Every two terms, Drexel’s independent student newspaper The Triangle elects a new Editor-In-Chief and the paper becomes reinvigorated with new ideas. Her Campus has been lucky enough to sit down with the past two editors, Anne Most and Sandra Petri, as well as the current head honcho, Julia Casciato. Despite the basic tasks of the position staying the same over time, each leader handles them differently and Julia is focusing her efforts on expanding the online presence of the paper.
As a 21-year-old Pre-Junior, Julia now leads the campus organization she has been passionate about since her first day at Drexel – no really, she attended a Triangle meeting on her first day of college. Starting as a news writer and working her way up the ladder to News Editor, Julia later joined the Editorial Board to see what the paper looked like behind the scenes. All of these skills have combined to prepare her for her latest role.
Nearly through her first term as Editor-In-Chief, Julia knows all of the difficulties behind keeping a historic paper afloat on a campus where the most popular news source is social media. That pressure compounded with Drexel’s fast-paced environment makes for a tough job. “Being in The Triangle, no matter what your position, is a huge time commitment. We’re all students trying to get through the quarter system and run a newspaper on top of everything else we have going on individually,” Julia said, “It’s difficult to keep everyone on track and focus on the task at hand, but somehow it all works.”
The spring term was also one of transition for The Triangle as many editors moved on from their positions and fresh faces were added to the masthead. “Spring term was the first time a few of our editors had been in the position, and at first it was a little rocky, but they were able to figure it out. Not only that, a few of the new editors took initiative to try new things out and expand their sections,” Julia said.
One of those initiatives is the addition of the paper’s first long-form feature to The Triangle’s news-focused past, helped significantly by some expert online design by Web Production Manager Noel Forte. Of the accomplishment, Julia said, “Something I wanted to work on when I started in the role was getting our staff to bring their ideas to the table. I want their visions for the paper to become a reality, and I think we accomplished that in spring term.”
The Triangle staff is family-like in its bond, something Julia cherishes about her experience. “My favorite part is getting to watch everyone on staff grow,” Julia said, “I think what’s kept me so invested in the paper is the amazing group of people I get to work with each week. We become a little family in some ways.” Of how the group has changed her time at Drexel, Julia said “Without The Triangle I would certainly be missing something from my life.”
When she graduates a few years down the road, Julia wants to go into book publishing, a passion she has always planned to pursue as an English major. Although this path has been her end goal, the opportunities that working at The Triangle has afforded her in terms of co-op has allowed her to consider other avenues as well. One definite post-grad plan: “Take a nice long vacation!”
Until then, you can find Julia in a few places around campus. Expect to find her behind the Editor-In-Chief desk through summer term. When she’s not there, make sure to check the Drexel Writing Center. No luck? She’s probably at a Phillies game. “I’ve been a Phillies fan my whole life. Right now I hate to say that because they’re doing so terribly,” Julia said. Here’s hoping the rest of the season makes this easier to admit!