The first time I had the privilege of working with Inside Armonk was during the summer of 2022, when Grace Bennett graciously took me on as an intern which helped me gain some insight into the real world of journalism as I pitched story ideas, conducted interviews, wrote various articles, and had my first professional stories published. Having grown up in Bedford and graduated from Byram Hills High School in 2021, I had always seen the magazine come in and eagerly looked through it with my parents. That made me even more excited to contribute and see my name published in it. When Grace asked me to come on board as a guest editor for this spring edition, I was thrilled! While I knew it would be a challenge given my busy schedule as a sophomore at NYU studying Journalism and Politics, I knew it was also an experience I could not pass up.
The process of putting this magazine together has been stressful at times, but also incredibly rewarding. The creative freedom to think of story ideas, assign those ideas to our brilliant team of writers, contribute my own pieces, and work closely with Grace to bring everything together over the past few months has been a joy.
As we head into spring, my goal for this edition was to elicit the themes of hope and rebirth we find throughout this season. From our spotlight on the Byram Hills High School theatre department as it blooms back in the wake of the pandemic, to tips for planning your spring planting in order to create the most beautiful garden, to highlights of three local hiking destinations and the beautiful scenery that accompanies each, to personal reflections on Westchester life and developing a “green thumb,” each piece in this magazine was carefully selected and written with the Inside community in mind.
The experience of being ‘editor’ gave me a bird’s eye view of magazine work and I’m that much more excited about a future career in journalism. I am so proud of everything we have put together, and so grateful for this opportunity.
My hope for this season is that you all enjoy reading this edition as much as I enjoyed working on it!
– Illeana
I’m writing this on a grey, damp day in October, cozy in my loose ‘at home’ clothes. I guess the gloomier, chillier weather had to arrive sooner or later after one of the most spectacular Septembers on record. I was grateful for the extra stretch of summer, but equally so for the rains that help us transition through seasons, too. Mother Nature knows what she’s doing if we don’t mess with her too much! And as we head full full steam ahead into fall and winter temps, I do ponder the comforts of home, and feel ever grateful for my own. When it’s grey, there are fewer temptations. I get more of my ‘serious’ work done (like writing this column!). But I can also opt for lazy.
When I think back to my 9th grade journalism class, I still remember my teacher saying that “everybody has a story to tell–you just have to ask the right questions, sit back and listen.” Her advice still rings true today. Because we live in affluent communities in a prosperous time, people often think that all is copasetic here in bucolic Northern Westchester but everyone has their struggles. Sure, some are bigger than other’s but it’s all relative.
When my colleague, Grace Bennett, the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of this magazine, mentioned that this issue’s theme is “Happy Days and Back to School”, I let out a groan. I’m sorry but “back to school” and “happy” don’t really go together like peanut butter and jelly, at least in my house. You see this past summer was the most relaxing one I’ve had in a good decade.
