Cassie LaJeunesse ’20 graduates this spring with two years of experience as the editor-in-chief of Berry’s student-run newspaper, the Campus Carrier. Shouldering the role shows her tenacity, and she has continued to run the paper remotely after COVID-19 cut short her time on campus. “We are not able to do full issues, but Carrier and Viking Fusion are collaborating to post articles on the Fusion site as we are able,” she says.
Cassie graduated from high school in love with the written word, so she chose Berry for its strong English program as well as the opportunity to participate in campus choirs. She found her niche with the Campus Carrier team.
“Working for the Campus Carrier has been the highlight of my Berry experience, hands down,” Cassie says. “I started there the week after I started at Berry and never wanted to leave … I worked with an incredible team of people every year, and I also had the opportunity to meet a variety of people across the Berry community through interviews and research.”
Gaining experience as a copy editor and deputy news editor prepared Cassie for the next big step. She applied for the editor-in-chief position and took the reins in her junior year, managing a team of 20+ editors, reporters, and photographers. Under Cassie’s leadership, the Campus Carrier garnered 11 awards for journalism excellence in the 2019 Georgia College Press Association Better Newspaper Contest — including the top award in its division.
Cassie attributes her success to a great team of students and her mentor, Student Publications Advisor Kevin Kleine: “I owe so much of my Carrier experience to Kevin. He is always available with advice on any question I might have, whether it is about journalism, leadership or anything else.”
Kleine has nothing but praise for Cassie. “In my more than 30 years at Berry, she is one of only three students who have served as editor-in-chief for two consecutive years. That confidence in Cassie and her ability to manage all of the duties of this position tells you how she is viewed by the various constituencies of Berry,” Kleine says. “Like a dog with a bone, she is curious and assertive, qualities that are highly valued in journalists the world over.”
Experience at the Carrier led to internships in 2019 at V3 Magazine in Rome, Ga., and Berry’s philanthropic communications department, where she wrote for Berry magazine.
Currently, Cassie is weighing several communication job offers. “No matter where I end up in my career, I hope to continue helping to tell stories,” Cassie says. “Because of the opportunities I had at Berry, I learned to believe in myself and my abilities. I learned to be a leader in my job and in life.”
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