During the first months of a new school year, I was interested to see how our most recent graduates were doing. I reached out to last year’s Tattler Editorial Board and asked how their first few weeks of college were and whether or not they plan to continue writing and pursuing journalism in college. Here are their answers (plus some sage advice):
Editor in Chief: Jinho Park ’22
“The first few weeks of college have treated me well. While I have been busy, much more so than I was in high school, it has been the good sort of busy. I am learning all the things I hoped to learn and finding all the people I hoped to meet. Of course, it has not been all fun. Being away from family, friends, the life in Ithaca I once thought I’d have forever—all these things are tough. There is no way around that.
Of course, I’m still writing here. I’m planning to submit some poetry and prose to the many brilliant literary magazines on campus. And I have been ‘comping’—a weird Harvard way to say getting involved with—The Crimson, the school paper. What I’ve learned from the first few weeks is how much I never knew about journalism. It has been humbling.
I wish you and the rest of the folks at The Tattler the very best. And please keep writing. Keep finding and uplifting the bright student voices at IHS. Please fight the good fight, but also don’t worry too much about any of it. Don’t worry too much about The Tattler, the other clubs you join, the sports you play, the classes you take, or even the friends you’ll grow to love. In the end, after you have given yourself, all you can do is cherish the person you have become.”
Opinion Editor: Louisa Miller-Out ’22
“My first few weeks at Smith College have been great so far! I’m planning to major in biology and neuroscience but I’m also enjoying Korean, and I just started writing for the opinion section of my college’s newspaper, The Sophian.”
Sports Editor: Aitan Avgar ’22‘
“I am currently attending Cornell University and am planning on being a Government major. College is very fun! I am meeting new people, enjoying my classes, and pursuing clubs and other student organizations. It is a lot of work though; I am spending many hours in the library. As of now, I do not intend on pursuing journalism in college but I definitely plan on using my writing skills gained from my Tattler experience in research publications and literary magazines throughout my time at Cornell.”
Arts Editor: Katie Lin ’22
“My first few weeks [at Cornell] have been well, and I’m really enjoying getting to know the “college” side of Ithaca as opposed to the “high school” side. I love my suitemates, and am excited for the future! I may continue journalism in the future, but currently am focusing on social justice clubs.”
Back Page Editor: Adowyn Ernste ’22
“The first few weeks of college have been busy but good, and I’m really enjoying all of my classes so far. It’s been a bit of a shift getting used to how different college classes are compared to high school: there’s a lot more reading and a more fast-paced curriculum, but also a chance to dig deeper into the material and even take crazy classes like Nautical Archaeology and Gamelan.
While I don’t plan to continue pursuing journalism exactly, I definitely plan to keep up with creative writing, drawing, design, and comics. So far, I’ve joined the Cornell Lunatic (a humor magazine for satire, art, and comics) and Rainy Day (a literary magazine). As I’ve discovered, Cornell has a lot of publications, so there are many ways to get involved!”
Copy Editor: Adam Saar ’22
“The first weeks of college have been hectic and there is so much change to take in when you transition from high school to college, but I’ve been having a lot of fun. I’m really lucky that I’ve been able to meet a lot of cool people and make new friends, and I like most of my classes too. At Case Western Reserve University there are two student-run print publications—a weekly student newspaper called The Observer, and a monthly satire magazine called The Athenian. I’ve indicated interest in both but haven’t yet involved myself in either mainly due to time-management concerns as it’s my first semester in college, but I’m really excited to get involved in them eventually. I’m especially excited about writing for The Athenian, I feel like all those Tattler April Fools’ Editions have prepared me exactly for this.”
Business and Advertising Manager: Sammy Deol ’22
“I’m currently a Biomedical Sciences major at the Rochester Institute of Technology, and I’m in a BS/MD program with Upstate Medical University, which guarantees me a spot in medical school in four years. I turned down Yale to come here—I think a lot of people worry too much about prestige when picking a school instead of choosing what’s right for them. I joined the student magazine (RIT Reporter) here at college, and I’m currently the Technology Editor! Another cool fact: I’m going to Guatemala in December to repair hospital equipment in rural hospitals.”