For the second consecutive year, psychology sophomore Kylie Sledge will lead The Aggieland Yearbook as its editor-in-chief.
Sledge, who started at The Aggieland in the fall of 2019 as a photographer, soon began writing and designing before serving as the 2020-2021 editor-in-chief of the yearbook. Facing unexpected bumps in the road has been difficult for her staff as they navigate not only building a yearbook but life as students as well, Sledge said.
“This last year has been kind of a whirlwind,” Sledge said. “When I got editor-in-chief last year I absolutely did not expect our first semester to be totally virtual and with so many challenges that came with COVID-19.”
Moving forward, Sledge said she and her staff will take the lessons they have learned from this last year in stride as they complete this year’s book and move onto building next year’s.
“This last year has taught me so much about perseverance and adaptability,” Sledge said. “I had to change leadership styles because I wasn’t able to see all of our staff in person. We had to change the way we communicate, but I think it’s been beneficial for us and our overall communication skills.”
General Manager of Texas A&M Student Media Douglas Pils, Class of 1992, said Sledge’s organizational skills and ability to work quickly has been a strength of hers.
“Rising up from section editor to editor-in-chief is a difficult jump,” Pils said. “Being able to deal with good issues and bad issues and meld everything into a cohesive unit — she’s done a good job of that … Next year may be hard because she’s set such a high standard for herself by doing tremendous work in a trying year.”
As the 2021-2022 academic year quickly approaches, Sledge said she is excited to get started and has many plans to help her staff return to normalcy.
“I want to have in-person meetings, staff bonding time and just get everyone more involved,” Sledge said. “I think being virtual, our staff has felt a little distant from each other and having a staff that feels like family and being able to trust each other is so important.”