A Journalist, Activist and Researcher.
Leadership
El Estoque is an entirely student-run publication, and editors, typically second and third-year staff members, are the foundation for the class. They help staff writers improve, encourage each other and help make El Estoque a family for all.
Editor Responsibilities
As Managing Editor, I help lead a nationally-recognized staff of 55 students; manage/edit all content for daily website and monthly newsmagazine; make daily lesson plans pertaining to generating story topics, interviewing, navigating controversy, law and ethics, journalism as a force of change; communicate with and advise section editors; manage staff relationships and editorial board; liaise among adviser, administration, community, and staff, and make final decisions for the publication.
Leadership philosophy: Part of the reason why I love journalism and El Estoque is because very early on, I found two great mentors who taught me that the work we as student reporters do is important. Through their constant support and unrelenting willingless to help me, a very confused first-year staff member, I was able to grow more confident in my journalistic abilities. And now as Managing Editor, I wish to do exactly that which my mentors did - empower others to do, learn and write better. Thus, my leadership philosophy is empowerment.
Lesson Plans: I find great fruition in standing in front of my fellow staff writers, delivering lessons on difficult journalism concepts and working with them one-on-one to ensure that their questions are answered and they are confident in their journalistic abilities. Click here to access the Google Drive folder containing all my lessons, including from when I was a Features editor.
Tuesday meetings: Every Tuesday, the Editorial Team, consisting of the Managing Editors, the Editor-in-Chiefs and the journalism advisor, meet up to discuss the agenda for the rest of the week. This includes deciding curriculum material, promoting El Estoque and the introduction to journalism class Writing for Publications, gaining advertisement contracts with nearby businesses and discussing strengths as well as areas and methods of improvement.
Behind the scenes: Since El Estoque had a very rough mission statement written on its website prior to the start of this year, I worked with my advisor to write a formal Editorial Policy, which can be seen here. In addition, I often post on our Facebook group to give updates and reminders about pitches, edits and promotion to make sure everyone is on the same page.
Conflict resolution: I spend time mentoring new staff writers and new editors by helping them with basic journalism skills. Whether that means going along with them on their first interview to provide support and assistance or teaching them how to write an effective lede, I think it’s important to help those around me who are not as experienced. My leadership mentality is to be as helpful as possible, so that no one is afraid to approach me when they have a question or concern. If they do have concerns and conflicts arise, I try to be as unbiased as possible. For example, I had a first-year staff writer share with me in confidence that they didn't feel comfortable talking to their section editor because he/she often patronized the writer, didn't work on stories and was unable to keep the section on-task. I could tell that the writer was very concerned about this so I called them on the phone and heard them out. The next day, I catalyzed an open conversation between the writer and the editor along with talking to the writer on a one-on-one basis.
Building a family: My favorite part about being in El Estoque is the people. I've met some of my best friends through this program, and I cherish my relationships with each and every person on staff, from the most novice writer to my journalism advisor.
Family Fridays: So when I learned this year that some of the new staff writers didn't feel the same way, it hurt me, and I felt compelled to act. Along with the rest of the Editorial Team, I brainstormed different activities for our weekly Family Friday sessions, where one Managing Editor leads the class in a light-hearted and engaging activity like charades, Heads Up Seven Up and Scattergories. An especially impactful class activity we did was one in which we passed a sheet of paper around with our names on it, and each person wrote a little note of gratitude for that individual. Although we ended up doing very little work during that class period, since the activity took up almost all of our time, I walked out of El Estoque feeling happy - and I believe other staff members did as well.
Gratitude: I believe gratitude is an integral part of a reporter's character. Every story we, the journalists, write is built upon the connection we form with our sources, who take time out of their busy schedules to share some of their most intimate and personal experiences. That's why at the end of each production cycle, I write a thank you note to each of my sources, making sure they know that I'm grateful for their time and that I'm beyond honored to scribe their experiences in my article. Over the course of my time at El Estoque, I've received some thank you letters as well. Reading these notes fill me with joy, and I'm glad that our class is built upon a foundation of shared gratitude.
