Carmel Kookogey almost didn’t go to college. In fact, she almost went into fashion design. Now, however, she is finishing her senior year as the Editor-In-Chief of the Collegian.
“I thought I was going to go into fashion school or do something with fashion without necessarily getting a formal education,” she said. “I realized that I was really missing out on intellectual life. I was thirsty for a new academic challenge.”
Before making a decision about college, Kookogey decided to take a gap year. During that time, she ran a fashion blog as a side project.
“I used it as a creative outlet to talk about fashion that inspired me and chronicle some of the more creative looks I came up with,” she said.
Since then, she’s enjoyed her time at college and at the newspaper. Her favorite editor this year, is, of course, her sister, Rachel.
“I have to say my sister because she’s my sister,” she said. “My favorite section is city news. I think it’s the section where you get the most real world reporting experience; it’s where I’ve gotten the most beneficial experience.”
As an underclassmen, Kookogey said she was drawn to former Editor-In-Chief, Nicole Ault ’19.
“Nicole was an inspiration to me. She was always both organized and intelligent, but also didn’t take herself too seriously,” she said.
Kookogey’s favorite story she’s written so far is found in the Culture section.
“I was really proud of my great cookbook’s column—the Julia Child one,” she said. “I talked about Julia Child and why she is an important cook to study because of the love of food that she inspires.”
Kookogey’s dream job is to be a stay-at-home mom on a farm with some freelancing work on the side. Her morning routine involves coffee, Scripture, and feeding her sourdough starter.