Copy Editor I have an old editor to thank for my path to leadership. Halfway through my first year on staff, the Supervising Copy Editor reached out to me about becoming a Copy Editor. I enjoyed editing because it was a way for me to help my peers and our publication as a whole. It makes me smile to remember that editor telling me they could see me progressing through the ranks of leadership, that I had potential. |
Entertainment Editor During my second year on staff, I shared my love of review writing with The Tower in a new way. I collected food and entertainment story ideas and entered them in the story sign up form. I promoted entertainment stories and photography and advised staffers on their opinion pieces. Getting to work one on one with my peers on stories I enjoyed reading was a lot of fun, and a great way to get some leadership experience. |
Web Editor-in-Chief I saw a lot of opportunity online, and wanted to put my ideas into action. As Pulse EIC, my goal as been to find new ways for print and web to work together, and to make Pulse more relevant within The Tower staff and our community. Realizing all of my ideas has been a challenge, but I am proud of the progress I've made with Pulse this year. I feel that I'm leaving behind a much stronger foundation, and am excited to see what next year's leadership accomplishes. |
Free Spirit Journalism Conference Over the summer, I was honored to represent Michigan at the Al Neuharth Free Spirit Journalism Conference in Washington D.C., which focused on rights guaranteed in the First Amendment and working in the journalism/communications field today. The week long experience not only shaped me as a journalist, but prepared me for an exciting year as Editor in Chief. I met professional and student journalists from all over the country who shared their ideas, experiences and struggles. The conference challenged me and exposed me to new ideas. It forced me to interact with 50 brand new people. It made me appreciate The Tower and the freedom we are granted at Grosse Pointe South. Above all, the conference prepared me to think like a leader and pass on a love for journalism to my fellow staffers.
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Photos courtesy of The Freedom Forum
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Each year, The Tower encourages its staff, especially those in leadership positions, to attend the MIPA summer journalism workshop. Last summer, I opted to take The Upstart course. I learned a lot about using a SNO Site to post content, effective ways to manage online content and challenged myself by trying out some new types of multimedia. Seeing examples from other online student publications gave me a lot of ideas for The Tower Pulse.
Along with classes and all the other fun activities MIPA has to offer, the workshop offers leadership their first opportunity to meet with new staffers and get ready for our first issue. Tower has a lot of MIPA traditions that may be silly, but bring us together as a staff before the year even begins. |