“You are right where you are meant to be,” a sign hanging in the journalism lab; underneath the sign, Editor-in-Chief, Theron Luett ‘23 can often be found, doing every part of the editing process. Luett is right where she is meant to be.
Luett has been involved in Newspaper for three years. She is known for covering controversial, yet impactful topics, including her articles “A Guide To Birth Control” and “Our Liberties We Prize, Our Rights We Will Maintain.”
“A lot of people came to me afterwards and talked about kind of the inspiration that they got from [the “Our Liberties We Prize, Our Rights We Will Maintain story] and how it was important to see these topics being talked about and discussed,” Luett said about her influential articles, “That kind of really proved to me what we were doing was really important. So that was really cool.”
Journalism runs in Luett’s family. Her mom and aunt were both editors, so she knew at a young age that she wanted to be involved in the school newspaper, but the role of Editor-in-Chief came as an unexpected surprise.
“I applied for [Editor-in-Chief] last year, but honestly I really didn’t think I was going to get it,” Luett said. “I was just like a news brief editor last year, and yeah I still felt pretty new to the whole game and everything, but once I got it I think that was like one of the biggest things I’ve done in my high school career and I was just really proud of myself and I think leading people is really fun and just getting to see them grow in their writing skills and it’s definitely made me a better leader and person.”
Luett’s leadership has had a big impact on the overall atmosphere of the Black and White. With her guidance, the 2022-2023 news staff have enjoyed the perfect balance between productivity and amusement, all the while publishing work left and right.
“I think Theron’s leadership style is something that can’t be taught. She has a natural way of leading alongside her peers so she respects the work of the staff just as much as they respect her as their editor,” newspaper advisor Jenna Hansen said.
In any position of authority, to be as respected as Luett has shown herself to be, it is critical to have elements of understanding and appreciation for the staff. For Luett, expressing value for her peers is not a rare habit. Reflecting on the contributions of the Black & White this year she stated,
“Everybody just works so well together and supports everybody and I think this year we were really lucky even though we have a small team. Everybody’s just so loving of each other and I love every single one of you guys and I’m really proud of all you! And yeah just the work and accomplishments and growth everybody’s made is so amazing to watch,” Luett said.
One of Luett’s future goals is to be able to work on the Daily Iowan, the newspaper at the University of Iowa. As Luett steps into the adult world this fall, it is reasonable to gather that the educators, colleagues, peers and friends she meets along the way will be honored to come to know her. And along the side lines, at the place it all started for Luett, the Black and White and additional communities Luett was involved in at Johnston will be rooting for her.
