Photo Provided by Jojo Watson ’22

Jojo and her fellow writers enjoying a holiday afternoon at The Eastern Village on the East Coast.

Many Royals have enjoyed writing on the beloved Royal Reporter and have used it as an outlet to explore journalism on an approachable level, offer opinions, get to know faculty, share some laughs, celebrate Rosary sports, feature classmates, understand the basics of AP (Associated Press) style, learn how to edit, and so much more.

Some Royals, however, have decided to pursue journalism farther than their high school career and do so by writing in their college newspapers. 

I interviewed Royal Reporter alumnae Kendall Clarida ’23, writing for the UCSD Guardian; Anna Jordan ’23, copy editing for USC’s Daily Trojan; Daniela Arias ’23, copy editing for the LMU Loyolan; and Giovanna “Jojo” Watson ’22, writing for Her Campus, to find out what writing for a college newspaper is like:

How has your experience on the Royal Reporter shaped your time at your college newspaper?

Kendall: “The Royal Reporter definitely prepared me for writing for the UCSD Guardian. The Royal reporter taught me how to properly meet deadlines, how to constantly come up with new article ideas, and what it means to work with a team.”

Daniela: “Being on the Royal Reporter is the whole reason behind why I wanted to join my college paper. I saw the community the class fostered and how we were all passionate to make the paper the best it could possibly be and the best representation of every type of personality that called the halls of Rosary home–and that’s exactly the type of environment I knew I wanted to be involved in at LMU.”

Jojo: “I definitely see some similarities between Royal Reporter and Her Campus. Her Campus is a nationwide organization founded by college women for college women, and we are able to write about anything that we are interested in sharing our thoughts on, guidance for incoming and fellow students, as well as pop culture, health and wellness, and much more.”

What is it like writing in your college newspaper?

Anna: “I’m editing for now to get a handle on things, and I really enjoy getting to see the articles that are printed the next day before the general population does. I feel like a VIP knowing that I had a hand in the words on the page coming to fruition because editing feels like a form of care for other writers. In college, many people involved with the paper want the Daily Trojan to be the first step in their journalism career and it feels special to watch others make progress toward achieving their dreams.”

What was the process like to get on your college newspaper?

Kendall: “I had been reading the UCSD Guardian for some time before attending UCSD and when classes started, I hoped to get involved as soon as possible. I decided to apply through their website and within a few weeks they got back saying they really loved my application and were hoping to meet on Zoom. On the call, they laid out their expectations and made sure it worked with my schedule. I was thrown straight into writing from there!”

What is the time commitment like?

Anna: “It’s very manageable with only one shift required per week and each shift being an hour and a half; however, I would like to pursue a leadership position within copy editing and plan to apply to be a deputy editor, which would be about four shifts a week.”

Thus far, what accomplishment are you most proud of in regard to your college newspaper?

Anna: “The Daily Trojan publishes Spanish supplemental editions twice a semester in which all featured articles are written in Spanish: Because of my experience at Rosary in AP Spanish with Mrs. Kam, I passed the biliteracy test and continue to edit a large portion of the Spanish articles when it’s time for the supplements to be published which makes me incredibly proud (and I force my friends to save copies they find on campus for me).”

Kendall: “I’m proud that I was accepted on the paper so early into my freshman year. Even in my interview, they told me freshmen are hardly on the paper, so that was definitely a big boost in my confidence. I was also very proud of my first article because it took a lot of time and research, and seeing it printed was so surreal.”

Daniela: “I’m just proud of how I’m slowly picking up on both the AP style guide and the Loyolan style guide. They’re both so particular, so just familiarizing myself with both of them and recognizing things just by memory now is something that I would see as an accomplishment within itself!”

Jojo: “I am most proud of my first article that should be published in a matter of days. It’s about mastering rejection throughout my theater career, my experiences, and how I learned to stay resilient. I feel like the experiences I have had in my life could be helpful to someone and it’s been a topic I’ve been exploring and been wanting to talk about.”

Do you have plans to pursue journalism after college?

Kendall: “Yes! I hope to start off writing for a paper and hopefully move up to editor. My time on the Royal Reporter and all my fabulous English teachers definitely uncovered my deep passion and love for writing.”

Anna: “As a writer, I prefer to write creatively as opposed to journalistically so I like to submit to arts publications rather than write articles; however, I do really enjoy being an editor for a journalistic publication, so if I were ever to find myself with an opportunity to edit, I would happily accept.”

Jojo: “As of right now, I’m not sure. I am definitely passionate about writing, so maybe journalism will take me to playwriting or writing a book of some kind. I am definitely trying to see if I can squeeze in a minor with something to do with writing, but who knows what the future holds.”

The Royal Reporter hopes to see our alumnae continue to achieve their goals realize their writing skills throughout their college experience and beyond.