Name: Joshua FarmerMajor: Communication, journalismYear: SeniorHometown: Raleigh, North CarolinaHobbies: Cooking, fishing, Netflixing and wearing flannel
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Q: What are your goals as Editor-in-Chief of The Appalachian?A: The goal for us is to create a hands-on lab through which students can learn in a real-world setting how to be solid journalists. We’ve tried to make The Appalachian a quality product and we’ve done that to a point. We’ve won awards for our content and design work. But the biggest thing is to grow the organization in a way that allows student journalists to do bigger and better things.
Q: What is your favorite thing about being EIC?A: Being the editor-in-chief has afforded me so many great opportunities, really since I became managing editor last year, I have had a lot of doors open. I have traveled more than I ever thought I would, mostly to conferences. I’ve been to New York, Ann Arbor, Michigan; Atlanta and Athens, Georgia; Asheville, North Carolina. I’ve had the opportunity to network with people from all over the nation. Now, I have an internship with the Tampa Bay Times lined up for this summer. There’s no way I got that internship without the education of being part of The Appalachian.
Q:Any weird stories to share about The Appalachian?A: I’ve made a lot of good friends through the newspaper. There are a lot of stories, most of which I would hesitate to share in an interview. The story I tell most often is one that I think illustrates the learning lab role the organization plays for students. My first assignment was to cover the creation of the AsUBus app by Brian Clee, a computer science student. I did such a terrible job of writing it, the editors turned it into an infographic. I almost quit, but stuck with it, and it seems to have worked out pretty well so far.
Q: What is the coolest story you’ve covered?A: I got to cover an Appalachian State University football game from the press box at Michigan Stadium in August. I went with two others. We parked about a mile from the stadium and walked through the streets lined with fraternity houses full tailgaters. It was the craziest partying I’ve ever seen, like a scene from “Project X.” It’s 9 a.m. before a noon kickoff and people are doing two-story beer bongs on front lawns. Appalachian lost big, but we went out the night after the game, so it was pretty great.
Q:What else are you involved in on campus? A:Nothing, really. I spend my whole day in the newsroom, so there’s not much else I have time for as far as on-campus involvement. In the past I’ve been involved in Greek life, my hall council and I was an AppolCorps leader.