Leadership
As an EIC and a past Supervising Photographer, helping my fellow staff members troubleshoot problems and learn new skills is a privilege I have earned at my time with Tower. Taking on new tasks is a significant part of growing as a journalist and I will be there with them every step of the way. Here are some of the things I have done to help organize, guide and adapt the Tower and staff to overcome challenges.
When my co-editor and I became the Web EICs for the 2022-2023 school year, our first change was to make the web story sign-up more navigational and easy to understand. Changing the font to be easier to read, having softer colors for highlighting and creating a color-code for stories has made it easier for staffers, copy editors and web posters to efficiently and effectively do their jobs.
As the Supervising Photographer during the 2021-2022 school year, I made it my mission to help students be less afraid of using a professional to take pictures. To do this, I reorganized the entire camera closet and labeled every one of the cameras. After labeling them I was able to make a QR code sign-in and sign-out to keep track of the cameras. By making it easier to catalog camera activity, making a picture sign-up schedule allowed for students to get more service and journalism opportunities while also expanding the Tower’s coverage of sports events.
Every other Monday the E-Board for the Tower will gather before school to discuss potential ideas for the editorial and cover images for the next issue. It is a collaborative and welcoming atmosphere where all are welcome, especially staff members if they have ideas to pitch. We vote on ideas and talk through potential problems and angles if it were to be released. Although professional, we keep it lighthearted with conversation and bagels. I’m happy to say that I have attended every meeting this year so far and I am typically relied on for creative cover pitches.
As someone who is passionate and dedicated to photography, I have taken it upon myself to teach tips and tricks to the staff whenever possible. From RAW files, to Lightroom Classic, to how to create a fast PNG, I have done it all. Some of my favorite teaching moments are how to shoot sports and use a camera. Sharing my knowledge of photography is satisfying and reinforces the things I have learned over the years.