At a time when in the US, journalists have come under fire from politicians and the public, student journalism is thriving at Lincoln- thanks in part to the work of seniors Will Cozine and Darina Miroedova.

Cozine and Miroedova are the editors-in-chief of two of Lincoln’s three publications– Beyond the Flock magazine and the yearbook, respectively.

As they graduate, the two reflected on the successes and struggles they have experienced while leading their publications.

“We’ve had to go through a lot of troubleshooting, trial-and-error and figuring out a process that works with such a flexible and non-standard class workload,” said Miroedova.

She also acknowledged that being an editor is not easy.

“One of the most challenging things I’ve had to learn as an editor is just taking on such a huge role and not letting others walk over me,” said Miroedova.

Cozine agreed with Miroedova on the difficulties of enforcing the rules as the leader of a publication.

“My biggest problem has always been holding people accountable; it’s hard to be confrontational and that’s been the biggest problem with deadlines,” he elaborated.

While there have been adversities, Cozine and Miroedova both believe that it is rewarding to be able to run a team and provide guidance.

“I’ve gotten a lot of experience speaking and presenting though, and it has helped me be more stable and grounded as a leader,” said Miroedova.

Cozine said that “helping [people] find their voice is really rewarding for me.”

He also mentioned how important it is for students to view Lincoln’s publications.

For us, we don’t really care if people like [Beyond the Flock] or don’t; we just want people to interact with it. That’s the ultimate goal– to spark a conversation,” Cozine said.

Cozine and Miroedova will both attend the University of Oregon in the fall, and Cozine plans to minor in journalism while Miroedova will be studying design and media production.