Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy: Proverbs 31:8-9.
Associate Editor Allison Schuster’s favorite Bible verse truly encapsulates her approach to life and journalism.
Whether she is coaching younger Collegian writers or helping friends find their enneagram types, Schuster is constantly fighting to give others a voice.
However she was first inspired to pursue journalism because of her love of politics.
“I think during the 2016 election, which was my senior year of high school, seeing the coverage of that and the power of the media was what really influenced me,” Schuster said.
Her following of political news coverage, including Kat Timpf and the Greg Guttfield show, led her to Hillsdale.
“I just thought Kat was so funny,” Schuster said. “I literally googled Kat Timpf’s education and it said Hillsdale College, and I thought where’s that? I found out it was in Michigan, three hours away from my hometown.”
Upon arriving at Hillsdale, Schuster immediately got involved in the journalism program.
Schuster said, “The first week of my freshman year I went to the meeting and took stories and just kind of delved right in. I became an assistant editor my second semester and have been hooked on Collegian ever since!”
Her journalistic endeavors have extended outside of the Collegian.
During the summer before her junior year, Schuster learned about small town journalism on Mackinac Island, writing for the Mackinac Island Town Crier. She worked for The Daily Signal last spring and, last summer, she interned for the Federalist during which she wrote on a variety of issues and produced a podcast.
Schuster said these internships have provided her with invaluable learning experiences and connections.
“All those amazing people were such joy to work with. At the Federalist, specifically, I saw a lot of people who cared about exposing the truth and holding people accountable. Not only public officials accountable, but other media outlets accountable,” Schuster said.
Schuster’s favorite journalism memories consist of the late nights before printing and the friendships made in the office.
“I’ve always had just a really awesome relationship with those I’ve edited with. My sophomore year the features team would be up so late. And we were just so stressed all the time,” Schuster said. “We’d reward ourselves with what we called the 11 o’clock lull, which is the period in between when we have sent in our page to the publishing company but haven’t uploaded our stories yet. In between that time, we would always come to AJ’s and get sweet potato fries.”
Schuster hopes to continue making these fun memories as she pursues a career in journalism and news media.