Hallie Reed, a sophomore nursing student, is living the journalist’s dream—out of 20,000 applicants, Reed was chosen to write regularly for The New York Times’ newsletter, “The Edit.” This international newsletter represents voices and passions of young college graduates and current students from across the globe. Thirteen total students from Berlin, Germany, to right here in Birmingham, were chosen to represent a variety of majors, interests and personalities of a diverse young adult generation. Wise and well-spoken beyond her years, Reed shared what this opportunity to write for a national news publication means to her.
“I felt like I was in an alternate universe,” Reed said when she received the good news from The New York Times.
Reed was inspired to go through the application process in January, when a professor emailed her class a link to the application site. She took this opportunity to apply for “The Edit,” never expecting to actually be chosen as a newsletter contributor.
During the summer, Reed was at the beach with 25 of her family members when she received the long-awaited call that she was chosen out of a sea of students.
“I got to win the magical golden ticket,” Reed laughed when describing that surreal phone call and celebration afterward with her family.
Reed plans to write once a month for “The Edit” and already enjoys the freedom she has experienced so far in pitching ideas on different topics and issues that her generation faces.
“Getting to be a voice for something bigger and for more people who would not necessarily get a voice, especially on this platform,” Reed said.
Reed hopes to collaborate and possibly meet with her 12 fellow contributors in the near future. She became acquainted with these writers along with the rest of the public while reading a page published by “The Edit” just a few weeks ago.
“That little glimpse into who they are was really exciting for me because I got to see the bigger movement that I was getting to be a part of,” Reed said.
This opportunity to pursue her passion for writing in the midst of nursing school “was a personal miracle in so many ways,” Reed said.
Like many students, she felt that balancing both her creative outlet and her career aspirations was impossible.
“I thought this dream was on hold almost indefinitely,” Reed said.
No matter their major or college path, students can view Reed’s story as inspiration to never disregard their creative talents or to take seemingly small opportunities for granted.
She hopes to use this voice and platform to not only to grow as a writer, but to impact young adult readers for the good.
“If I could ever write something that continued to influence people even after the first time they had read it, that would make my life,” Reed said. “That would be a success for me.”
Reed is preparing to debut her first article for “The Edit” in the coming weeks. According to Reed, she looks forward to connecting with Samford students about future article topics and writing spots on campus. Outside of nursing classes, she enjoys her favorite journals and novels, which include “Humans of New York,” “ Jane Eyre” and “The Hiding Place.”
“Reading anything that makes me consider other perspectives or really makes me think about something or the value of the way I think about something, I love that stuff,” Reed said.
You can sign up for “The Edit” newsletter by following the link below.
Links: www.nytimes.com/newsletters/the-edit
Contact Hallie Reed: hreed1@samford.edu
Carol Graffeo, Staff Writer
