Editing, leadership, & team building
Explore the strategies and systems I developed to improve workflow and strengthen collaboration across two student-run magazines, while guiding teams and interns to work efficiently and confidently.
HIGHLANDER MAGAZINE
- Integrating Canva into the workflow
- Minimizing design and text errors
- Style Guide/Highlander Handbook
- Balancing feedback
- Addressing accountability
- Improving the intern training process
- Creating community
When a lot of different people take charge of a publication, there’s usually a push to reshape everything around their own vision. While change is valuable, I approached my role as Editor-in-Chief of the Highlander with a different goal. Rather than building the magazine from scratch, I focused on specific gaps I knew we could improve, especially in workflow, communication, and visual cohesion.
My experience in founding and leading Art Showcase, a student-run art magazine at my school, influenced how I approached that process. Building a publication from the ground up taught me how easily creativity can become chaotic without structure. From checkpoint-style organization to the tools we used, I took a lot of the ideas I wished I could fully implement there and applied them more successfully within Highlander.
Transparency and communication are main tenets of my leadership style. As an editor, I once had a spread significantly altered without my knowledge and only discovered the changes during a full critique. That experience influenced me to form a personal commitment to ensure editors were always looped into major decisions about their work.
One of the outcomes I’m most proud of is a publication that feels unified but not uniform. While headlines, layouts, and structure remain consistent, each section still reflects the distinct design style of its editor, keeping the magazine alive.
Below, you’ll find an overview of the major innovations I implemented at Highlander, alongside my broader leadership approach—spanning editing, organization, and long-term planning to ensure continuity after I graduate. You’ll also find a breakdown of how I built Art Showcase from the ground up, the lessons I’ve learned over three years of leadership, and my co-leadership work within Scot Media to strengthen the journalism community at my school.
EDITING
Integrating Canva
One primary example of this is how I implemented a tool used initially for Art Showcase Club within Highlander is Canva. Art Showcase used the application since it is free, accessible, and beginner-designer friendly for our members. Uniquely, compared to InDesign, Canva allows us to see every page of the magazine as it is being constructed, allowing everyone in our club to see the magazine come together in real time.
Previously, for Highlander, the first time we saw the magazine fully assembled was right before it went to print. I borrowed this idea and implemented design brainstorm and drafting stages during the content production phase, which takes place before the InDesign stage.
Stage 1
In the first stage, I have editors collect inspiration for their spreads on a Canva board using image references. This allows photographers to clearly understand the exact vision, layout inspiration, and color schemes before they go out to take photos, helping them plan for consistency and cohesion. Additionally, this process allows us to gently nudge editors in a direction that ensures they are fitting within the scope of the magazine’s theme while still encouraging creativity.
(Notice clarification by editor in green Post-it notes, image references for the photographer, going as far as thinking about the store exterior and what they want to emphasize in the interior and how the editor utilizes the row of bottles idea in her actual spread)
Stage 2
In the second stage, editors take the produced photographs, artwork, or collected references from the first stage and create two versions of spread mockups. These mockups allow us to visualize hierarchy and flow between pages. We then compile all spreads into one whiteboard document, where editors can view the magazine from start to finish, and where I can plan ad pages ahead of time.
Final Draft
Here, you can see how the section editor took the stage two layout on the right and carried over its main elements—such as the half-page cutout on the left and the bottle cutouts on the right—while modifying certain details, including the photo in the top right. In the final draft, the spread aligns with the guidelines outlined in the Highlander style guide, which is explained below.
Issue 1 — Centerspread
Issue 3 — Features
EDITING
Minimizing design and text errors
I consider perfectionism to be both a useful tool and a challenge when it comes to maintaining accuracy and minimizing errors in a magazine. While the editing process often requires close attention to detail before an issue goes to print, streamlining workflows for both design and text helps reduce errors by the time the final stages are reached. By breaking editing into focused stages and prioritizing different elements at each step, the team produces well-rounded spreads that require minimal adjustment at the end.
To the right is an infographic showing each stage that text and design go through during the Highlander editors’ review process. This workflow begins after brainstorming and continues throughout the magazine’s production. To see how these multiple deadlines are met and accountability is maintained, scroll down to the next section.
Here, I’m pointing out an error during the Final PDF Review, which serves as our seventh round of edits. We dedicate an entire class period to reviewing the magazine together, projecting it while students circle anything that needs attention using a connected iPad. I later go back to address each of those flagged issues.
The typography check is the final stage before sending the magazine to print. All Highlander editors gather to read through every single page, ensuring no text is cut off and that spelling, grammar, and AP style are correct. This is also when we make last-minute design refinements, such as adjusting spacing or adding necessary elements like artist credits.
EDITING
Highlander Style Guide
To ensure cohesion across all spreads, I revamped the Highlander style guide template in InDesign and created a companion “guide to the style guide.” Editors now have a clear reference for fonts, sizes, and layout elements, while the companion guide on Google Docs provides precise measurements for spacing, from captions to images and headlines to bylines.
