Staff

Lizzie  Locker
Editor in Chief

When you read my job title of “Editor,” I do hope the Babel Fish in your brain translates it correctly to “Most Glorious and Grand High Poobah.” (Bow to me, thou peons…!) While I may sound like I have a superiority complex, the truth is… well, I do. But really, folks, rather than just leading and guiding my fantastic staff in the sacred ways of journalistic excellence, I have a very special niche to fill here at the Spectator: temper the cynicism of my hard-boiled coworkers with sunshine and sparkles. I am the eager beaver who lives to relieve the ever-growing epidemic of Super Spectator Stress with hugs, backrubs and really bad jokes. And let me tell you – with the levels of pre-print-edition pressure that build up around here, that is a huge undertaking. But I am up to the challenge, because, let’s face it – I’m just ridiculously awesome.

Natalie Thomas
Graphics Coordinator

As graphics coordinator, I’m responsible for our weekly strip ‘W Days’ and putting together various pictoral odds and ends for both online and print. And being the sole art major of the bunch, I also tend to be occupied with matching colors and shiny art supplies when I’m not being a hermit in the back room coloring my comic for the week. Outside of the Spectator office, I’m a residential honors art student with aspirations to be a graphic novel artist. If you’re lucky, you can spot me sprinting between floors of the Fine Arts building, lurking in Grossnickle, or in Stark. Although I have lots of responsibilities and homework, I do enjoy my free time, and I generally spend it reading comics, playing video games, or napping.

Jessica Benigno
Online Editor

This year, becoming Online Editor as well as keeping up with the pressures of being a Culinary student has become a more daunting task than I thought it would be. Between getting all of the right stuff online, to fixing the stuff online, re-organizing  the desktop of DOOM (thanks for leaving me with that Casey) and keeping up with my occasional article, it seems like I never leave the office. The small amount of time that I’m not in the office, in class, or asleep is usually spent in the dorm messing around on the computer and playing Spore, at the pool, sharpening my culinary skills or occasionally out and about with my buds. If you see our Copy Editor, Rachel, around campus I’m usually not far behind.

Angelica “Angie” Shields
News Editor

You can call me Angie, AkShawty or whatever you’d like. If you choose to refer to me by my real name, please do not associate me with the Rugrats. Last time I checked, I was not a three- year-old girl with a strange obsession for cookies. I love doughnuts, not cookies! Now that I’ve cleared that up, I would like to let you all know that I am the News Editor. I’m pretty down to earth, but far from “average.” I can be the most serious person in the room one minute, then transform into the most eccentric black woman you’ve ever interacted with. As part of the Spectator staff, I take news writing seriously. I always find fault in what I do, but that’s because I keep in mind that writing for a newspaper is more than about pleasing the editor. Most importantly, it’s about providing what readers need and want to know. Our role is to inform the public. As News Editor, I try to stay on the serious side, but the Spectator office is anything but uptight. It’s a joy to work with the staff. So it’s more than just a job, it’s a privilege.

Jessica L. Friar
Contributing Writer

Hey readers, my name is Jessica “Popular” Friar. I am a transfer sophomore majoring in Psychology. No, I cannot read your mind, you have me mistaken with a psychic. I will be one of the contributing writers for the paper, and yes this is a “very important job”. I was born with this incredible need and love for writing, so I do promise that anything I write will be so good even the simplest mind will appreciate it. Even though I have only been working with the Spectator for a few weeks, I can tell you all this much, you have a hard-working, fun staff so take the time to read their work. When I am not working with the Spectator you might find me sitting under a tree on campus, writing love letters-NOT!!! After my academics are done (sometimes before), I am hanging with my peeps, eating good food and making a fool out of myself among many other things. I leave you all with one of my favorite quotes, “If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck it’s a duck”. Stay Gold Pony Boy!

Christian Friar
Contributing Writer

My name is Christian Friar and don’t you forget it! I’m a freshman from Booneville and I’m a history major. Five things you should know about me right off the bat are: I don’t have money, I don’t have kids, I don’t eat meat, I’m not ghetto and I’m drug free. I’m a really funny, sweet person once you get to know me. Note to self, I’m known to wear the same pair of socks for three days straight. I’m not the brightest bulb in the tanning bed but I have my smart moments which come just as quickly as they leave. I think being a contributing writer is awesome even though no money is flowing my way. But the best things in life are free; unless it’s covered in chocolate. Then it might cost you extra. Well, that’s me in a nutshell (if only it was a real one).