Our new Chief Editor, senior Kaitlyn Ford, got her important role within the newspaper staff in an interesting way. By essentially demanding she was fit for the job, she quickly “scared” everyone into compliance (even though we all planned on voting her into the position anyway).
Kaitlyn describes herself as, “outspoken, passionate, and driven.”
The way she runs the newspaper class has already shown this description to be accurate, but it really does work well for the role. Everyone trusts that Kaitlyn will have their best interest in mind and get anything done that she sets her mind to, just like she did when on her mission to become chief, a goal she had for herself when she first started journalism.
She started her journey to chief as a freshman in Journalism One with Mrs. Rauenbuehler connecting to, “the classroom atmosphere and the opportunities to write stories I was genuinely interested in. I also loved the teacher.”
Now, as a senior, her love for the class has just kept growing. But, even though she enjoys writing so much, her future plans hold even more to offer. o many things and I am so proud of myself.”
“I have been accepted into the University of Iowa and I am so excited to attend the school. I have known I wanted to go to that school for quite some time now, and it’s finally coming true,” Kaitlyn said.
With both of her parents being nurses, she has always been surrounded with the idea of nursing and it eventually inspired her to pursue it herself. Applying to such a competitive medical field, her hard work and dedication is something she is finally giving herself credit for.
She describes this realization by saying, “I always strive for more. But I have already done so much. I truly have accomplished so many things and I am so proud of myself.”
This quality is something she has deemed one of the best parts about herself. It has gotten her to where she is now, but she is also aware of the support system that has played a role too, although it may not be the most traditional form of support.
“Roman [her cat] has been the best support system even if all he does is meow and sleep on my pillow. Overall, I am in a great place right now and I could not have done it without my family and friends,” she stated.
This feeling goes both ways too because she knows that although she may come off as intimidating or aggressive initially, her friends will always have her support.
Kaitlyn is aware of how she can be perceived before others interact with her, but people eventually see the real her.
“When people get to know me I can be understanding and empathetic when it matters. My friends know that I care for them and I would never hurt them.”
Sometimes you can even see this softer side of Kaitlyn come out while in the newspaper, although it would definitely be considered a rare event.
Every part of Kaitlyn’s personality adds to how much of an asset she is to our team, and, although we will be sad to see her leave at the end of the year, we are even happier to watch her reach her goals.
“I want to prove that I am a great Chief Editor,” and, “honestly, I just want to work my hardest. It is my senior year, and I need to soak in these last moments before I leave high school forever.”
