Q: “I know that you like to help out so what does a typical day look like for you?
A: “I am in Mrs. Vanish’s through two periods of my day. So I do the work. She assigns work for Intro to Pub, and that also gives me time to work on editing stories as well as getting photos. Any time that she needs me to go someplace or do something, I go and do so.”
Q: Speaking of editing, I heard that you are a new editor. What’s that like? Is it a big step for you?
A: “This is my second year as an Associate Editor, and I remember last year being very, very nervous about having a title that wasn’t just reporter. It was kind of scary because you have to learn so many new things. You had to figure it out fast, and so it took time. I ‘ve really progressed, and I feel confident in my abilities as an editor. I love doing what I do.”
Q: How did you get into Mountain Echo?
A: “It’s a long story, but my mom and I, during COVID-19, watched the show ‘Gilmore Girls’ all the time. It was our favorite show. And the female, the daughter in that show, Rory Gilmore, was a journalist, and she went to Yale and to study news, journalism, all these crazy things. I watched what she did, and I watched those episodes where they were in the newsroom, and she was on deadline and getting the story. And I really wanted to do that. So my eighth grade year, I did the Livewire over at the junior high, and I really loved it. And then I got recommended to come straight on to the Mountain Echo staff my freshman year, and that’s where I’ve been ever since.”
Q: What challenges do you face as a Mountain Echo member?
A: “I could go with the basics, the ones that everybody goes through of not getting an interview meeting, not meeting a deadline, not having a photo, like that type of stuff. But the biggest challenge is the pressure I put on myself. I put on this pressure because I’m playing two different roles when I’m with the paper; I’m still a reporter. So I have the pressure of getting the interviews, getting the photos, getting the facts, doing all of that, but I also have the pressure of being an editor, and with that also comes the desire to not only edit the stories, but work and understand the people and the reporters that you’re working with. And there’s a pressure that I know I put on me that I want to be the best associate editor I can be for them, so they want to do it, and they have fun, and they know they can trust in what I’m doing and what I’m telling them, but also trust me as a person and be able to differentiate between editor and friend.”
Q: How do you manage to balance your schoolwork and your homework with extracurricular activities?
A: “Luck. That might be my honest to God answer. It’s a lot at times, but I’m lucky enough that because I’m in Mrs. Vanishes room fifth and sixth period I really have that time to get some schoolwork done in the process. So there are times I might be doing math homework while also working on a magazine cover and that type of stuff, but it really comes down to time management and being able to figure out what I need to do when and get it done to the best of my ability.”
Q: How has Mountain Echo helped you over the years with time management, public speaking, etc?
A: “I came into high school my freshman year, and I was very shy, and I didn’t know how to put myself out there. And the act of interviewing people, even though I’d done it before, was still intimidating. But I fell in love with what I did on the Mountain Echo, and I knew what I wanted at the end of the day was to tell the stories of those who go unheard the majority of the time. And so I knew in order to do that, I had to put myself out there. And once I was willing to do that, and I was able to do that, the light bulb kind of just went off. And it’s really just, I love doing it. And I mean, I’m very grateful for Mountain Echo because it has taught me things like that. But at the same time,it’s a safe space for me, and it’s that place I can always revert back to.”
Q: Would you say your teacher and members of the Mountain Echo have helped you throughout the years as well?
A: “Oh, absolutely, Mrs. Vanish has been amazing. I work with her often. I will email her in the summer with news ideas and things like that, but she really has just always been very, very supportive. And that’s not just in terms of what I do as an editor for the paper or as a reporter, but in terms of me in general. And she’ll send me stuff that she thinks I might be interested in, and it’s just really helpful. And she’s been fantastic. I don’t think I would have gotten through high school without Mountain Echo and without her. And as for the people you meet, different people every year, and you have people you know who leave and people you don’t know coming in. And it’s difficult because I was definitely very, very close to my staff last year, especially two of the seniors that graduated. But I’ve also come to make connections with the people you have now, and it’s just a family.”
Q: Do you think Mountain Echo helps you make bonds with people and make friendships?
A: “It does; it hasn’t just helped me with making bonds with the people I’m in class with every day, 180 days out of a year, but the bonds you make through the interviews that you do. For instance, I did a story on an author, and she then sent me a copy of her book and a thank you note and a couple of other things. And you work with all of these people, and you make connections that you never would have made otherwise.”
Q: What instruments do you play?
A: “Flute and piccolo.”
Q: How does being a busy bee help you in everyday life?
A: ¨I think the better question is, does it help me in everyday life? And sometimes I think no, but truthfully, it helps me because I could let my anxiety get in my way, but because I’m so busy and doing 25,000 things, I don’t have time to think and get in my own head. And that’s very, very helpful. And so that’s always a really nice part of it, and it also just gives me the chance to learn so many skills that I’ll need in life. “
