Has a teacher or an event in your childhood made a certain impact that has influenced who you are and what you do today? Over the next few weeks, we will highlight a few student stories that showcase those pivotal moments for them.
You’ll notice each one of these moments was made possible by a PAFE grant and our generous donors. To make a year-end donation and help make more of these stories for our future generation, donate here.
“I felt VERY PREPARED when I started my job at TIME Magazine, not nervous or afraid at all.”
As a student at Sandpoint High School, Chelsea was fascinated with the Cedar Post, the prestigious high school magazine. “It was a big deal,” said Chelsea, “and students who worked at the paper went on to do cool things. I took Journalism 1 and enjoyed reporting and writing; as a junior, I interviewed for the assistant editor position because what I loved is pulling together all the components and designing the overall layout.”
Eventually, Chelsea became editor-in-chief for the Cedar Post. That same year, PAFE funded a grant for her and about 50 other Cedar Post and SHS students to attend the National Journalism in Education/National Scholastic Press Association annual conference. They were able to train in the most current techniques of newspaper, magazine, yearbook, writing, advertising, student press law, and photography production.
Ball State University was also at the conference, and Chelsea had the opportunity to have them critique The Cedar Post. “That’s when I learned about journalism graphics, and I thought – wait, that’s a thing? I can make a living doing that? At that point, I decided I was going to Ball State. I didn’t apply anywhere else, and I got in.”
Ball State is one of the top schools in the nation for journalism graphics. They offer immersive learning, and Chelsea did three internships (two of which were at Wall Street Journal and TIME). “I felt VERY PREPARED when I started my job at TIME Magazine.”
Now, Chelsea is one of six art directors at TIME and is responsible for telling the story through design. In 2017, she and a group of five designed the Person of the Year Issue. That was the year TIME awarded the Silence Breakers, the people who came forward and essentially launched the #metoo movement, as Person of the Year. To maintain privacy and confidentiality, the team worked behind locked doors for a month. “I won my first professional award for that work – a gold medal in design from Society for News Design, the biggest entity for design in journalism.”
Your year-end donation gives back four times: Through classroom enrichment, federal tax deduction, state tax deduction, and the Idaho Education Tax Credit. Donate here.
