Avery Hellberg: Arts & Culture editor

Being a part of The Cardinal Times for two years was a huge learning experience for senior Avery Hellberg.  

Avery joined the staff as a junior, following in the footsteps of her brother, who was part of The Cardinal Times while in high school. 

“I wanted to carry out the legacy,” said Hellberg.

She also thought journalism might be something that she wanted to do for a living. By joining the newspaper, she felt like it was the perfect place to start. 

During her first year on the staff, Hellberg served as a reporter and co-hosted the podcast series Gettin’ Flicky With It. Hellberg and fellow reporter Michelle Yamamoto made several episodes where they talked all about movies, whether that was reviews or recapping award shows. 

After her junior year, Hellberg knew she wanted to be an Arts & Culture editor. 

“We have a very rich culture and a lot of really great things constantly going on, so I knew immediately that I wanted to be an Arts & Culture editor,” she said. 

As an Arts & Culture editor, Hellberg enjoyed hearing other people’s ideas and collaborating with people. 

With last year’s in-person classroom environment, she felt that the collaboration aspect was really strong. 

“It was always really great to come into the classroom and be surrounded by people who [were] working,” said Hellberg. 

One of her favorite things about being part of The Cardinal Times was the inclusive community. She always felt accepted, and knew that her ideas were going to be heard. 

Having people tell her that they read her article or seeing people hold copies of the paper showed Hellberg that The Cardinal Times truly has an impact on the community. 

Out of the several articles that she has written for The Cardinal Times, there are two that particularly stick out to her. 

During her junior year, she and Ella Mashroutechi, the Managing Print editor at the time, wrote about the lack of diversity in the Oscar awards.

This year, her favorite piece was an opinion piece about why people shouldn’t have traveled to Hawaii after its reopening. Hellberg identifies as Hawaiian, so writing about this was very personal and close to her heart.

Along with getting the opportunity to express her feelings and opinions, Hellberg gained many skills while on the paper. Learning new writing styles, organizing interviews and working with a variety of different people was incredibly helpful for her. 

Outside of school Hellberg loves to read, hang out with friends, go to different coffee shops and see movies at the theaters. 

After graduating, she plans to study communications at Boston University. 

Her presence and contribution to The Cardinal Times will be incredibly missed.