Grace Carey Portfolio

Grace’s Portfolio

Self Reflection This semester was by far the toughest I have ever had, both academically and personally. Despite the obstacles, I have learned that there is always a way to succeed. It may not always be the conventional way, but there is always a way. I know that the lessons I have learned in the past few months will carry with me for the rest of my life. Being able to work around what you’re given is an essential skill that I believe everyone should strive to attain.

Every year I talk about how important it is not to procrastinate, and how if I had just planned ahead, I would be on track. But, at the end of the day, I am always going to be cramming to get something done or out the door on time. Over the past couple years I have learned that in order for everything to work, everyone needs to do their part. While I always do my part, it will more often than not be in the last minute.

Typically, I work well with others. Well, for the most part at least. I work well with intelligent people, and since a majority of the kids in this class are intelligent, we all seem to work well together. In the future I might make a point to be more considerate so I avoid office calls about asking people why they took a 30 minute bathroom break, but it will all be dependent on the situation.

While I do not think I learned anything new concerning the ethics of journalism, I do believe that I taught others about it. I think I did a strong job of remaining objective and teaching my classmates to do the same. This is so important to teach from the time someone enters the world of journalism because otherwise it can be easy to get sucked into writing what you feel everyone wants you to write.

For the past three years I have been an editor, however, my role as Co-EditorIn-Chief is a lot different than my previous editor positions. For example, I do not have my own page, instead I can have up to 20. While I miss being able to be creative with InDesign, I enjoy being able to help everyone with their layouts a little, especially new editors. Although this year is different from others, I am fully committed to getting the paper to where it needs to be to be awarded a crown from Columbia University. Next year, when I am no longer here, I hope to join everyone in New York to celebrate our win for the paper.

Because school is not what it used to be at the moment, different problems have emerged this year, ones that have not previously been addressed. For example, Max and I completely run the class. While normally the advisor introduces concepts and deadlines, that is all up to us this year. From this I have learned that I have the ability to lead a classroom, even when it is full of my peers. My greatest weakness, when it comes to leadership in the classroom, is being insensitive. It is never my intention, but because I am very direct, sometimes it comes across as rude or that I have a personal dislike for that individual. To overcome this, I will place a higher importance on my deliverance.

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My mom took this don’t worry^^

Best Work Although I did not write any pieces of my own this semester, I don’t think that’s where my best work lies anyway. For me, my best work had to do with guiding others. Just as the Editor-In-Chiefs did for me when I was first starting out.

I think that for a lot of kids, it is a bit odd to be ‘’taking orders” from someone that is the same age as them. However, I think all of the editors did a good job of maintaining control, while still being someone that the younger writers could relate to.

I helped many students with their initial guiding interview questions, beginning their first story, and navigating the complex world of InDesign. In doing this, I realized that I knew a lot more than I had previously given myself credit for. It had all become second nature to me. When helping with InDesign specifically, I had a lot of fun with the other editors. I had the new ones pick a theme that they wanted to display across their page(s) and from there I lent a creative eye and design tips. I enjoyed seeing how each and every one of them approached a page differently.

Having the knowledge to help others is something that I greatly value, because I remember when I first started and could not even import a story or change a font without somebody else helping me. I find that with InDesign, more than writing, I am more patient with people. I think this is because even I sometimes find myself with a simple design question, whereas when it comes to writing, the style tips are always at the front of my brain. Being able to watch the skill set of editors grow over such a short period of time was amazing and I am grateful that I was able to guide them, especially with the wizard of InDesign being clear across the country.

As I looked over the finished product of the paper, I was and still am very proud that we were able to accomplish what we did. Coming into this year I was confident in my leadership ability, but I also feared many kids would not respect me because of the little age difference, however, today I can say without a shadow of a doubt that I have earned their respect. Everyone did their part and I am confident that we will continue to produce other outstanding issues. A large part of December being such a successful month for the paper was that the staff and editors all wanted to see their very best work in print. It is the very thing that makes this class so exciting. In 2020 everything is so unpredictable, but I know that both the staff and editors are dedicated to putting their best foot forward.

It is still crazy to me that Max and I met in Digital Journalism four years ago and now we’re guiding a classroom together. We could not have accomplished what we did this semester without him, he kept everyone on track on the days that I felt like I couldn’t. I am beyond grateful that I have the ability to share this experience with someone like him.

Being an Editor Due to COVID-19, this semester is different than anything any of us have seen before. Not only were we not able to print our first couple issues, but we also were not given the time to properly train new editors. This resulted in more pressure on experienced editors, because they had to teach while still staying on track with their own pages. I do not have a page of my own, therefore, I think I was a valuable asset to the team because I was able to spend a majority of my time teaching.

My leadership style may be different than the conventional way, but I know that it is effective. Rather than sitting at the front of the room and yelling at those who have not completed their assignments, I have found that leading by example is more effective. This is because your peers do not want to be told what to do by someone their own age, however, they are always eager to show off. It is my belief that if the bar is set high, they will strive to meet it, if not surpass it.

I have always enjoyed being a leader, mostly because I have never liked being a follower. When I was younger there was always one girl who was mean to me, and I was probably the same way to her. When I would tell my parents about it, I would get upset and wonder why sometimes my friends did not push back to the things she would say. I remember one day they looked at me and said “Grace, there is a difference between leaders and followers, you don’t understand this because you’re a natural leader.” This has stuck with me ever since, and I can always tell where someone stands. I enjoy my leadership role because I know that I do a good job with it. My greatest challenge with it is that sometimes I come off as too strong. Not everyone responds well to this, especially more sensitive people, so I have had to work on this aspect.

In the scenario of a wolf pack, the last is the leader because he is there to make sure no wolf is left behind. Although he leaves himself open to attack from behind, part of being a leader is stepping up to a challenge that others do not want to do. Part of being Editor-In-Chief is making sure that everyone has what they need to succeed. Just like the wolf in the back of the pack, we are here to make sure no one is left behind or set back when a challenge arises. This is an essential part of team work because it puts an emphasis working collectively.

From the beginning of the year to now, I can tell how much we have improved as a publication. The 2020 school year is not what we envisioned, but we have adapted well and will continue to do so. It is my firm belief that if we keep working how we have been recently, we will be awarded a crown.