Plattsburgh State senior magazine journalism major and English minor Kavita Singh used her ever-growing confidence and love for writing to lead Cardinal Points as editor in chief for one year.
It was in the third grade when Singh realized her passion for writing when she presented an essay, she wrote about her pet fish to her class. It was then she saw writing was not only something she enjoyed, but also something she excelled at.
“I realized that writing wasn’t just something that I enjoyed,” Singh said. “It was something that I was good at and could turn into a career.”
Singh noticed that her love for magazines started early as well, dissecting and analyzing them as she read them.
As her passion for journalism started to grow, she joined Cardinal Points during her sophomore year.
When she started Cardinal Points, she looked up to her editors and doubted that she could “do what they do,” but the longer Singh stayed on the paper, the more her confidence and appreciation for her major grew.
Even though her 2 ½ year journey with Cardinal Points had a rocky start, Singh persevered and gradually rose through the ranks from staff writer to FUSE editor to eventually Editor in Chief.
Singh’s initial interest was in entertainment related stories but as she grew as a writer and a leader she started to take pride in her harder hitting news stories.
Singh attributes her success to “taking things on” and getting involved on campus as a means to getting to know oneself.
“Putting yourself out there and pushing your limits to figure out who you are is a big part of success,” Singh said.
Steve Howell, adjunct journalism professor attributes Singh’s success and uniqueness to her “flawless communication skills” and work ethic.
“Diligent is a great word to describe Kavita,” Howell said. “I know over the past semesters she acted as editor for Cardinal Points, which is no easy task. But to combine that with a full course load, Kavita always got her class assignments in to me in a timely manner.”
Singh is currently a teaching assistant for Howell’s literary journalism class to “act as a liaison to help students with whatever come up during the semester.”
“I trust her not only with acting as support for the students,” Howell said, “but offering a student’s perspective on how I can keep the class moving in a positive direction throughout the semester.”
Singh also worked as the social media coordinator and staff writer for Do North magazine, social media editor of the literary journal ZPlatt, a grammar guru, co-host of Happy Hour on WQKE and interned at Lake Champlain Weekly over the summer.
When Singh isn’t working, she likes to unwind by playing the ukulele, writing a lifestyle blog and amazing people with her poker skills.
“I think it’s important for people to have interests outside their major to really round out their personality,” Singh said.
Julissa Vera, the advertising manager of Cardinal Points and Singh’s best friend described Singh as “the definition of girl power.”
“When she cares about something, she will give it her all, and she helped everyone that was struggling,” Vera said.
Singh is currently using her confidence and work ethic to finish up her final semester at Plattsburgh State and get into graduate school to further her career.
“When I was a freshman, I never thought that I’d be so confident and sure of myself,” Singh said. “I am much more of a leader than a follower now. I am much more sure of my views and stating them.”
Email Windsor Burkland at fuse@cardinalpointsonline.com
