Elizabeth Troutman to be Editor-in-Chief of The Collegian 2023-2024.
The Student Publication Board selected the new editors of The Collegian, Tower Light, and Hillsdale’s Winona Yearbook for the 2023-2024 school year.
Junior Elizabeth Troutman will be next year’s editor-in-chief of The Collegian, Hillsdale College’s student-run newspaper. Sophomores Kara Miller and Sophie Keller will be the Tower Light editors-in-chief, and sophomore Kenda Showalter will be editor-in-chief of the Winona yearbook.
Troutman began writing for The Collegian her freshman year, and she said writing for the paper made her want to apply for a staff position. Troutman was an assistant news editor during her sophomore year, and was news editor during fall 2022. She is currently interning for The Daily Signal in Washington, D.C., on the Washington-Hillsdale Internship Program.
“I really love getting to work together with a bunch of friends to put together a paper,” Troutman said. “It’s really cool because it’s all student-run.”
She said her work as news editor prepared her for working with people on a team and has improved her writing, leadership, and communication skills. She said one thing that particularly prepared her for the position of editor-in-chief was Advanced Writing, a journalism class.
“The Collegian has had such a large impact on my college career,” Troutman said. “I strongly encourage anyone who’s hoping to get involved on campus hoping to work on their writing skills, teamwork skills, or leadership skills to give The Collegian a try.”
Troutman said her duties as editor will include overseeing the operations of the paper and hiring and overseeing Collegian staff for the coming year.
Troutman will replace current editor-in-chief and graduating senior Maggie Hroncich.
“I have very big shoes to fill,” Troutman said. “I’d like to follow in her footsteps and take after her great leadership skills.”
Troutman said she particularly enjoys investigative journalism. In the future, she hopes to work for a news outlet in Washington, D.C.
Miller will serve as Tower Light’s editor-in-chief for the fall 2023 publication, while Kellar will be editor-in-chief for the spring 2024 edition.
Tower Light publishes select poems, short stories, and art by students once each semester.
Miller said duties of a Tower Light editor include collecting student submissions, selecting new editorial board members, and facilitating board discussion. Another role of the board is to provide writers with feedback on their submissions.
“Tower Light aims to give good feedback to all its writers to help them on their writing journey,” Kellar said. “Tower Light’s goal extends beyond the magazine itself to the students and helping them nurture their creative insights.”
In the future, Kellar said she hopes to write creative fantasy fiction, teach language, or work in an editorial position. Miller is interested in art, museum studies, and writing.
Showalter, new editor of Winona, became involved with Winona in the fall of 2022.
Showalter said she enjoys graphic design, and her classes in theater and English have made her a better storyteller and prepared her to be Winona editor next year.
“While the yearbook is a different medium from writing or acting, the goal of storytelling remains the same,” Showalter said.
As editor, Showalter will organize team meetings, teach staff how to use graphic design software, promote the yearbook, and review and finalize the yearbook.