I also added additional layouts within the template to encourage creative flexibility. Every detail was measured and clarified, something previous years lacked, allowing editors to work efficiently while maintaining a unified design. Deviations from the style guide are allowed, for when editors make intentional design choices with purpose and awareness.
Highlander 2025-26 style guide
Docs
Below, you’ll find the style guide for this year’s Highlander magazine, which outlines exact pica measurements for every element, from spacing to line lengths, along with our general formatting rules for aspects like headshot images for the opinion section and statistic pullouts.
Style guide template (INDD)
InDesign
Highlander editors also have access to an InDesign style guide template, which they can copy and paste directly into their own spreads or duplicate as a starting point. It includes redesigned layouts and entirely new ones for sections like sports and recipes, offering more practical base designs than last year.
Style guide checklist
Docs
I worked with my managing editor to implement an idea where we transformed the style guide I created into a checklist for Highlander editors to use before submitting their spreads to managing editors. This helped reduce the number of design-related errors we were finding in drafts.
EDITING
Balancing feedback
One of the most important lessons I learned from Mr. Fenech, the club advisor of Art Showcase, early in my leadership, was the “sandwich method.” This method involves giving criticism framed between positive affirmations so that the recipient is more receptive and less likely to feel discouraged. As editor-in-chief, I apply this tactic across all aspects of my role — from responding to pitches after brainstorming sessions, to providing guidance during design discussions, to giving feedback on completed feature articles for the magazine. It helps ensure that feedback is constructive, encouraging, and effective.
Pitch comments
In the examples of comments below, you can see my editing style, which often follows the sandwich method: I start with a positive statement about what I like, then provide a constructive suggestion, such as offering a new idea or asking for clarification on a pitch. This approach helps avoid discouraging contributors while ensuring they feel confident about their idea before pursuing it further. In these examples, all comments were left on a Google Sheet linked to the pitching form, where content producers are expected to review and act on the feedback.
Design comments
These comments are examples of ones I’ve left using the post-it note feature on Canva. I find this especially important because design is closely tied to creative thinking, and it can be harder for someone to receive criticism on artwork, which comes from personal creative energy, compared to writing, which follows more defined rules like AP style. For this reason, I make a point to highlight the parts I like, offer clear suggestions without overwhelming the creator, and encourage clarity where needed. If a major issue arises, I prefer discussing it in person so feedback is clear and constructive, rather than coming across as harsh or purely critical.
Text comments
Below, I’ve included examples of feedback I’ve left on real drafts for the Highlander. I don’t usually review every draft in depth, but for the first issues of each period — Issues 1 and 2 — I wanted to make sure editors, especially first-year Highlander editors who are juniors, were able to catch certain details I was concerned about and prevent any mistakes from slipping through right before print.
LEADERSHIP
Addressing Accountability
While my time as Highlander Editor-in-Chief has largely been defined by exploration, innovation, and intentionality, these changes extend beyond design. From shifting our coverage — which you can learn more about in the Audience Engagement category of my portfolio — to tracking every stage of the process and holding everyone accountable through multiple systems, I have learned a great deal. Most notably, our revamped whiteboard system allows us to quickly identify anyone who may need support and serves as a constant reference for where we are in the magazine’s production.
To the right is an image of the whiteboard system I redesigned. Each class period, which works on separate magazines nearly concurrently, has designated colors for “in progress” and “completed” at each stage of the process. Weekly, the managing editors and I check in with all sections, updating the whiteboard and leaving specific notes for anyone who may need follow-ups during the week, whether they are behind or missing sources for their features. On the far right, final checkboxes track tasks like ad finalization, completing the editor’s letter, and confirming a cover image. This ensures covers are thoughtful and eye-catching rather than rushed at the last minute. These systems have been instrumental in keeping everyone on task and preventing delays caused by missing articles or uncompleted photography.
In addition, we maintain an online workflow chart linked to Teams, our communication platform, which allows editors and content producers to view all deadlines and expectations. Row 1 specifies each role, while the rows below outline each person’s responsibilities at every stage of magazine production, from section editor to photographer.
LEADERSHIP
Improving the intern training process
One of the biggest overhauls I began last year (2024–2025), after being selected as editor-in-chief for the 2025–2026 term, was restructuring the editor intern cycle. After noticing consistently low attendance from both editor mentors and interns—10th-grade media arts students who later become editors in their 11th-grade journalism class—I knew changes were necessary.
When I officially took over in April 2025, attendance became mandatory, and I introduced new assignments focused on skill-building. Interns created mockups of spreads that had already been published in Highlander, using them as reference points to help them become comfortable working within the style guide.
This year, as editor-in-chief, I fully restructured the intern system to address every aspect of the training interns would need. This included editing for AP style, learning how to use grading rubrics for content producers through practice beats, creating mockups, and designing their own versions of spreads using real content compiled by Highlander editors for this year’s issues.
