I didn’t really know what journalism was when I was in high school. When I first started doing broadcast journalism, I didn’t realize it was journalism. The term just didn’t carry a lot of weight in my brain.
Flash forward not even four full years, and I am a student sports journalist looking to have a serious career in the field after graduation. Between then and now, I learned a lot. But instead of a life story about how I went from an athlete to a writer, I’m going to skip ahead and explain what my current job as sports editor of the Massachusetts Daily Collegian means to me.
Sports editor, that’s kind of a big deal. Actually, no need to say kind of, it is a big deal and I know it. I am the head editor of the sports section for the Collegian, UMass’ only entirely student-run paper on campus and the University’s main source of news since 1890. The sports section covers all things UMass sports-related and I am in charge of making sure that sports are covered, and that writers are engaged, pitching pieces, and submitting things before deadlines. Then everything that happens before things go through edits eventually comes back to me.
My assistant editors and I edit and publish roughly 12-15 articles per week with around nine to 10 coming on the weekends. Friday nights are often spent editing before socializing and Saturday mornings, Saturday nights, and Sunday follow the same pattern. I assign people to beat reporter jobs, I send out a weekly schedule for pitches, I connect writers with staff members of UMass Athletics. I am always working and I love it.
When I stand in front of a group of incredibly thoughtful, talented, and driven writers to run our meetings every Monday night, I feel an overwhelming sense of joy. The knowledge that I am so beyond lucky to do my job and have this opportunity never slips my mind. But there is also the feeling I have when I can see my words impact someone, and it is indescribable. As writers, you often assume it’s your written text that makes a change. When meetings occur, it gives me that reassurance that what I am doing in my job is working when I can physically see the reaction of my writers to what I am saying as an editor. There is no better feeling.
So yes, my job is busy and it means a lot to me. But being a female sports editor means that much more. There is no denying the lack of women in sports journalism. Only 10 percent of sports editors today are women. That small percentage doesn’t slip my mind, and I am grateful I go to a school that doesn’t just allow me to be a sports editor but allows me to thrive as one and supports me. I get the opportunity to make a change, make a difference, inspire more women to write about sports, and involve themselves in the field.
Some could say that my job right now isn’t professional, so it doesn’t matter. The Collegian runs like a serious newsroom. The experience I am getting right now is as close to professional journalism experience as I can get in college that isn’t an internship. The deadlines I meet and the standards I hold my section to are near professional. That means a lot to me.
Being the sports editor of such a prestigious college paper means that I get to wake up every day and do what I love knowing that what I learn will only help me more after college. There is so much you can do at the college level with journalism. There is so much you can do with a sports section at a college newspaper. I am honored and grateful I get to spend my time doing those things and continuing to make a positive difference as a woman in a very male-dominated field.
I have to handle a lot of things on a day-to-day basis. It’s a full-time job on top of school. But I wouldn’t change it for the world and I am so proud of what I do in my role.
Can’t get enough of HC UMass Amherst? Be sure to follow us on Instagram, listen to us on Spotify, like us on Facebook, and read our latest Tweets!