Ariane Szu-Tu is a former Managing Editor of The Retriever. She now works as an editor for National Geographic Kids Books.
One evening in the summer before I started as a freshman at UMBC, I went to an informational meeting about The Retriever Weekly to find out what it was all about and how I could get involved.
I remember at the time I didn’t think much of my chances because the meeting had a high attendance and I didn’t have any prior journalism experience. I didn’t want to give up, though, so soon after I went to The Retriever‘s main office and asked if I could write a story. It turned out all my worries were for nothing because they were swamped and looking for more reporters.
After being a contributing writer for a while, I became the assistant news editor and a few years later, the managing editor.
The experience cold-calling, conducting in-person interviews and researching has been invaluable and applicable to every other job I’ve had. Not to mention the fact that I got to talk to a bunch of really cool people, like Dr. Freeman Hrabowski!
My time at The Retriever taught me about people, persistence, patience and how to write an effective news story. Today, I’m an editor for National Geographic Kids Books and I’m so thankful for the things I learned at The Retriever and to have that early journalism experience under my belt. So, Happy 50th, Retriever! And thank you!
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