Leadership and Team-Building
Originally, I thought I was going to inherit the Sports Editor position, but Mr. Taylor thought that I could be more than that and tabbed be to be the Online Editor, one spot on the triumverate of leadership on the staff, with the Editor-in-Chief and Assistant Editor filling the other two. I never envisioned myself as a leader, but that was becuase I hadn't known what a leader truly was. A leader is someone who makes everyone under him/her be their best selves. By being the Online Editor, I realized that I loved leading.
Hagerty and Oviedo
I have the utmost respect for Kevin Patterson and the TV program at Oviedo High School. Since our schools are so close by and the rivalry football game between our schools is always a marquee event, I thought it would be a great idea to collaborate on a promotional video. We created two versions of the same intro, while the story itself that came after was the same when it aired at both schools. I worked with Oviedo student Nevada Cullen and he was great to work with. The video went on to become part of a package that won Best of the Best in a 2018 FSPA fall contest.
FSPA Powerpoint- Interviewing
One of my favorite things about being a journalist is using my platform and experience to help others. So, for my first time speaking at an FSPA event, I focused on my experience interviewing high ranking individuals and gathering information. For people that are starting out, they might not be as confident in their interviewing skills, especially if those interviews end up with people of importance, such as the principal, or even the mayor. So, I wanted to help them the best way possible.
FSPA Powerpoint- Let's Get Interactive
Before I led a session alone at the 2018 District 3 Fall Workshop, I ran a session at the 2018 FSPA State Convention with my Assistant Editor Melissa Donovan and Editor-in-Chief Ahilyn Aguilar. During that year, we had worked to make our website more interactive, so we each took a section of the powerpoint, each one talking about different ways to add more interactive elements to a website.
Wrestling (with TV Production)
I was part of the TV Production program and the newspaper staff for this coverage. For a submission for Quick Turn Multimedia Event Coverage category at FSPA, I facilitated a WOOF TV- BluePrint collaboration on covering the wrestling team's senior night meet against Oviedo. While I was working on the story, Kali Jobs of WOOF TV shot the video, and Noah Kemper took photos. Both Kali and I took part in editing the video together. The package ended up winning Best of the Best.
My newspaper family
One obstacle our staff has faced the past two years has been its size. Last year, the staff was only 11 students. Having to create an 8-page paper with that number of students meant that everyone had to pick up a leadership role. This was the first year I was the Online Editor, in charge of the website, as well as a third in command of the staff after Editor-in-Chief and Assistant Editor. Having spent multiple years working with this staff, they all began feeling like family to me, and being a part of a family means everybody had their part to play.
