Class: 2017
Major: Markets, Innovation, and Design track in the School of Management; Philosophy minor
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
What do you do on campus?
I am the Editor-in-Chief of The Bucknellian, a Reports Specialty TA for Management 101, a Peer Writing Consultant at the Writing Center, the VP of Marketing for Campus Vinyl, and a Copy Editor for Spoon University
What does The Bucknellian mean to you, beyond a student publication?
I’ve been on the staff of at least one publication since 7th grade, so joining at the beginning of my freshman year seemed like a no-brainer. I actually remember tweeting a picture of the staff box from the first issue on the second week of school with the caption along the lines of “Only I would have an editor position on my university’s paper before making any friends.” And that really was the case— I had absolutely no friends. Luckily, however, I met some of my best friends in the newsroom. I basically had two older sisters on campus by the end of second semester freshman year in the form of Lauren Boone and Jen Lassen thanks to the paper. Also, forcing one of my now roommates and best friends to join the staff last year played a large role in how close we are now. Something about sitting in a room until 3 a.m. on a Wednesday night laying out articles has a profound effect on friendships. Essentially, I owe my remote social success at this university to that dreary room in the basement of Roberts.
What do you see as the future for The Bucknellian during your time as EIC, on Bucknell’s campus, and in ten years?
Over the past year and a half or so, I’ve had the pleasure of watching the newspaper develop both in terms of aesthetics and in terms of content and have seen us launch our new website. After our most recent redesign, I am finally satisfied with how the paper looks, and I am glad that our content is slowly moving away from paraphrasing press releases to more content-rich pieces. Currently, we are in the process of launching a new blogs portion of our website as well as kick-starting a new video component of our publication with our newly formed video staff. I really hope that future editors continue to develop and expand the paper because I feel like the opportunities are endless.
Hailing from Los Angeles, Calif., what’s one thing you’ve learned going to college on the East Coast?
Apparently, country music is actually a thing and boba is “bubble tea.”
How has your passion for graphic design led you to get involved in other things on campus?
Fun fact: I did not write a full-length article for The Bucknellian until after I was elected Editor-in-Chief at the end of last semester. Prior to that point, all of my contributions were essentially in the form of graphics, layouts, and work on the website. Overall, however, graphic design has helped serve as a gateway into most of my on-campus involvement, usually in the form of rebranding and promotions. From using InDesign to layout analytics-driven case studies in Management 102 and to breaking the Microsoft Word cookie cutter Company Summary format in Management 101 to leading a how-to series on InDesign for a group of individuals from the CAP Center, my bizarre obsession with the Adobe Creative Suite has allowed me to go down a few unconventional paths in my first two years at the University.
Tell us about your passion for music and the concert experience. How does music influence your creativity in terms of writing or graphic design?
If you follow me on Spotify and I forget to turn on private listening, I would like to genuinely apologize for filling up your feed with “Comptine d’un autre été, l’près-midi” by Yann Tiersen—it’s my go-to song when I’m doing work, and I tend to play it for three hour increments on loop. In general, though, the thing I miss the most about Los Angeles (other than the food) is the live music. You can catch me lamenting on that one time I made it onto Coachella Live during Alt-J’s set, that other time when I was chosen to ask Jack White a question at an event then was cut off because when I approached the stage due to a time constraint, or when I met Walk the Moon prior to the release of their first album at a Young the Giant concert. Concerts genuinely got me through high school. Luckily, on campus, I’ve had the opportunity to get involved with an organization focused on bringing live music to campus, writing about music, and just talking about music in general—huge shout out to Campus Vinyl.
Where do you hope your creativity will take your career-wise?
I (luckily) still have a bit of time ahead of me before I need to figure out exactly what I want to go into, but I feel like the combination of my passion for design, my involvement with writing, and my track within the School of Management (Markets, Innovation, and Design) will set me up to go into a career in marketing, particularly in branding or advertising in either the realm of food, sports, or music. I also have an eventual goal of opening my own restaurant that is overall aesthetics-driven after whatever initial career path I choose, so those would all absolutely help with that as well.
Best of the Rest…
Your Go-To-Listen-To Band: The StrokesMust Shop Store/Brand: I have a huge crush on AllSaintsTop Three iPhone Apps: I’ve somehow managed to keep my iPhone game-free, so I guess VSCO Cam, Snapchat, and Google Calendar (my bible)Little Known Fact: Contrary to popular belief, I am from LA.