Nicole Sydor (‘24) is stepping down as editor-in-chief of The Drew Acorn and turning the position over to Sierra Walker (‘25).
Sydor has held the role for the last two years, overseeing a near restart of the organization after membership dropped to six members.
Her goal for the Acorn was to redevelop the structure into “something sustainable” that welcomed new people.
“I wanted to make this a place that could consistently produce content effectively, and I wanted it to be a place where people could actually learn to be a part of this,” Sydor said.
As editor-in-chief, Sydor pioneered a new structure that focused on engaging with staff writers to help cultivate an understanding for AP style writing (the industry’s style guidelines) and teach better writing skills.
With her graduation set for December 2024, Sydor recommended Walker as her replacement to the editorial board members and ultimately selected her with their support.
“I wouldn’t trust leaving it to anyone else,” Sydor said when asked about her decision.
In an address to Walker, Sydor said, “You are going to take this and turn this into something even more amazing than it already is right now.”
Sierra was assistant news editor for a year before taking over as the news editor for the last two semesters. She currently works as a stringer for New Jersey Hills Media Group.
When asked about her goals as editor-in-chief, Walker said, “I want to grow our organization as not only a space that people can publish their writing but also learn about journalism and really just continue where Nicole left off and where she set us up to be.”
Walker praised Sydor’s tenure as chief, saying, “I think the greatest challenge of my life is going to be trying to follow her lead and hold the Acorn to the standard she brought it to.”
Walker will begin as editor-in-chief on April 19 and remain in this position through the next academic year.
Brandon Dennis is a senior majoring in English.
