Each year, The Acorn traditionally shines a spotlight on the graduating senior members of the editorial board. This year, our newspaper must unfortunately say farewell to four fabulous editors, and we invited them to share some of their experiences, thoughts and insights as they move forward from their time at Drew.
Sierra Walker
Sierra Walker (‘25) is the editor-in-chief of the Acorn and is graduating with a double major in media & communications and marketing and a minor in Spanish. Walker plans to attend graduate school at Middle Tennessee State University in the fall as part of its Industrial-Organizational Psychology Master’s Program.
What made you want to join the Acorn?
“I originally wanted to go into print journalism and news writing so the Acorn seemed like a natural step. Then, when I was thinking of joining at the beginning of my sophomore year, the previous news section editor, Lauren Reduzzi, asked if I wanted to be her assistant editor, so I jumped straight into the deep end and never looked back.”
What’s one of your favorite Acorn memories?
“My favorite Acorn memories were all of the late nights I would spend with other editors on publishing nights. After we would finish our InDesign and turned the PDF into the printer, we could take a breath and joke around.”
Do you have a favorite editor?
“I could never answer a question like that—I love you all.”
What are some of your plans for the future after grad school?
“After grad school, I hope to enter a career as a consultant IO psychologist, either as part of a IO psychology consulting firm or a more general consulting firm. Really, I just want to use the skills I learn to improve companies that need help.”
Is there any advice you’d like to give to current Acorn members and future students?
“Focus on the good times, lean into the chaos and study AP style. Even when things are stressful, the Acorn is an amazing organization full of so many incredible people, so make sure you do not lose sight of that. On that note, a little bit of silliness is always fun, so lean into things even if you are supposed to be working. Finally, remember all the AP style rules, your copy editors will thank you and myself and past editors will find you and hold you accountable if you slip up.”
Robin Gindhart
Robin Gindhart (‘25) is the Student Life & Arts editor at the Acorn, and is graduating with a major in English writing & communications and a minor in psychology. She joined the Acorn as a staff writer before becoming the Student Life & Arts editor.
What made you want to join the Acorn?
“I’ve always admired journalists and the consequential work that they do—partially thanks to Rory from “Gilmore Girls”—so I wanted to join the Acorn to begin to be a part of that. This began during my time at Sussex County Community College, where I earned my associate’s degree and where I was part of The College Hill Newspaper, but it wasn’t student-run like the Acorn and only included myself and one other student. This brought on a desire for a more immersive newspaper experience in order to discover whether I could really see myself as a journalist or not, so once I heard about the Acorn, joining was the obvious choice for me.”
What’s one of your favorite Acorn memories?
“I think one of my favourite memories from the Acorn was when Teddy, the previous SLA section editor, and I would come up with random and absurd titles just for the fun of it. Of course we couldn’t publish articles like that, but man it would’ve been funny if we had. Honestly anything random Teddy did—which was very often—would just make me laugh, so shout out to him.”
What’s one of the things you’ve enjoyed most about editing for the SLA section at the Acorn?
“There’s a lot to enjoy about being a section editor, although it’s often tedious work, but one of the things I enjoyed the most was the chance to work with others in a more interactive and personal way. It was also always so satisfying to see the pages completed at the end of the night and it’s rewarding to see how much better I’ve gotten with InDesign over time.”
Is there any advice you’d like to give to current Acorn members and future students?
“Only do something if you truly want to. The great thing about college is that you get to call almost all of the shots, which can be a blessing and a curse, especially if you’re as indecisive as I am. You should keep trying something out when it’s new and you’re still unsure, but if you keep feeling like you want to pull away or are struggling to enjoy it more often than not, then it’s probably not meant for you.”
Ben Castro
Ben Castro (‘25) is the Assistant Opinions editor at the Acorn, and is graduating with a double major in marketing and business. He joined the Acorn as a contributing writer in 2023 before becoming a staff writer, LinkedIn and Path manager and then the Assistant Opinions editor. He is also involved in numerous clubs on campus, as well as Student Government and Admissions.
What made you want to join the Acorn?
“I originally joined The Acorn because I wanted to express my creativity and further expand my writing skills. It was a no-brainer as a student majoring in marketing, as it allowed me to work with like-minded people and develop my skills in content creation and audience engagement.”
What’s one of your favorite Acorn memories?
“The night I became Assistant Opinions Editor. I have a lot of respect for our current editorial board, and I stepped up to the position so no one else had to stress out.”
You’re well-known at Drew for being involved in many different extracurriculars, and you can be seen almost everywhere on campus. How do you keep up with that many activities, and how do you dispel rumors that you have an army of clones?
“I stick to a set schedule that keeps me on track but still gives me room to jump into different activities when I can. I love to be involved, and I do wish I had an army of clones so I could be doing even more on campus.”
Is there any advice you’d like to give to current Acorn members and future students?
“Have fun with your college experience. Get involved on campus, volunteer around the community, and be more outgoing with your fellow students. It makes you feel better and makes your entire college experience better.”
Ollie Arnold
Ollie Arnold (‘25) is the Copy Desk Chief at the Acorn, and is graduating with a major in mathematics and a minor in computer science. He joined the Acorn in Fall 2021, and is well-known for their frequent contributions to the Opinions section known as “Ollie’s Opinions.”
What made you want to join The Acorn?
“Near the beginning of my freshman year I got dragged to the club fair. The Acorn had a pretty noticeable table, and among other positions, they were looking for copy editors. I thought it sounded like a good chance to be a grammar snob, so I went to the open house later that week.”
What’s one of your favorite Acorn memories?
“It’s hard to narrow down my favorite memory, since I have so many of them. I think I’d have to say seeing my name on an in-print paper for the first time, because it felt like I was a part of something.”
What do you enjoy the most about writing Ollie’s Opinions?
“It may sound egotistical, but I really love hearing from people about how much they like the articles. The writing process is also really fun for me—I’m able to get pretty comedic with it, which is my favorite way to write.”
Is there any advice you’d give to current and future Acorn members?
“My best advice is to try new things as much as possible. Even if it doesn’t work out or you don’t like it, you still tried something, and that’s worth a lot.”
The Acorn would like to thank all of its graduating members for their amazing work and incredible determination over the years. Without their unending dedication, our organization would not be what it is today, and we are extremely grateful to them for making the Acorn office a friendlier and more inclusive community than ever! We are incredibly proud of all that they’ve accomplished so far, and can’t wait to see the new heights they reach in the future.
Sabr Keres-Siddiqui is a sophomore majoring in Political Science and minoring in Sociology and Journalism.
