top of page
As a freshman just starting high school I was still searching for my place, trying to find my people. By joining Ann Arbor Huron's Yearbook program and applying my prior knowledge of digital storytelling starting out as a staff member everything clicked. I quickly fell in love with the publications world as it provided a medium for me to tell stories, while also gaining real world experience in coaching and leading others to success.
I was soon taken under the wing of multiple upperclassmen leaders, and told that I had the potential to one day lead the entire program which I took on as a personal challenge. I was soon promoted from staff member to Design editor within the first semester of my high school career. With the new goal of creating the best publication I could through leadership I let this fuel me to instruct others to the best of my ability, while working to make every yearbook and story better than the last.
After my first year in the publications world, I was provided the opportunity to cross paths with numerous other individuals focused on the same goals I had at the Michigan Interscholastic Press Association summer camp. I had the ability to take classes teaching me to improve design, create healthier leadership environments, and develop my photography skills to shoot like a professional. This experience built far stronger connections to the peers I had at my high school newspaper while also teaching me the importance of networking with other leaders all of the state. I had found my people.
Returning for my second and third years in our publications program I was able to add Managing Editor to my resume and applied my new understandings of what a efficient and successful publications room should look like. Structuring time management for higher leadership to make their lives easier was essential while simultaneously making everyone feel included and valued through respectful instruction and communication when times got tough. During this time I also recognized that i was in a position to mentor younger staff members individualy to ensure my knowledge of design, photography, and leadership could be carried down into the future generations of our publications.
Finishing up my Junior year of high school I took this mentorship as a leader to the extreme, volunteering countless hours to help educate and prepare middle school students participating in publications for the next level up. Two of these students now hold editorial roles in our high school's newspaper program as freshman.
With three yearbooks under my belt and more leadership experience than I ever thought I could gain from high school, I focused my abilities on theme and deadline development while recruiting to create a larger staff. I was able to bring together what is normally ten different groups of designers for a theme into one to improve efficiency, ultimately returning with better results of a structured theme than previous years. While doing this I was also able to communicate with representatives at the Jostens Printing company and arrange the next year's deadlines for minimal stress, and maximize time for beginning of the year bootcamp education to help newcommers to the program.
Recruiting friends, athletes, and many kids I saw had potential to become great became a major part of my "off-season" experience for our publications community. I was able to bring in people I felt could work well with others, help create a positive environment, and prioritize the team's success over individual success. Personally bringing in over 30 new faces to the publications program helped ensure that the future of our publications community would continue to thrive years after I would be gone felt like a huge success as a leader.
As I wrap up my senior year of high school and my fourth year in Ann Arbor Huron High School's Yearbook publication's program as Editor in Chief, I am so grateful for the experiences it provided me over the years. I was already able to visit a national publications convention this year in Nashville, and lead a presentation on the importance of communication in leadership to help publication leaders like myself around the country improve their own communities. As publications helped me develop and become a positive contributed to my community through storytelling and leadership I am forever appreciative. As I am sad to move on from High School leadership in publications I am taking many memories, exposure to real world leadership situations, and a love for photography with me, as well as a handful of awards for my controbutions.
bottom of page