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Leadership and Team Building

Pantherbook Editors.JPG

As an underclassman, I was apprehensive about joining my high school’s publication. I knew I aspired to a career in journalism but was nervous about the uncharted environment I was in. What if I don’t know what I’m doing? What if they don’t like my writing? For some reason, I thought I needed all the answers and wasn’t qualified to join the club. After talking with friends, I was convinced to sit in on a few meetings at Pantherbook.

 

It took less than a month for me to feel at home. It was clear to see how excited past editors were about writing and reporting while being thoughtful and welcoming to new members regardless of their journalism experience. I could sense how passionate staff members were about the stories they had been assigned to cover. I jumped at the chance to join them, forging my own series of articles while becoming an investigator for content that inspired me. 

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Now as a senior editor, I feel the compassion, empathy, and pure excitement my predecessors had for being a leader within a publication. Having built a journalistic community with my fellow editors and advisor, our almost entirely turned-over staff has shown incredible growth since August in how they approach, develop, and critique their own stories. We meet weekly to have group-wide conversations and personalized meetings to strategize and develop the editorial direction for the publication.

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Being able to lead Pantherbook in this way has been one of the most fulfilling experiences I've had at Franklin High School. Guiding writers with confidence in the process of producing an article, podcast, or video, much like past editors taught me, has become a passion for me. When new staff attend their first Pantherbook meetings, as apprehensive as I once was, I am able to take them under my wing and help them excel. I look forward to continuing to learn, grow and succeed as a leader in journalism through my college years and beyond.

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