Taylor Burnfield will be graduating this semester with a bachelor’s of arts in English with an emphasis in rhetoric and writing. She has worked for the Scribe since Fall 2018 and has worked as a reporter, photographer, podcaster, copy editor, photo editor and — most recently — media manager. Taylor shared some of her accomplishments, advice and plans following graduation.
What achievement are you most proud of from your time at The Scribe?
As the media manager, I increased our website traffic and our social media engagement. I also feel that I created a digital presence for The Scribe that didn’t exist before.
Our website looked outdated and was hard to navigate. I re-designed the website to be more user-friendly. Also, in previous years, we only posted articles on the website a few times a semester and we rarely utilized our social media. I wanted to change that and use our digital platforms to their full potential.
I knew that The Scribe had a lot to offer and that we should be trying to reach more students via the internet. I am proud that I was the first person to create a strong online presence for The Scribe.
What is your favorite memory of working for The Scribe?
When we would plan for The Scribble (the satirical version of The Scribe for April Fool’s Day). Those meetings were always so much fun. It was nice to take a break from talking about serious topics and just be silly.
We did not publish an issue of The Scribble during the 2020 pandemic, so I only got to be a part of two Scribble issues. I really enjoyed writing the few satirical articles that I wrote. As the photo editor, I got to do some pretty ridiculous things in photoshop.
What advice would you give to future student journalists?
That your voice matters and that you shouldn’t be afraid to share your opinion even if you think it’s unpopular. I remember during my first semester at The Scribe, I did not pitch story ideas in meetings at all. I was afraid to share my ideas because I was worried that the topics I was interested in would not resonate with other students.
It took me a while to build up the confidence to share my thoughts. I eventually realized that what makes The Scribe beautiful is that our staff has a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. We all have different perspectives on life and when we share those perspectives, it makes The Scribe an engaging newspaper to read. If we all agreed with each other all the time, then The Scribe would be bland.
What will you be doing following your graduation?
First, I would like to take a much-needed nap. Then, I would like to travel for a while. By springtime, I will begin applying for jobs. I don’t have a particular job title in mind. However, I would like to work within the realm of communications, marketing or design.
In the long run, I would like to publish a book someday. I have also thought about attending graduate school and becoming a professor, but I have not decided if that’s what I want to do yet. I feel that there are many possibilities, and my life could go in any direction. I am excited about what the future holds.
