This fall the Lutrinae bids farewell to three members of the newsroom Maddie Honomichl, Maxfield English and Paige Francis. Before graduation and finals set in, they took time to reflect on their time at CSUMB and with the Lutrinae.
Maddie Honomichl- Social Media Manager and Photographer
With her role at the Lutrinae, Honomichl was able to explore her creativity through social media posts and content creation. More specifically, this year’s staff introduction video held a special place in her heart. “I used to watch ‘Full House’ growing up so it was a little nostalgic in a fun way and I liked having a new way to introduce the team.” Additionally Otters in the Wild pushed Honomichl outside her comfort zone, “Having to walk up to and talk to people about wanting to be in a video takes a lot of courage, especially when I get a lot of no’s. But I would not be who I am today without a little challenge.”
Advice Honomichl would give to those beginning their college journey, “To people just beginning college use your resources! There’s so many resources that CSUMB offers that are so helpful and free!” For those new to the Lutrinae, Honomichl says to, “just have fun with it and never be afraid to ask for help. This little community is so fun to work with and feels like a little family.”
After graduation, Honomichl is going to move back home to Arizona, searching for jobs or internships that connect with her passion for marine science, “I still want to incorporate communication and social media into marine science and find jobs that I will have fun and be creative in.”
Honomichl’s one word to describe working at the Lutrinae was, “Fun!” she’s going to miss the “… overall vibe in the newsroom. It always felt so welcoming and fun to talk and get to know people.”
“We were getting a lot of positive feedback from our team, their families and the CSUMB community. It made me so happy that people liked my videos especially because this was the first time I had ever been in charge of a social media account.” Thanks to Honomichl the Lutrinae’s Instagram had some steady growth this semester and we have new strategies and reel ideas to follow.
Maxfield English- Contributing Writer
English holds the meaningful connections and conversations he has had during his time at the Lutrinae close when reflecting on his time here, more specifically the process behind his profile on Library Dean Jacqueline Grallo, “…it seemed like such a small interview at the time, when we ended up working on it, that was what became such a beautiful piece to me and I think I got a lot out of it that I didn’t expect.”
English’s one word to describe the Lutrinae was “challenging.” He referred to the tough love mentoring style of faculty advisor David Kellogg, saying he has been “tremendous,” but also pushes those in the newsroom. “He makes sense [when he says] that everyone in the newsroom is capable of being better than what they think.”
After graduation, English is going to move back to Los Angeles. “I’ve lived in Los Angeles for a very long time and it’s a huge community. It means so much to me and my family. I’ve seen a lot happen to it, and because of that, I’ve always wanted to kind of go back to the Los Angeles Times and their major paper.” The decision on a potential internship with the L.A. Times will come in March.
“The phrase, ‘joy de vive’ comes to mind. Like the joy of life, every time you come into this newsroom, it’s just so vibrant. People are laughing,” English says, reflecting on what he will miss about the newsroom. “There are constant jokes and people are happy to be here. I didn’t get to engage with it as much as I could have, but I could still feel it even from my position.”
Paige Francis- Senior Staff Writer, former Editor In Chief
One of the articles that Francis is proud of is her recent piece on AI and the environment, “as an environmental studies student, it was something that I wanted to write about and it kind of felt like the last piece to our AI series that we’ve been doing.”
To those who are just starting their Lutrinae journey Francis suggests, “Don’t shy away from any story because it can really get you started on your journalism journey. You never know who you’re going to meet while you’re working on stories. I’ve gotten to interview the chief of police, and some other people from Chartwells and on the administrative level…that’s not something that people who aren’t in the newspaper would be able to [do].” Throughout her time in the newsroom she’s learned and grown in many ways, “I learned more leadership skills and how to trust myself and believe in my decisions, that it’s going to be fine.”
The CCMAS were a time of pride for Francis, “Both times that I went it was really great, but the second time when Zoe [Kapp] and I won an award for our infographic, that was really cool. It was nice to be recognized because we’re a relatively small paper, so it was nice to win against bigger schools who have more time, money and resources.”
Graduate school is next up in Francis’s journey, “going down a science communication path, working for a newspaper, covering scientific things or kind of going toward education. Rough either way combining my passions of science and writing.”
“Fufilling” was Francis’s word to describe her time at the Lutrinae. “I feel this kind of made my time at CSUMB very valuable and I kind of have something to show for it, outside of my course work or my degree.”
All three graduates expressed gratitude for the team at the Lutrinae, the growth that came throughout their time here, and being pushed to their limits on assignment. As much as we are going to miss our graduates, the Lutrinae staff is sending out warm wishes and good luck to them on their future endeavors.
