140th Board Turns Over The Exonian
Uppers Suan Lee, Rachel Won and Mai Hoang will lead The Exonian’s 141st Executive Board, serving as Editor-in-Chief, Director of Writing and Managing Editor respectively for the upcoming year.
According to senior and former Editor-in-Chief Rose Horowitch, board decisions were largely based on “goals [the applicants] outlined for The Exonian and tangible steps they showed to achieve those goals,” as well as their ability to work well with other members of the community.
Hoang said, “I think the paper is at a turning point right now where there are a lot of things that we could change.”
The 141st board plans to provide accurate and insightful reporting, serve as a forum for campus-wide conversation and reinforce trust between the newspaper and its readers. Hoang said, “I think the paper is at a turning point right now where there are a lot of things that we could change.”
Upper and incoming News Editor Angele Yang plans to continue publishing investigative articles, while Won is eager for the paper to serve as a continuing record of the Academy’s history. “In the grand scheme of things, we’re just one board out of 141. But I think that each and every year here at the Academy has its own rich legacy with its interesting little stories, and I’m excited to document that,” she said.
Upper and new Opinions Editor Jack Zhang is excited to establish his section as a public forum for honest conversations. He hopes to ensure that The Exonian remains “a place where contributors confront issues that matter to both the Academy and the broader community.”
Upper and new Sports Editor Leah Cohen hopes for improved collaboration between different sections. “We want to be more connected to other sections in the paper,” she said. “We want to collaborate with either Life or News, so they’re learning new styles of writing.”
Looking at these new goals, Horowitch voiced her confidence in the incoming board, saying, “I think that 141 has a really strong work ethic and so much dedication and love for The Exonian. They’ll continue working until the paper is as strong as they can make it.”
In addition, Faculty Adviser Erica Lazure believes the newspaper, under new leadership, will serve as a “strong, solid voice that reports accurately and compassionately” on campus.
Lee is also confident the new editors will work well together to deliver high-caliber journalism. “Many of us have valuable experience reporting on difficult, sensitive stories under the previous board, and having collaborated on these pieces with them, I have so much respect and faith in the 141 editors,” she said. “The positive and productive dynamic our board has exhibited in just this first week gives me a lot of hope and confidence about the upcoming year.”
Outgoing Director of Writing and senior Madison Kang recalled her experience co-writing with the rising board and expressed high hopes. “I loved watching them grow since prep year. First co-writing with them, and now, as we pass on editorship. It feels like it’s coming around full circle, and I’m happy that the The Exonian will be led by such a strong, determined group of people,” she said.
Kang expressed her confidence in Lee as Editor-in-Chief. “She’s a strong writer. She’s also really good at controlling a room,” she said. “I’ve seen her work with other writers, and they get things done.”
Kang described Won, her successor as Director of Writing, as an approachable figure, fit to serve as a liaison between the writers and editors. “A lot of the underclassmen look up to [Won],” Kang said. “I hope that [...] other writers are excited to talk to her and that she instills in them her own passion for journalism.”
When asked about Hoang, Kang said, “Mai is a brilliant writer and thinker. She will be an amazing Managing Editor, spinning campus stories into the best writing.”
Faculty Adviser Ellee Dean hopes the new board will continue to learn throughout their tenure. “As an adviser to the paper, I don’t expect student editors and student writers to go a whole year without making a mistake,” she said. “I expect them to make a lot of mistakes because I expect them to learn from their failures and their sources and their subscribers in the process.”
Lee is excited to lead the newspaper as the next Editor-In-Chief. “Under our board, The Exonian will continue publishing pertinent, impactful articles with even more intentionality, care and purpose,” she said. “I’m truly honored to be working with the new board and I’m excited to lead The Exonian in another year of responsible and impactful journalism.”