This week marks The Daily Gamecock’s 107th anniversary. In case you were wondering, that’s a pretty big deal. It takes long hours, late nights, a lot of sacrifice and a strong team who is willing to push others to explore their bounds. In doing this, several TDG alumni found a niche and flourished working in the newsroom. And in a profession dominated by men until the late 20th Century, TDG’s journalistic efforts have continued the trend of strong female professionals. In celebration of TDG’s big day, we reached out to a few alumni to share how their newsroom experiences have helped shape their careers.
“The Daily Gamecock was everything for me when I was an undergrad. It was my family. It was my job. It was my entire college experience.”
“It’s difficult as a woman because at times, you’ll run into sources who call you ‘honey’ and ‘sweetie.' It can be really hard when you work with sources and different constituents who tend to see you as a little girl.”
“I’m hoping that once my daughter gets to my age, that maybe the world will be an easier place for her to navigate. And people will understand that just because she is a female doesn’t mean that she has little to offer.”
— Jackie Alexander, Class of 2011 and former Editor-in-Chief, now works at Clemson University as the Associate Director of Student Media.
“I think it helped me flourish as a person, and equipped me with skills I could use in the world. My role at The Gamecock helped me learn to become a better leader.”
“I remember reading [female opinion] columns in The State paper and really admiring her voice as a columnist and thinking, ‘Hey, this is kind of what I want to do. I want to have this form and impact.’”
“I was a huge feminist ever since I was a teenager. I always thought, ‘Yeah, I can do it. I can have a high-powered career. I can work at a major newspaper. I can have the family that I want to have. But you really have to make decisions in life.”
— Martha Smith, Class of 2002, former Editor-in-Chief, now works as a features editor for the Chicago Tribune.
“At The Daily Gamecock, I was working with editors, collaborating with people, working in a fast paced environment, which is what I do today, just in a magazine format.”
“I was always given an opportunity to rise higher in any of the positions I was in at Student Media and even in my professional career. I’ve always been encouraged. Working at Cosmo, we preach feminism. We preach being the powerful woman that you are.”CQ interview
— Elizabeth Howell, Class of 2011 and former design director, now works as a designer for Cosmopolitan Magazine.
“You really have to know yourself, and know that you are capable of anything. But knowing that you’re there for a reason and to tap into that inner confidence that can be hard to find at times.”
“I think for some women it’s hard to achieve what you can’t see. If you can’t see a woman being a CEO or a vice president, or something like that, it’s sometimes hard to imagine yourself in that position.”
— Alexandra Young, Class of 2007 and advertising representative, now works as director of the Center for Girls Leadership.
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