The Lutrinae bid a fond farewell to four of their staff as they graduate this semester: Editor-in-Chief Arianna (Arie) Nalbach, Production Manager and Webmaster Haley Graham, Assistant Editor Estrella McDaniel and Visual Editor Malia Savella.
Nalbach will be graduating California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB) as a Communications Design major with a focus on visual design. She has been on the Lutrinae since 2019, when she first started as the assistant editor before she became the production manager and eventual editor-in-chief.
“You want me to pick just one?” Nalbach said when asked what her favorite memory from the Lutrinae is. “I don’t know, I’ve got a lot of good memories. I like the Lutrinae. The escape room was fun, because it was a good bonding experience. The end was cool, because there was a hallway with lasers and you had to dodge the lasers. Sara (Gobets, former advisor of the Lutrinae) was sent to dodge the lasers and press the button at the end so we could win.”
“There are a lot of articles I really like. 8-bit (the column) has been a big passion for me. The articles I’ve written that I think had the most impact would have been Chalkback, housing and I am also very proud of my interview with (Eduardo) Ochoa (former president of California State University Monterey Bay) when he retired.”
Nalbach already has a job secured after she leaves CSUMB and the Lutrinae behind as a staff member for the Monterey Herald, but she hopes to do some freelance graphic design as well.
“My advice for new staff members would be just to have fun with what you’re doing! Write about the things you’re passionate about and don’t be afraid to share your ideas,” she said. “As an editor, it always makes me so happy to see writers take on something they’re excited about and I think it shows in the final article when you like the topic you’re writing about.”
Graham is also a communication design major with a focus on visual design. She has been with the Lutrinae since Fall 2022.
“The first article I wrote was a spotlight on one of my best friends, Julia Bozzo. She was performing for Monte’s Music in the Otter Student Union. It was awesome to get to see my friend perform live. I later won an award for that, which was third place best arts and entertainment story at the California College Media Association (CCMA) awards.”
Her favorite article was the interview with the tap house, the Brass Tap in Marina. “It’s an industry I’m interested in, meeting the owner and going behind the scenes at their ground breaking.”
Graham has a job at the Media News NorCal Design Center as a page designer for various Northern California newspapers. Eventually she wants to “get a job at a brewery and become their marketing and social media manager.”
As for advice to new and existing staff, Graham says to “find something you like and start a column about it.”
McDaniel is a humanities and communications major with a concentration in journalism and media studies.
McDaniel has been an assistant editor at the Lutrinae since January 2022 and one of her favorite memories was going to Long Beach for CCMAs.
“It was a lot better than this year’s San Francisco trip,” she said. “Going to the different workshops, getting to know Sara and Arie and getting to know them individually but also grow my own knowledge of journalism even though we couldn’t be there for our awards.”
Her favorite Lutrinae story? “I never went in-person, but I loved reading about the Werk Witch event. It made me feel like I was there. I loved the community, the fashion, and the runway.”
For the future, McDaniel is moving across the country to New York to get a masters in journalism at Hofstra University in Long Island.
McDaniel advises incoming Lutrinae staff to “take everything you learn in. All of it is going to be useful. Have fun with it. We edit and can filter stuff out so have fun when you write. Don’t be scared it has to be a certain way and limit yourself. Ask questions, don’t wing it or try to figure it out by yourself, please ask. Dave (Kellogg), our advisor, is always open for questions.”
Savella is graduating as a liberal studies major. “I have been part of the Lutrinae on and off since Fall 2019, so my whole undergraduate career! I am the visual editor so I mainly create illustrations, but I’ve also written and done photography for the Lutrinae.”
Savella’s favorite memory is also from the escape room with the volume 5 staff. “We finished really quickly according to one of the employees.”
“I always love when we cover the Werk Witch drag shows. I’ve done it twice, and it’s a lot of fun to write about and shoot photos for. I also like our articles on the Monterey poetry festival. I tend to be fond of event coverage.”
For her future Savella is staying locally in Monterey. “I’m graduating with my teaching credential, so I will be teaching at an elementary school in Monterey in the fall.”
As her advice for future and existing staff it would be to “try to find a way to integrate your passions into what you cover. Although I liked writing, I felt like I was doing my best work when creating illustrations and by advertising my art skills I was able to grow into the visual editor position. I’ve seen other staff step into really exciting roles and projects in that way. Worry less about your journalistic training and try to find fun ways to highlight the things you already love.”