Talk about your college application and selection process. How did you eventually end up at Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism?
When I toured Northwestern it was freezing, but I came away from the tour incredibly drawn to the school. That summer, I attended a month-long summer journalism program at Northwestern. The days there were long, packed with workshops and deadlines, but I enjoyed every minute and got more proof that the campus, the school, and the people there were right for me. The most compelling factor was that almost every single professor at the program was themselves a Northwestern alum.
The only thing that made me second-guess Northwestern was that I [was worried attending Medill meant] tying myself to a career I wasn’t set on yet. I soon realized that an enormous portion of Medill’s graduates don’t pursue traditional journalism careers, and almost every single student adds a second major or a minor in a different field. There was plenty of opportunity to explore academically, and I could maintain my interest in journalism without committing to anything.
How did you get involved with journalism? Why are you pursuing it in college?
I first got involved with journalism almost incidentally. The summer before my freshman year at Georgetown Day School, I received an email from the editors of the newspaper, the Augur Bit, telling freshmen to sign up for their annual week-long summer “boot camp.” I signed up as a way to find friends before school started, but I ended up receiving an award for best article written by a freshman. As a newbie in every sense of the word, that small bit of recognition gave me the confidence to jump in.
In addition to the Bit, two summer programs cemented my love for journalism: the School of the New York Times and Northwestern’s summer journalism program. In each of these programs, I interviewed two local politicians who went on to gain national recognition. I gained my first real sense of the privilege, pride, and responsibility that comes with access to people in power. That combination is what pulls me to journalism. It pushes me out of my comfort zone in the best way while combining my love of writing, political engagement, and ethics. I talk to more people, engage with more perspectives, and ask more questions than I ever would without it. I then get to give my sources voices and my readers information that potentially shapes the choices they make.
What is a day in your life like at school?
I think a lot of people go into college expecting to spend hours buried in work every day, myself included. Northwestern is of course a rigorous school, but I have found more than enough time to do everything else I care about. I almost always have time to grab coffee with people from Hillel, head into the city for an afternoon, or get together with the crossword club.
One of the best ways I spend my time is technically homework. Almost every day, I go out into Evanston to interview strangers for assignments from my journalism class. Many of the most interesting conversations I’ve ever had have come during man-on-the-street interviews. I’ve met a Venezuelan political dissident turned coffee shop owner, a Reiki master with remarkably strong opinions on Daylight Saving Time, a retired food reporter, and many more people with fascinating stories and ideas that I never would have heard about without these assignments. By far my favorite part of my routine, however, is spending hours walking around the lakefront every night. During that time, I’ll call friends and family, listen to music, reflect on my day and decompress, all in one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.
What is one way you have drawn from your experience at MILTON since leaving?
Curiosity is a crucial component of journalism, and having the Jewish value of questioning instilled in me from a very young age gave me the ability to think critically about everything in front of me and look for a deeper story. Without my years spent analyzing and deconstructing texts, I never would have developed that instinct. MILTON also helped me read and write more carefully. The dozens of Rashi commentaries I studied emphasized the importance of every single word and how what someone doesn’t say is just as important as what they do. [These ideas] have proven invaluable as a journalism and linguistics major.
The most direct way I’ve drawn from my experience at MILTON since graduating is in helping out with Panda Post every Tuesday afternoon. I gained so much from that hour every week. Firstly, it kept me grounded in the fundamentals of journalism. Teaching young students what a lede is or explaining how to integrate quotes made my own writing better by forcing me to look at it with a more critical and objective eye. I also learned about technology, new cat breeds, superheroes, and clothing brands from the students. A week before leaving for Northwestern, I stopped by Panda Post one last time. Getting to see the kids and teachers I had bonded and grown with over the last two years in the school I called home for nine felt like the most fitting send-off I could have asked for.
