OPINION: Senior Spotlight – Ali Reed

Now that I’m out of concussions and into discussions, let me give you the Reporter rundown. From working the front desk, to selling ads, to writing, to now being the sports editor, I’ve really done it all here.

Losing the ability to play sports was one of the hardest transitions in my life. It left me feeling lost and unsure of what I wanted to do with my life. I knew I still wanted to be involved with sports, but wasn’t sure how.

Luckily, I have always had a passion for sports in general. When I wasn’t playing, I was watching and learning. Gaining knowledge about all sports has always been so fun for me. Football and Fútbol will always be my number ones, though.

On top of learning about the sports themselves, I found myself paying attention to the commentators and sideline reporters, thinking of what I’d say or what questions I’d ask. Then one day, I realized that was my calling.

For my first years of college, I didn’t really have a job that would help me reach my goal. If I’m being honest, I didn’t even have a real job; let’s blame that on COVID, for now. 

As my bank account was draining and my senior year was looming, I realized it was time to get it together and look for a job that would benefit me and my bank account. I had some experience helping out the Leukemia and Lymphoma society, but that wasn’t going to get me far on its own.

I ended up downloading the “Handshake” app and looked for an on-campus job. The first one that popped up was an Advertising Sales Representative position at the MSU Reporter, “Whatever that is,” I thought. (I seriously had no idea there was an on-campus newspaper here). I applied for the job and got a call from the lovely Baylee Sorensen, saying that she wanted to interview me.

Before the interview even started, I knew I wanted to work at the Reporter. I remember sitting outside of the office because I was 30 minutes early, due to class finishing quickly. As I was sitting outside of the office alone, former Editor in Chief Max Mayleben told me to come on in and hang out. He gave me a tour and introduced me to everyone in the office. I felt so welcomed.

On top of that, my interview with Baylee went well and I was hired for the Ad Rep position a week later. I was set to start as an ad rep in the fall of 2022, but I ended up working the front desk in the office during the spring. Which was nice because I started to get to know everyone and learned more about the paper.

As my final school year approached, it was time for me to start my job as an ad rep at the Reporter. Selling ads in a newspaper may not sound too exciting, but it was really fun for the most part. I got to learn about a lot of businesses in the area and made some of the best friends in my coworkers.

What made me enjoy my time most last semester was when our current Editor in Chief, Julia Barton, said she needed more sports writers. I jumped at the opportunity immediately, selling ads and writing at the same time. It was finally my chance to get my foot in the sports journalism world.

Talking with athletes and being able to share their stories brought me more joy than I could’ve ever imagined. I knew I made the right decision to become a sports writer, but it left me wanting more. Selling ads was fine, but I knew it wasn’t what I wanted to do with my life. 

Halfway through the semester, Julia was searching for a sports editor, and had mentioned the opportunity to me a few times. I was unsure at first because I didn’t want to quit selling ads so soon. However, after a meeting with Julia in November, we came to the conclusion that being the sports editor would not only make me happier, but also set me up for big things after graduation.

Taking the job as sports editor was somewhat intimidating at first, as I was suddenly a woman of authority in a male-dominated field. Not to mention, all of my writers are men, but we’ll touch on my experiences in this position next week.

All I can say is, becoming sports editor was the best decision of my life, and I can’t wait to talk about why.

Now the sports editor, onto bigger and beditor?

Write to Ali Reed at Alicia.Reed@mnsu.edu