Next steps: Q&A with senior columnist and print editor Addy Cross
The Wheel’s senior columnist and this semester’s print editor, Addison Cross, is graduating! We are so happy to have read her moving and brilliant work and to have learned from her leadership. Despite this season’s changes, we felt it imperative to commemorate Addy in the way we know best: an article. Addy — you will be dearly missed! Congratulations in every way possible.
Q: Tell me a bit about your time with The Wheel. What has inspired you to stay with the publication all these years?
A: I started with The Wheel as a travel journalist in the Spring of 2018 while studying abroad in Germany. It was really special because I was able to report on student life in a new country while staying connected to St. Kate’s. My favorite story during that time was about the March for Our Lives in Berlin. After another semester away, I rejoined The Wheel team in Spring 2019 and was part of publishing the first print edition in over 5 years. I worked on a controversial piece about St. Kate’s (then) new Trans and Non-Binary Admission Policy for this edition. The privilege to write pieces like this was what inspired me to stay with The Wheel for so many semesters. I wrote for a total of two print editions of The Wheel and was the editor of the special online print edition we published this semester.
Q: Talk a bit about your other roles on campus. You’ve had quite the involved career as a Katie!
A: I’m grateful because I feel like I’ve made the most out of my time at St. Kate’s. I was in the Honors Program, worked as an RA, did undergraduate research with Summer Scholars, interned with the Advocates for Human Rights through the Community Leaders program, studied abroad multiple times, worked in the Center for Women, and was part of an incredible cohort of Fulbright applicants through the competitive fellowship advising initiative. All of these opportunities were made possible because of the amazing mentors that I had throughout my time at St. Kate’s. Women around me consistently pushed me to try new things, so I did.
Q: Normally, The Wheel would celebrate your time with us in-person. How has COVID-19 impacted your final semester at St. Kate’s?
A: COVID-19 has made for a strange final semester of college. In some ways, staying home has given me time to reflect on the kind of person I want to be during this next period of life. It has been difficult to lose this final time with my friends and the beautiful St. Kate’s campus, but I have tried to move through the sudden change with an open heart.
Q: You were the recent recipient of a Fulbright award. Wow! Tell us a bit about your motivation to apply for such a renowned scholarship and your plans for your time in El Salvador.
A: Fulbright is one of the largest and most well-known cultural exchange programs in the United States. I decided to apply when I was a first-year at St. Kate’s because Mysee Chang, one of my mentors and a past Fulbright recipient, said that she believed in me. At first, I wasn’t sure which country I should apply to, but my internship with the Advocates for Human Rights introduced me to the politics of Central American migration. I decided to spend a semester interning at the U.S. Embassy in El Salvador and fell in love with the country. I knew that I wanted any research I did to make a positive impact, so I paid special attention to areas in need of data in El Salvador. I decided to investigate the relationship between aid and migration at the community level, and will be returning to El Salvador in January 2021 to complete the study.
Q: How do you think your time as a writer will influence you post-grad? Do you hope to continue writing in any capacity after graduation?
A: I learned through multiple internships with the U.S. Department of State that politics is all about reporting. I’ve done much more writing in professional settings outside of St. Kate’s than expected. This has been a welcome and pleasant surprise. I hope to continue to write reports and summaries long after graduation. I also hope to embrace writing for pleasure in new ways. I feel that my time with The Wheel has thoroughly prepared me to write for an audience.
Q: What advice would you give to future St. Kate’s students and Wheel writers?
A: Write for The Wheel! It is a fun job and a spectacular way to be a student leader on campus. Another piece of advice would be to really take advantage of all of the opportunities you have at St. Kate’s. Have fun, be audacious, and don’t be afraid to blast right out of your comfort zone. That’s how you learn.
