By Staff Writer: Kayla Kocher
When I started studying communication and journalism at Eastern New Mexico University, I quickly learned that stories do not just live in words. They live in layout choices, headlines, interviews, photos, audience decisions and many small details that make someone keep reading.
Those lessons followed me outside the classroom and became part of Classic Angel Magazine, a free Y2K-inspired digital magazine I created with two friends.
The magazine focuses on fashion, beauty, girlhood, pop culture and nostalgia. It will publish one issue per season and include quizzes, advice columns, interviews, horoscopes and lifestyle articles. For me, it is a way to use what I have learned at ENMU outside of the classroom while making content I’m passionate about.
My journalism classes have taught me to think about audience, clarity and purpose. My communication courses have made me think about how people connect with media. Working on student publications has shown me how much design, photos and voice matter when trying to catch a reader’s attention.
Classic Angel Magazine came from a love of early 2000s magazines, the kind people flipped through, saved and shared. Even though we are starting digitally, the dream is to one day bring it to print.
Creating the magazine has made me realize that college does not just prepare students to apply for opportunities. Sometimes, it gives them the confidence to create their own opportunities.
Classic Angel Magazine may be dreamy and pink and full of personality, but the lesson behind it is something I learned here. As I get ready to graduate, I keep coming back to one idea: If you care about a story and you’re not quite sure where it should exist, build a place for it to live. Thanks for the courage, ENMU.