Lessons upon lessons are learned after one goes through high school. Past Argus members Antony Vorobyov, Sarah Hurwitz and Shelby Schwartz reminisce on how being a part of the staff has affected their motivation behind their future endeavors.
Vorobyov went through the smaller version of a newspaper cycle called Cub Edition, which gives journalism students a taste of what it is like to be on the actual staff, where he became aware of his love for newspaper. Then, once on the newspaper staff, Vorobyov tried to become the feature editor but landed the spot of opinion editor instead. After realizing that he wanted to be a part of newspaper for the rest of high school, he applied be the editor-in-chief of The Argus.
“There were many capable people for the position, but I thought I deserved it,” Vorobyov said. “I loved my position as opinion editor, however I had big plans for the newspaper and wanted more control over its future.”
It was clear that Vorobyov had his mind set on a high leadership role after his opinion editor term. However, being on staff showed Vorobyov that dealing with accomplishment and failure defines who you are, and if someone is met with an objective, he or she will almost always be met with an opposition.
“Declaring accomplishment, or lack thereof, is not what makes you or builds character. Win or fail, you take what you get because it is all you have. Any experience, including a bad one, is an experience alone,” Vorobyov said.
The lesson of handling different experiences has helped Vorobyov through the beginning of his freshman year at the University of Miami in Ohio because he faced many challenges. Nevertheless, he pushed through those challenges by making a few changes that he never thought he would make.
“I started as a chemistry major thinking I would get a job as a researcher for the US Air Force. However, I found that as much as I love chemistry, I cannot stand it. It isn’t that it’s difficult, it just wears on me more than anything. I found it challenging by just bearing it and that started to take affect on my grades. So, halfway through the semester I switched majors to a double in Mass Communication and Russian. It’s funny, I thought I would never return to newspaper, and now I’m a mass communication major. And because of that switch I am no longer looking forward to a job in the US Air Force as a researcher, but an occupation in intelligence,” Vorobyov said.
As Vorobyov saw the difference between a job that one has to do to pay the bills and an occupation that one enjoys throughout their lifetime, he also saw how being on the staff helped build his character for the future.
When Hurwitz was on The Argus, she started as a staff writer in 2005 as a sophomore. Then she went on to be a co-editor, leading up to her final position as Editor-in-Chief.
“During my junior year, one of the co-editors had left The Argus, so it was my job to fill their shoes. When it came to my senior year, I realized that no one wanted the position of the editor-in-chief, so I took my opportunity,” Hurwitz said.
Reporter Sarah Hurwitz looking for stories to report on.
Hurwitz went on the attend Syracuse University because of its high journalism background. While she was there, she got a taste of broadcasting, writing and many other combinations of journalism classes.
“By attending Syracuse, I had obtained a great experience because it was hard to get into, so everyone attending had motivation,” Hurwitz said.
After college, Hurwitz became a reporter for channel KAMR NBC 4 in Amarillo, Texas because of her love for broadcasting. The people of Oregon might even see her on television, eventually.
“I am working on applying for a broadcasting job in Portland or Eugene soon,” Hurwitz said.
When she was on The Argus, Hurwitz learned many lessons that helped her decide that journalism is what she wanted to pursue in life.
“First of all, I learned how to work as a team and knowing how to work for a common goal was needed when it came to The Argus. I also learned the process of interviewing and newspaper writing, which turned out to be the basics of broadcasting,” Hurwitz said.
Like Vorobyov and Hurwitz, Schwartz took on a leadership role as a junior too. She started on The Argus as circulation manager during her junior year. Throughout her junior year, she grew close to the feature editors and became a co-feature editor for her senior year.
“I felt comfortable with writing feature stories, which made it easier for me to be a co-editor of the section. I was also close to the girls that ran the feature section before me, so it made for a good experience,” Schwartz said.
Currently, Schwartz is attending Mt. Hood Community College, where she is majoring in journalism. She is also a part of Mt. Hood’s newspaper called The Advocate.
“I have already finished all of my journalism classes, so all I have to do is finish up my core classes. This is my third year on The Advocate, and I am the Living Arts editor,” Schwartz said.
Her next step is to transfer to Portland State University to go through their communications program.
“Since PSU doesn’t have a journalism program, I might go down the career of writing or advertizing,” Schwartz said.
In the end, what Schwartz has learned from The Argus has been quite fulfilling for her college career.
“I felt comfortable in my early college classes of journalism because I had already learned the basics of properly talking to people and writing stories, which built a foundation,” Schwartz said.
For Vorobyov, there were many genuine things that he learned from The Argus that brought himself to take a look at life in different ways.
“The experiences that go along with being on The Argus are too full to describe. The people I met along the way, the stories I wrote, the people I interviewed–they all helped shape me into the character I am today. Going from staff writer to editor-in-chief has promoted my intellect and gave me the ability to see growth and leadership in everyone, including myself,” Vorobyov said.
Overall, the experiences of communication, finding oneself, learning the basics and building a foundation through being on The Argus has made Vorobyov, Hurwitz and Schwartz realize that the Argus helped them find that passion for journalism.
Life can change anyone, but for these three previous Argus members, it was the experience of acting as a community on the newspaper staff that they look back on the most.
