I joined the Liberator my second year at LASA. Looking back on it, I wish I had known about it during my first. Aside from practical skills such as learning the ins and outs of Adobe InDesign, how to write an email or how to manage my time, I got an amazing sense of community. I was able to meet a variety of students in different grade levels who I normally would not have interacted with much. 

Being able to delve into a topic I am especially passionate about, something I was able to do much more once I became a News editor, was one the highlights of writing for the Liberator. When writing stories, I was able to hear all these amazing perspectives from interviewees and learn all about their lives. For example, earlier this school year, I wrote an article with my co-editor that was looking into the way the COVID-19 pandemic was disproportionately impacting various communities of color, disabled communities and those in prisons. I was able to conduct a very extensive interview with Amreeta Mathati, a staff attorney at the ACLU’s Racial Justice program, learning about various factors I had rarely thought of previously. For example, she discussed how housing quality might impact the health of individuals of varying socioeconomic levels throughout their lives. I am so glad I was able to share this information with others, among many other topics throughout various issues printed. 

One of my favorite memories being in newspaper was going off campus to get dinner during late nights. I never learned to drive, so I would tag along with different editors each night and it was such a good way to get to know people better.

My goal when I started as an editor was to increase the number of readers of the News section and help make others as passionate as I am about topics covered in our section. Though it might not yet be to the standard I would like, I have absolute faith in the future News editorial teams that it will keep improving to reach its full potential.