our readers to report thoroughly on the issues that matter most to our community. I challenge my peers to think critically and go beyond their comfort zones as writers while maintaining a commitment to our journalistic values. Through my dedication to ethical journalism, I have earned the respect of my peers as an editor. By always double-checking facts and using statistics to back up my pitches, I show the rest of the staff that our responsibility to our readers is paramount. Strong journalism is built on trust, and as an editor, I strive to set an example of professionalism to ensure every published article upholds the ethical standards set by those who worked to build up the reputation of our publication.
Editorial leadership
As a senior on staff, I have observed my predecessors and their actions as publication leaders. Before the year began, I reflected on those I admired most from previous years, and what they did that made me respect them so much as an underclassman. I remember my first story as a rookie when one of the seniors walked me through the edits he made. Instead of bashing me for embarrassing mistakes, he helped me understand how I can improve as a writer– and I think it helped. When I go over anyone’s work, I use it as a teaching moment, not a telling moment. If I tell him what’s wrong, the story will be fixed, but it won’t keep him from making the same mistakes again. Our school has a statue, displaying a senior carrying a first grader on his shoulders. While I’m not working with lower schoolers, I like to think that the statue symbolizes the responsibility of seniors to lead the student body by example. My integrity must always be in check, as I hold myself to the highest standards as a journalist and community member. If I don’t hit my deadlines, make careless mistakes or skip meetings, I’m telling my community that slacking off is acceptable. If I expect high-level work from the rest of my peers, I need to start by showing the effort. The blue shirts seniors wear highlight us among a sea of white button-downs– and that’s not a responsibility I take lightly. I get to spend a lot of time with younger staff members, and I’m always eager to give them advice about college, life, or Photoshop. Most of all, I get to continue the legacy of my predecessors.