Mariela Patron always looks sharp. Her outfits are always perfectly accessorized with pearls, bows, and Peter Pan collars. It is rare to see her not calm, cool, and collected despite the fact that she maintains a full schedule and has been the News Editor for the Campus Times for the past two semesters. Now, Mariela has earned the title of Editor in Chief for the Campus Times for the Spring 2014 semester—the first female in command for a whole year.
“I am excited. I am looking forward to being a leader and having responsibility on my shoulders. I am a little scared because I have senior project to work on at the same time, but other than that I feel really confident about what I have to do,” Mariela said.
Her goals for the weekly campus publication are simple, but extremely important for the students of La Verne.
“I hope to keep the Campus Times up to the level it is at now, and bring a voice to students who do not feel represented well on campus,” she said, “I want to keep up with big news stories that keep the university and everyone talking.”
Mariela, 21 year-old journalism major, will have a senior project compiled of stories looking into how the University of La Verne works with American Disabilities Act (ADA) students as well as profiling students on campus with disabilities.
“Next semester my ultimate goal is to finish all of my classes, do a great job on my senior project, and hopefully win some recognition for it since it is a topic I am passionate about,” Mariela said.
Her love for hard news stories has led Mariela to finding her passion for bringing humanity into breaking news stories. Mariela looks to journalists like Ann Curry from NBC for inspiration in how she would like to cover stories in her future.
Looking ahead towards her graduation in the Fall of 2014, Mariela is not sure yet whether she will attend graduate school or go straight into the work force.
“I would love to be the head of the news team and to bring the human side of stories for example in war,” Mariela said, “I am also interested in writing a children’s book one day, I kind of want to do a little bit of everything.”
No matter what she does, this Campus Celebrity’s dedication to representing the students and the community will lead her to big things—and we can’t wait to watch her shine.