What drew you in to start writing for The Seahawk?

I’ve always loved stories, when I was little I would ask my parents to tell me stories from their childhoods. Eventually, I memorized them because they’d been told so many times, but I’d still ask to hear them. I loved listening to people’s stories, and I guess I still do. That’s what Humans of the Dub is all about for me; Getting a view into someone’s life by seeing how they’ve experienced the world. I really loved the idea of this section because I could be part of sharing the different experiences and stories that students, staff and faculty have to share.

As the Assistant Editor for Humans of the Dub, what are your roles and responsibilities? Give us a look into your day-to-day life.

As the Assistant Editor, my job is really to help out the Head Editor, take on some of the workload and hopefully streamline communication between Sunshine (Head Editor) and I with our staff and contributing writers. I think my favorite part of the position is helping generate interview topics. There are a few topics we are working on right now that are really cool. I’m excited for them because they deal with more abstract concepts and I got to help create depth within those topics by expanding on different questions our interviewers could ask.

How important do you think it is to amplify UNCW voices in the wake of a pandemic and social/political unrest?

It’s essential. There’s no point in generating fluff content like asking people what their favorite ice cream flavor is. It might be chocolate, but there’s more important stuff going on. For a long time we, and by we I mean “we” as a culture, have been really comfortable glazing over unrest because it makes people uncomfortable to read or hear that we don’t live in a picture-perfect society where everyone has a white picket fence and gets to keep it. It’s the job of a newspaper, and specifically this section, to listen to and amplify the experiences of those who might not otherwise be listened to. I’m not trying to sound like Humans of the Dub is out here giving people voices and validating their experiences. Everyone has a story before they’re asked to share it, but our platform can serve as a way to show people the complexities of life and how every single one of us interprets and experiences it differently.

What are your hopes for Humans of the Dub? How do you want to improve this section?

One area I really want Humans of the Dub to grow in is the breadth of topics we cover and also who we interview. I mentioned before that we were starting to generate more abstract interview questions which is a good start, but I also want to branch out from just interviewing students and professors. The UNCW community is comprised of so much more than these two demographics so I think that’s critical to keep in mind as we move forward. I’m really excited about the potential for this section, there are so many possibilities, and I really want the section to flourish.

What scares you the most?

About writing for HOTD or in general? Well, actually they’re kind of related. I’m really scared of inadequacy and not applying myself to the things that matter. So, I guess I’m scared that, this semester especially, I’ll get so caught up in school or work that I forget to take time for myself. I’m always scared that one day I’ll wake up and not recognize who I am because I’ve been so entrenched in work that I forgot to do things that are self-fulfilling, things that bring me happiness. Academics are important and so is having a job, but I need to get in a better habit of reminding myself that I and the things I’m truly passionate about are important as well. HOTD is really just an example of something I think is important to do well, but I get concerned that if my time gets short I’ll get push it under the rug and not take care of it well enough.