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

“As the Head Editor for Humans of the Dub, I’m responsible for overseeing my team of writers. I’ll assign articles and deadlines for each writer, and answer any questions they may have. I also come up with content ideas every month and assign those articles to my writers. I do a lot of editing as well before I send out drafts to Jenna, our Copy Editor. I’m also in charge of handling the Humans of the Dub Instagram page. I’ll usually take the full interview used in the article, then post the highlight of that interview. There’s this phrase in my Qualitative Research class that I started to carry with me as the Head Editor for Humans of the Dub. Dr. Scott [who teaches COM 302: Qualitative Research] taught us that “Stories are visceral.” What that means is that when we read or hear stories, especially good ones, we have this deep feeling in our gut. When I go through the full HOTD interview and I see that one response that gives me a visceral or gut-wrenching feeling, I know that’s the perfect quote to put on our Instagram.”

What initially drew you into writing for The Seahawk?

“I actually wrote for the school paper in my early high school years and it was something I really enjoyed. As soon as I started at UNCW, I immediately looked up “UNCW student newspaper.” As a freshman, it was one of the many ways I wanted to get involved on-campus. The Seahawk has always been an environment where free thinking was valued, so I’m really glad to be part of an organization that sees that as important.”

Newspapers have always been about getting information to the general population. Specifically, in this time period of an unprecedented global pandemic and a new wave Civil Rights movement, what kind of content do you think is most important to write about?

“It’s extremely important to be writing about the pandemic and Black Lives Matter. These are two events that are going to affect everyone in our country whether they like it or not. Newspapers are known for reporting stories that affect the general population, but what I love about Humans of the Dub is that it does the exact opposite. We still keep in tune with the core values of a newspaper which is to relay accurate, credible and relevant content, but we do this on a more individual level. Instead of asking “How has the COVID-19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter movement affected the United States?”, we ask “How has the COVID-19 pandemic and Black Lives Matter movement affected you?” It’s important that we record these individual experiences because everyone has a story to tell. Everyone experiences events different. I feel that we at Humans of the Dub are obligated to discover just that.”

How do you hope to grow in Humans of the Dub and what kinds of plans do you have for the future of the section?

“I would love to gain a larger following on both the Humans of the Dub Instagram and The Seahawk website. I’m hoping that people from the Wilmington community will start following us. UNCW has students from all different kinds of background, so it’s important that their stories are heard. I hope to grow Humans of the Dub by connecting and interviewing alumni. Just because they’ve graduating from the University doesn’t mean that they’re no longer part of our community. I’d love to hear their stories and see where life has taken them. I’m trying to focus on more abstract thoughts and concepts at Humans of the Dub because I’m tired of seeing fluff content, quite frankly. I think our audience is ready for more serious themes to be brought up. It’s crucial for me that we shed light on more important topics because at the end of the day, it’s those important topics that are going to affect our students. I’d much rather amplify our students’ voices in that way and be more impactful, than to create fluff content that’s going to please everyone.”

In your experience, what does love feel like? What does it look like?

“Love feels like safety. I think that’s how you know it’s love and not infatuation. Infatuation makes your heart race and your palms sweaty. Love calms you down and it brings you home. It’s supposed to feel like home. I have a million and one things going on in my life, so my mind is always thinking about how I can get those things done. My boyfriend has been my rock through these times and has helped me stay grounded. He reminds me that nothing else matters if my mental and physical well-being aren’t in a good state. Obviously, I can’t accomplish any of those things unless I’m healthy and happy. I’m thankful that I have someone who’s willing to look out for me like that. I guess that’s what love looks and feels like for me. Love brings you back to a safe space. Love is supposed to water you; nurture you; and pick you up during the rough times.”