Commitment to Diversity
As Editor In Chief of a student run publication, I strive to include a wide array of perspectives, voices and experiences in every story that goes to print. My goal is to represent the full spectrum of the student body to the best of my ability. I have long held the personal mission that Arlingtonian be the voice of all students, no matter their background or perspective.
Located in the suburbs of Columbus, Ohio, Upper Arlington High School (UAHS) has just under 2,000 students. Below is a breakdown of student diversity in UAHS gathered by U.S. News & World Report data from 2022.
Althought our demographic makeup has shifted through the years, a common outward perspective of our high school is that we seem to lack diversity entirely. This is one of the many reasons that I have placed a huge emphasis on coverage of cultural diversity, as well as highlighting the underrepresented demographics of the school.
In the Newsroom
It is a huge priority of mine that writers get into the community and include voices of students from various backgrounds. We have included a “UA Speaks” section in each issue which is a space allocated for student faces and voices.
Alt-copy published in the Dec. 13, 2024 Arlingtonian print edition by a staff writer. We worked to find unique student voices for this story in order to fully encapsulate the experiences of the student body.
As Editor In Chief, I am instrumental in spreading the word of student journalism and representing students from different backgrounds and skill sets. I encourage writers to actively seek out and represent a wide range or perspective and experiences in reporting.
I have mentored several writers on stories that have a extra special need for balance to intentionally interview people from diverse backgrounds so that various perspectives could be heard.
Examples
Sports
Last year as a sports manager, it was important to me that underrepresented groups of athletes were able to see themselves in the pages of our newsmagazine. I did not shy away from shedding light on mental health, eating disorders, OCD and all the other under-covered stories that need to be told so that students feel represented. There is a gap in representation in social media and community presence for certain groups.
This year, I encourage writers to focus less on “traditional” sports like football, basketball and baseball, and to prioritized coverage of unique athletics. I have put in extra effort into recognizing students that are involved in activities other than mainstream sports.
Examples
