By: Amber W. (’23)
Alumna Amanda Huang (‘17) was the editor in chief of The Blue & Gold during the 2016 to 2017 school year, alongside alumna Christine Lin (‘17). After her graduation, Amanda attended Claremont McKenna College, double majoring in economics and computer science.
Journalism has played a huge role in Amanda’s life. She is currently the editor in chief for Claremont Women in Business’s an online publication, The Quill, which focuses on empowering young women to become independent business women. “It’s definitely not as intense as The Blue & Gold, as we don’t cover as wide of a variety of genres [as we focus on business],” she said. “But it’s sort of nice to be in touch with [journalism].”
Being part of the publication has given Amanda the opportunity to branch out, to meet and interact with different people during interviews. The interviews allowed her to learn more about fellow TAS community members, sparking her curiosity in learning about different people. “There are so many ways to discover the stories that are really hidden among like your fellow students and I carried that sort of curiosity with me to college,” she said. “There are different kinds of people and I enjoy hearing what they’re interested in.”
During her time as editor in chief, Amanda’s leadership skills were further developed, which now plays a huge role in her busy college life. “I hold a leadership position in several organizations and I’ve learned so much about working with people from different backgrounds,” she said. “Building team cohesion is the best for the common goal we’re working on.”
What Amanda treasured most during her time as editor in chief was the Saturday layout sessions for each print as she could experience watching the publication work together to produce the best edition. “It was super fun and nice to watch over everyone and edit all the articles,” Amanda said. “We would all get together, work super hard all day, but also have so much fun by listening to music together.”
One of the biggest lessons Amanda has learned through being part of the publication is to have the courage to interact with different people of different backgrounds. “Everyone has a story that they’re waiting to tell and they’re just waiting for you to ask them to share it,” she said. “When you meet people, learning about what excites them brings you so much closer together because it helps you build a kind of understanding.”
Amanda frequently keeps up with the publication by visiting the website and the Facebook page. She is interested in the monthly Spotify playlists, the design of the website, and the videos posted on the website as they were never implemented during her time in the publication.
