Written by Lorin Brice Hall
Kaelyn Spickler is a Junior here at Roanoke College. She is the new Editor-in-Chief of the Brackety-Ack and has a happy smile that makes the Maroon Community better. Kaelyn is majoring in Communication Studies and her love for her major is apparent through the amount of effort that she has put into the Brackety-Ack.
Kaelyn started working at the Brackety-Ack her freshman year as a staff writer until she was promoted to the position of Sports Editor. She continued to put in work and was selected by former Editor-in-Chief, Emma Grosskopf, to lead the staff. When asked about her plans for the paper Kaelyn said, “Emma did a great job expanding the paper and making the Brackety-Ack more creative and appealing for college students. I want to keep up that momentum and get the whole campus involved. I’m so grateful for the staff we have, and I feel like we balance each other out and have diverse interests. That will lead us to produce a product that connects to every person on campus- even if it’s just one picture or article.”
Former Editor-in-Chief, Grosskopf, is out in the real world now, but she is glad that she had someone like Kaelyn to pass the Brackety-Ack torch to. “Kaelyn is a sweet girl, she’s nice and she’s fun, but she’s also whip smart, and I knew that she had the potential to be a good leader. I wanted her to apply to be Editor-in-Chief after me because I felt like if anyone could keep the Brackety-Ack moving forward to a stronger, more dynamic newspaper, it would be her.”
In addition to running the Brackety-Ack, Kaelyn hones her Communication game through her blog K Has Too Much To Say.“I made my blog early last summer when I found out I was going to be editor of the Sports page. I wanted to stay in the routine of brainstorming ideas and writing articles somehow, and that was the outlet I used. I didn’t think I would still be blogging over a year later, but I keep coming up with new ideas, people keep recommending topics, and people keep following. I have learned a lot through it, and it’s a fun way to connect with people, so as long as I keep learning and having fun, and people keep following along, then I plan to continue blogging.”
Kaelyn kept busy this summer by catching up with friends, perfecting her Chocolate Chip Muffin recipe and continuing to work on her writing skills through her internship. She is excited to be back to ‘Noke. “I feel like junior year is a big year, but maybe it’s just me realizing I’m getting old. I have a really good feeling about it, and I’m excited to get rolling with the paper. We’ve had staff meetings where we’ve brainstormed new ideas and worked on ways to get the campus involved. We also had a lot of success recruiting new writers, soI’m excited to see what we come out with every other week.”
As she prepares to begin her junior year, K has this to say to all the new Maroons, “The biggest thing for me was remembering that I was not alone. I think it’s easy to see all of the upperclassmen and see how they have their life, seemingly, together with their friend groups and interests, but we were all there at one point. Not only that, but you have 400 or so other students right there in the same boat with you, struggling with the same things you are- adjusting to a new place. Don’t be afraid to be the first one to ask someone to eat lunch with you because that’s how friendships are formed. Don’t be too intimidated to join clubs. Be yourself, and put yourself out there, and everything will fall into place eventually. Remember everyone moves at their own pace.”