Additionally, all nine of our interns are paired with either two mentors or one more experienced team member, ensuring they always have full support and that meetings aren’t disrupted by attendance issues.
One of the more unique changes I implemented was aligning the intern schedule with the Highlander class schedule so interns could actively experience what it means to be a Highlander editor. For example, interns participate in circle edits, where they leave comments on printed spreads just as we do in class, and they edit real editor drafts for this year’s issues. This makes the experience more accurate, professional, and reflective of the standards we expect from our editors.
When I was an editor intern, meetings often felt impromptu, tasks were given without much context, and it was easy to lose track of what was happening. Now, with a dedicated document outlining instructions and all necessary resources, along with a clear timeline and linked slideshows from each meeting as reminders, the process has become much more organized and accessible for everyone.
TEAM BUILDING
Creating community
Through my role as editor-in-chief this past year, I have focused deeply on cultivating stronger connections not only between the two grade levels within the journalism class, but also on fostering outreach to Media Arts, the introductory class to journalism, in order to maintain a higher retention rate as students move into the journalism program. We accomplished this by extending outreach opportunities, such as hosting a pizza party to celebrate the Highlander’s first Pacemaker Award with underclassmen, and most significantly by starting a new tradition: the Beginning of the Year Barbecue, where we hosted field-day-style events with teams composed across grade levels and encouraged 10th graders to practice their first interview techniques and form their first ledes based on the event.
Team building within the class has also taken place through initiatives such as Camp Carlmont, a team-based competition my fellow executives and I planned at the Fall 2025 Nashville convention. During the event, we placed classmates into unfamiliar teams and had them army-crawl down hallways, deliver spontaneous TED Talks, and fashion accessories out of toilet paper.
This sense of community is also built through everyday moments in class, such as the small potlucks we organize, as well as through thoughtful section-building that considers group dynamics and intentionally encourages relationships to form between students of different grade levels.
Journalism has shown me how friendships grow from shared passions. My classmates have become some of the closest people I’ve met in high school, and I’m constantly inspired by their dedication, creativity, and humor. Being part of this community is something I’m incredibly grateful for every day.
Journalism BBQ
Fall 2025
A new tradition the 2025–26 executives and I started: all 10th, 11th, and 12th graders were invited to a potluck-style BBQ at a local park, where Highlander editors did their best not to start a fire while grilling hotdogs. We wrapped up the BBQ with team-building activities, including Olympic-style games in large, mixed-grade groups, and gave sophomores a chance to practice their first interview skills with upperclassmen.
Camp Carlmont
2025 Nashville Convention
The image above is a little dark, but if you could see their faces clearly, you’d notice the mix of laughter and concentration as teams worked through riddles at the end of the event—after running a mile on the hotel treadmills and filming silly videos for the editor-in-chiefs’ amusement (though the EICs were less thrilled when the winning team got to push them into the hotel pool in their pajamas!). This event helped build anticipation for the convention and fostered connections between seniors and juniors that have lasted throughout the year.
Parties
Year-round
If not for winning awards for our school publications, our journalism program might deserve one for how many successful parties and potlucks we hold. With normally absurd themes, ranging from funerals for graduating seniors to a Secret (SNO)flake exchange at the holidays, our classroom celebrations are just one of the ways our community comes together and shows its spirit.
ART SHOWCASE MAGAZINE
- What leading a publication means
What leading a publication means
Art Showcase Club has taught me firsthand what it takes to lead a publication effectively.
As editor-in-chief and president, I have had the opportunity to gain valuable leadership experience in both the creative and organizational aspects of running a publication. I manage the entire process—from coordinating the design workflow, reviewing the completed magazine cover-to-cover, checking formatting and correcting errors, to overseeing sponsorship efforts and club collaborations. I also have experience communicating with sponsors, creating original ad designs for companies, and teaching members how to secure their own sponsorships.
My role has also allowed me to implement changes across the entire publication, whether restructuring for better efficiency or transitioning to new practices. For example, after the disorganized first year, we shifted from a very liberal task system to organized assignment groups and committees, which significantly improved workflow. I’ve also navigated common challenges faced by a publication, such as productivity and motivation issues, internal communication gaps, and coordinating the magazine’s overall vision.
Moreover, I initially struggled with the impulse to create the magazine on my own, often redoing spreads under the belief that they didn’t align with my vision. Over time, I realized that a publication’s goal is to represent the voices of artists and the community we had built, not just a single perspective.
By inspiring my peers to take ownership of the vision as much as I did, and by ensuring they felt their contributions and opinions were valued, I committed myself to creating an environment where collaboration thrives. Having raised my own magazine from the ground up since my sophomore year, I gained much of the confidence I now carry into leadership roles.
I’ve come to understand that collaborating with others and leveraging a diversity of strengths leads to outcomes no individual can accomplish alone. To me, leadership is about trusting in the collective potential.
We recently completed our fourth edition, and while I’m still learning as a leader, I believe I’ve successfully fostered a fun, creative community where Carlmont students can celebrate art.