The Standard is Duke’s new student-run online lifestyle publication. The content of The Standard covers everything from art to culture to opinion and features exceptional individuals and groups on campus. Their newly launched website includes the Duke Rugby Team, a sex confession column, and travel articles. You can’t get more wide-ranging than that!
I got the chance to talk to Stephanie Chao and Maeva Recchia, the visionaries and editors of The Standard, to learn how and why they started the magazine, to gain a peek into their lives, and understand what they hope to achieve with The Standard!
1.) Why did you decide to start The Standard?
We wanted to offer an interactive, modern, dynamic interface for Duke students to express their creative talent and to learn more about each other. We hoped to bring together a diverse group of students from different backgrounds, and with a broad range of interests to this digital publication.
2.) How did you find your team?
We started off as four girls with a vision to build a team from writers, photographers, videographers, publicists, stylists, web designers, graphic designers, and illustrators. We held our first recruiting event at the Student Activities Fair in late August and proceeded with word of mouth. We are now a proud team of 80+ students!
3.) What has been your biggest difficulty? How did you overcome it?
Our biggest challenge was to come up with a clear and sustainable vision of The Standard. It is one thing to brainstorm ideas in a classroom but it is another to materialize them. We started off mid-semester of Spring 2013 and continued collaborating during the summer to work on the operational aspect of The Standard to jump start the Fall semester right.
4.) What do you hope to see The Standard become while you’re still at Duke?
We envision The Standard evolving with rich and interactive content. We hope to reach a very wide audience, making sure we are relevant to the entire Duke community, and hopefully beyond. In addition, we have recently received recognition as a chartered DukeGroup, a vital step for the sustainability of The Standard. We hope The Standard to be an inclusive environment where all students with varied talents can come together and express themselves thoughtfully and creatively. We hope The Standard can become a place where people go to openly and honestly read and discuss topics and projects that are not only about Duke, but also life at large.
5.) Who is your target audience?
Our target audience is first and foremost the Duke student body. We want The Standard to be a level-playing field for all of the groups that make up the Duke collective. Moreover, since we are an easily accessible digital publication, we aim to reach out to Duke administration and larger audiences outside of our campus.
6.) Favorite part about The Standard/the experience you’ve had so far?
Our favorite part about this whole experience has been interacting with our team. We have met the most exceptionally talented and committed individuals – it keeps us inspired! Their contribution to The Standard is priceless. We know that The Standard will only keep improving and growing because of the dynamic collaboration of our team. Furthermore, our abroad team is very much in touch with our progress and Tracy Huang, our Editor-at-Large, manages the Travel section of ‘The Scoop.’
Maeva: My most memorable experience with The Standard was the night prior to launch of the website. Stephanie and I were closely working with Web Editor Ann Niou and Creative Director Isalyn Connell to determine the esthetics of the website as well as uploading the content we had gathered so far. It was simultaneously very rewarding and inspiring to finally see all our work materialize in front of our eyes.
Steph: Tre’, our PR director, convinced Maeva and I we should be at the DSG Senate meeting where SoFC would be recommending our group for charter status. It was such a surreal experience to hear them discuss our project and validate our idea! They noticed that we were sitting in the back and asked us to talk about The Standard and answer a few questions. Hearing the approval of everyone from the Senate was what finally made it sink in for me – the months of hard work had paid off.
Personal Questions:
1.) What has got you interested in fashion and journalism?
Maeva: Growing up in Paris, I have always been attracted to diversities: architecture, cuisine, cultures, art. At Duke, I had the opportunity of further exploring my interests and I realized I was the most stimulated by creative expression. I enjoy using my imagination and pleasing my visual mind to bring together a tangible product. My involvement with journalism and design thus stems from such upbringing and perspective.
Steph: My father works in retail, so I grew up in that environment. Seeing the people and environment he interacts with on a daily basis inspires me. Even when we traveled, he was always sort of “on duty” looking out for new ideas for stores, architecture, and general trends in the retail business, so I too developed an eye for the fashion and retail industry. On top of that growing up in São Paulo, a very urban and cosmopolitan city, I was heavily influenced by my surroundings. Brazilian culture is so rich and diverse because it has influences from all over the world. I would say my interest in journalism stems from my passion for photography. I started taking pictures at the age of fourteen and haven’t stopped since. Whether they are documentary photos or fashion photography, when done with purpose, images are powerful and carry meaningful messages.
2.) What are you studying at Duke? What do you hope to do after?
Maeva: I study Political Science with a Markets and Management Certificate. Upon graduation, I hope to remain in the States and work in luxury retail. Alternatively if that does not work out, I would love to move to Asia. Indeed, I studied abroad in Shanghai during my junior year and grew a deep appreciation for Chinese culture.
Steph: I am studying Art History and ICS with a regional concentration in Latin America. I have always been a very visual person, and my studies at Duke have only further ignited my passion for visual arts. I hope to work in the art world upon graduation in any of the major art centers in the USA – NYC, San Francisco, Chicago or LA.
3.) How would you describe each other?
Maeva: Stephanie is an exceptionally loyal, charismatic friend and a very hard-working business partner! We were only acquaintances prior to launching The Standard together, but she has grown to become a close friend of mine and I am glad I had the chance to share such an exciting journey with her.
Steph: Maeva has a very creative mind and is willing to take risks! I think we balance each other pretty well as co-editors, because I can be a little too pragmatic at times. The Standard, however, has brought us together as not only business partners, but also as good friends. We have fun talking about The Standard, and we also have other interests and passions in common, so it’s just a great energy when we’re together.
4.) Tell us a bit about your background and your other activities at Duke:
Maeva: I was born in Santa Monica, however I lived in Paris my entire life. With an Italian father and Tahitian mother, I was quickly immersed in a multicultural environment. I have an older brother whom I am so grateful for as he has always been very supportive of my academic and professional endeavors. We are very close as we both attend Duke and share [the] same circle of friends and interests – I dread the day we will no longer be living in [the] same town! During my Duke career, I have contributed to different organizations – today I am an active member of Business Oriented Women and Pi Beta Phi fraternity.
Steph: I was born and raised in São Paulo, as well as both my parents. My grandparents were the ones that immigrated to Brazil from China. However, at the point where I was born, my mom’s family had then relocated once more to California. I always joke that it’s complicated when people ask me where I’m from (something Maeva and I apparently have in common). I graduated from the international school in São Paulo, the same one that my dad attended. Although I went to the same school for my entire life, people from all over the world were always moving in and out – so I got to experience so many different cultures through my relationships with my classmates and friends. Aside from The Standard, I currently work at the Nasher Museum and with Sanyin Siang, the director of the Coach K Center for Leadership and Ethics developing a project that combines photography and technology. I am also a member of Mundi, a multicultural SLG.
The Standard can be found here:
Website: http://getthestandard.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheStandardatDuke
Instagram: www.instagram.com/thestandardatduke