Hope Williams (‘19) is another Blue & Gold alumni, serving as a staff writer during her time at Chamblee High School.
“I was on staff for two years- I believe I started in 2017,” said Williams. “I was a writer both years.”
Williams has fond memories of being on The Blue & Gold staff, particularly the end-of-the-year festivities that the class does.
“I remember right before winter break, we’d always do a gift exchange. I remember that was really, really fun and Mr. Avett would do it too. We’d [also] do a potluck, and everyone would bring in a lot of food. That was a really fun memory,” said Williams.
She also reminisces on time with Mr. Avett, Chamblee’s journalism advisor to date.
“I don’t know if [Mr. Avett] still does this, but he would write down band names on the board. [They were] different phrases he would hear and we’d be like, oh, that makes such a good band name. We had a t-shirt at the end of the year with all of the names on the back of it like a festival lineup,” said Williams.
Additionally, Williams recalls how her passion for longer-form “Student Life” features while at Chamblee has now translated into her present journalistic involvement at Georgia Tech.
“In general, I’ve always really enjoyed doing longer-form ‘Student Life’ features on different clubs, organizations, or things that people are really passionate about. I think that when you’re doing longer student features, it’s almost more like storytelling, and I’ve always really enjoyed that. Meeting new people through doing those interviews has [also] really been enjoyable,” said Williams.
Discovering your niche in journalism, like longer student features, is something that Williams recommends writers can work towards by experimenting with a variety of journalistic forms.
“I really enjoy doing longer-form student features, but I think for me to get to that point, I had to try out writing more traditional news pieces, opinion pieces, and even the more digital sides of journalism, whether that be making graphics, doing designs, or working on the actual layout of a paper. I think there’s something for everyone in journalism, it just takes a little bit of trial and error to see what you really enjoy. [My advice is] just not getting discouraged- maybe the more traditional kind of writing doesn’t necessarily pique your interests, but there’s something out there for you,” said Williams.
For Williams, “Student Life” features give her a means of telling others’ stories, motivating her when writing.
“Whenever I write, I feel like I get to tell someone’s story. I get to give them a voice, give them a platform, and raise awareness. Whenever I think about those things, that really motivates me to make sure that I’m giving every article the best that I can. I think it’s a privilege to be able to have your work published and communicate all these ideas,” said Williams.
As a senior at Georgia Tech, Williams is continuing her journalism career as a part of the college’s student-run newspaper, The Technique.
“I’m the managing editor for [the Georgia Tech] newspaper, The Technique. I joined my freshman year as a writer and then wrote a lot for the “Life” section, and [later] became the “Life” editor. [Additionally], I started the role as managing editor this year,” said Williams.
The Technique is known as “The South’s Liveliest College Newspaper” that aims to provide the Georgia Tech student body with information, analysis, and opinions that reflect students’ needs and interests, with writing from a variety of perspectives.
“[The Technique] is a student-run newspaper, so it is a paid position. We have a staff of paid writers [but] contributing writers can [also] get involved as an extracurricular,” said Williams.
While Williams enjoys journalism, she is pursuing a more STEM-oriented career as an industrial engineering major.
“I’m an industrial engineering major but I really enjoy having [journalism as] something a little bit different from my classes. I think it’s nice to have a more creative outlet,” said Williams.
Furthermore, Williams expresses that journalism has provided further benefits that can be applied to her future career and life despite not pursuing the journalistic field directly.
“[Journalism has] definitely made a really big impact on my life in a lot of different ways. It’s such a valuable experience to have, and it’s helped me in interviews [when] applying for jobs and things like that. [Journalism has] really helped me come out of my comfort zone, and I’ve really appreciated that. No matter where I end up, having those good communication skills and being able to think quickly on your feet, that’s a really, really valuable experience to have,” said Williams.
After finishing her education and degree, Williams is excited for the new experiences that the future holds, especially the possibility of moving to a new city when entering the workforce.
“I am probably going to [do work] related to my industrial engineering degree. Hopefully, I will be able to explore a new city outside of Atlanta. Because I went to high school and college in Atlanta, I think it’d be really nice to move to a new location. Hopefully working full-time, kind of adjusting to life not being a student [after] being a student for so many years. So lots of exciting things in the future,” said Williams.
While Williams has many new experiences to look forward to, she also emphasizes the importance of enjoying life in the moment, advising current Chamblee students to enjoy the time you have in high school.
“Every day you’re gonna learn something new and maybe make mistakes, but that’s just part of growing up, [so] don’t put too much pressure on yourself,” said Williams. “Enjoy the time that you have in high school.”