From Student to Team Lead to Guest Contributor: My INSIDER Journey

Vol 26, Issue 16, 09 February 2024

Seven years ago, as a student at XAMK, I got an incredible opportunity. Hugh Clack came to our campus in Mikkeli, looking for students to start a campus journal for INSIDER. As someone who loved to get involved, I grabbed this chance and got my friends to help out.

We started writing articles every week. It was a lot of work – writing, designing, printing, and distributing the journal. But it was exciting! One day, I saw an old 2018 issue of our INSIDER on campus. It made me so proud and nostalgic. All our hard work was right there in print!

What I loved most about INSIDER was the freedom to express ourselves and the real-world experience it gave us. It was my first big project leading a team. It was tough, but we made it work even with our busy schedules. I would tell anyone looking for a great learning experience to try something like this.

The journey with INSIDER wasn’t always smooth. Gathering articles on time for design and print was a weekly race against the clock. It taught us about teamwork and meeting tight deadlines, skills invaluable in any career.

Looking back, being part of INSIDER was one of the best parts of my student life. It taught me so much and gave me great memories. I’m excited to see INSIDER keep growing and helping more students like it helped me.

My top-2 articles from those days are:

Time to upgrade your sleep quality!

Climate change

Then came the coronavirus pandemic, shifting everything online. I bet, this change, while necessary, made the editorial team miss the in-person dynamics of working on a campus journal. Despite these changes, the essence of INSIDER remains – providing a platform for student perspectives on current events. As we adapt to an increasingly digital world, there’s still a special place for the student voice in journalism.

Now, as a staff member of XAMK, I’m still part of INSIDER. I keep writing because I want to keep improving my English and offer something valuable to the students. Looking forward, I hope INSIDER continues to be a hub for students to share their views, keeping the community informed and connected. Whether it’s online or back on campus, INSIDER’s role in fostering student engagement and discussion is more important than ever.

Congratulations to INSIDER, to another 25!