Following one of the most intense years of student activism in the history of the Claremont Colleges and college campuses nationwide, Ansley Washburn SC ’26, June Hsu PO ’25 and Tania Azhang PZ ’25 will be taking charge as The Student Life’s (TSL) Editorial Board for the fall 2024 semester.
Enthused about their staff and dreaming up innovative ideas, they are working together to cultivate a positive community both inside and outside of the newsroom.
Washburn, this semester’s editor-in-chief, is a politics major from Boston, Massachusetts. Her journey in journalism began in high school, where she was Managing Editor of Sports. Washburn quickly put these skills to use, becoming a Sports Editor at TSL in her first semester in college. After leading the sports section for three semesters, Washburn was named Managing Editor of News and Sports last spring.
For Washburn, her experience reporting on and running coverage for the protests and student arrests last semester motivated her application to become Editor-in-Chief.
“People will look back on TSL to remember what’s happened [at the 5Cs] and put that in a greater political context, ” Washburn said. “We are currently in the middle of one of the biggest campus protest eras of our generation, and I think we occupy such a distinct position as a campus publication. My first goal is to continue to build on the work that we’ve done the past year by mediating interactions between protesters and administration, and really continuing to document that accurately.”
Hsu, who will be succeeding Washburn as Managing Editor of News and Sports, also spent much of last semester reporting on campus protests as news editor. A public policy analysis major from Princeville, Hawaiʻi, Hsu’s first experience in journalism came during her sophomore spring as a news writer. After going abroad in the fall of her junior year, her time as a news editor last semester cemented her love for reporting.
“I feel like I realized that journalism was the career I wanted to do for the rest of my life when I preferred doing it to all of my other schoolwork,” Hsu said. “So I’ve really found passion, not just in writing, but also in being immersed in current events on and off campus.”
Meanwhile, Azhang, Managing Editor of Arts & Culture and Opinions, will be entering her fifth semester at TSL. Azhang, an American studies major from Irvine, California, wrote film criticism and opinion pieces for her high school paper, and after joining TSL her sophomore year, she’s done just about everything there is to do in Arts & Culture. Starting as a features writer, she went on to be TSL’s Features Editor, Columns Editor and a study abroad columnist last semester with her series “American in Paris.”
“When I first found out about TSL, I was excited about finding a community of like-minded people who are similarly passionate about the things that I am,” Azhang said. “When I decided to apply for Ed Board, it was so that I could continue to foster that community which has provided me with such a wonderful platform and has introduced me to so many wonderful people.”
Keeping with this idea of community, all three expressed excitement for this fall’s staff with Hsu explaining the unique potential that comes with the start of the school year.
“You have [first-years] coming onto campus for the first time, and it’s really inspiring to see so many people passionate about journalism and talking about the campus they’re entering despite not knowing that much about it,” Hsu said.
Describing TSL’s ability to amplify voices within the 5C community, Azhang added that social media will be critical to this effort.
“Social media has changed the nature of journalism in that [now] everyone has a platform [to express their opinions],” Azhang said. “I think there’s just been a lot less confidence and trust in newspapers. I’m hoping that we can create a legacy of trust within the 5Cs.”
Washburn agreed with this point, making it clear that social media will be a top priority for the paper this semester.
“We are all living in a world where social media is where everybody finds their news, and I think everyone at TSL knows that the most traction that TSL ever gets is from our social media,” Washburn said. “So even if it’s not my forte, I think recognizing that and kind of embracing it is where our publication needs to and will go this semester.”
According to Hsu, they’re also hoping to expand the way in which multimedia journalism can play an important role in their news coverage this semester.
“Looking to the future of news, I do think most of it, or a great deal of it, is centered around video, whether that be on Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, different platforms,” Hsu said. “People want to consume news in a quicker manner … So we want to shift to that as a college newspaper trying to keep up with the demographic we’re reaching.”
Returning to the role of TSL within the 5C community, Washburn described the educational role TSL plays for people hoping to learn about reporting.
“These are liberal arts schools,” Washburn said. “We don’t have pre-professional paths. TSL is one of the only places at the 5Cs to use to really immerse yourself in the field of journalism.”
Washburn, Hsu and Azhang are all anticipating a busy semester of political action; nevertheless, Washburn made clear the energy she’s hoping to bring to the newsroom.
“The TSL office is really a place like no other, and it is so much fun,” Washburn said. “And I think adding on to that, being able to help foster that environment is the most rewarding thing ever to me.”
Facebook Comments