By Asia Nicole Alcorn
Photo: Coppell Student Media
When Coppell High School (CHS) senior Angelina Liu first joined the Texas Metro News team, she described herself as an “introverted individual interested in photography and opinion writing.” However, behind that shell lies a gem with superb writing skills and leadership abilities.
“I am learning how to be authoritative without being bossy,” Liu said. “I’ve seen the way Ms. Cheryl assertively leads us interns. She doesn’t tolerate disrespect, and she inspires me as a woman in a high position.”
Texas Metro News Publisher Cheryl Smith is a believer in Liu’s proficiency in the newsroom.
“Angelina is smart, talented and a joy to work with,” Smith said. “She is focused, a team player and she also displays outstanding leadership potential.”
And a team player she is, as she works well with her fellow editors of the Texas Metro News youth section, The Trendsetter.
After leaving behind the Coppell Cowgirls basketball team and theatre, Liu was searching for her niche during her sophomore year.
Her older sister, Christina, had friends on The Sidekick staff and she would bring newspapers home.
Angelina’s interest was sparked after reading a few issues, and that summer she emailed an advisor, asking to be enrolled in the class.
Liu started as a staff writer for The Sidekick, covering pre-dominantly CHS sports. Then, she became the Visual Media Editor in her junior year.
It was obvious she was beginning to soar, as she, along with the previous Editor-in-Chief, Sally Parampottil, received Honorable Mention for one of their Sports multimedia stories.
“When I first met Angelina, I was Editor-in-Chief,” Parampottil said. “She was always willing to take things on, no matter the section or media. She is multi-talented and truly gives her all to the program.”
Liu has gone above and beyond in her work, which is why she believes The Sidekick adviser, Chase Wofford saw her as a fit for the Editor-in-Chief role.
“She really set herself apart from the rest of the staff by being so eager and hardworking,” Wofford said. “Sidekick always seemed like a priority to her. She was always so invested, which made her the ideal candidate to be Editor-in-Chief on the executive team.”
Stepping into this new role, Liu has no doubts. Her former colleagues, Sally Parampottil and Anjali Krishna paved the way and gave her plenty of advice and encouragement.
“From when I first met Angelina, she’s been an inspiration to me,” Krishna said. “She’s a talented photographer and writer, but what most of The Sidekick staff first recognized her for was her incredible work ethic and unfailingly positive attitude towards everything she was assigned. I can’t think of anyone more capable of leading a program as wonderful as Sidekick.”
Angelina’s overall goal for The Sidekick this upcoming year is to inspire staff members to try new things within the newspaper and consider pursuing journalism in the future.
“A lot of people are saying print is dead, and you should only pursue broadcast,” said Liu. “I really want to change people’s mindset about that. I understand there’s been a major shift from print to online, and we all need to learn those aspects.
“However, the amount of information you can put into a written piece will never compare to it being broadcasted.”
Those words were like music to the ears of Smith who convinced Liu to continue on in a contributing role as an editor of Trendsetter, throughout her senior year.
“Between her work on The Sidekick and Trendsetter, this is an opportunity for her to build her portfolio and further establish herself as a journalist,” said Smith. “I’m excited that she is serious about a career as a journalist. We congratulate her and we are confident that she will excel and continue to produce outstanding work!”
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