Herald Names Anna Baughman as Editor

The only thing I ever wanted to be was an editor.

That is not to imply that I've always wanted to be an editor. I pretty much went from "I don't know what I want to do at all" to "I want to major in English, but I don't know what I'll do with that."

But the question most often asked when one finds out that you're pursuing a degree in English is "what do you want to do with THAT?" I figured out fairly early on in my college career at St. Francis University that answering "I'm not sure yet" is met with frightened stares and prayers. It's semi-taboo to enter college without a plan. To avoid awkward conversation, my default answer became "publishing and editing." It was generic enough and entirely possible to achieve.

That's when I first thought I could actually be an editor. I like to read and I enjoy grammar rules, so that was pretty much the extent of my interest in the beginning.

As I began my sophomore year, my academic advisor told me she had put my name in for the new editor of our school newspaper, the Troubadour.

This is where my love of being an editor truly began. I treated my editorship like it was a career, and I put my heart and soul into my work there.

I was the editor for two and half years, during which time I completed two editorial internships. I was well on my way to becoming a professional editor.

And I did. My first job out of college was an editing job. I had the title and became acquainted with my three favorite words: Anna Baughman, Editor. Though I enjoyed editing and still knew that was the career path for me, something was lacking. Then I saw a job post for the editor of the Morrisons Cove Herald.

After my first interview, I immediately knew that this was a position that I could pour myself into, just like my college newspaper. I realized that while I had wanted to be an editor, I had also wanted to be more.

That's what I hope I can be for the Herald. I want to be an editor, a reporter, a photographer, a member of the community, a listening ear, a friend, a reliable outlet. I want to make this paper an extension of myself, and I want to be an extension of this paper.

The only thing I ever wanted to be was an editor. Now I'm ready to be more.