Hello, all! My name is Kelley Peters, and I am so excited to be the editor-in-chief of The Flor-Ala for the fall 2024 semester.
As always, The Flor-Ala’s primary goal is to provide accurate, timely news to readers, and I aim to continue that effort. For my time as editor-in-chief, I intend to publish stories that benefit our campus and community, and I plan to be transparent with our audience as we do so. My staff and I are proud of our capability to serve our community, a role that we take seriously.
We intend to write all stories without bias. All stories that we publish – aside from letters to the editor, opinions, direct quotes from sources, columns and review pieces – aim to meet that goal. We also aspire to give all students the opportunity to use their First Amendment rights and share their opinions.
As written by previous editors and staff members, “The Flor-Ala adheres to The First Amendment as well as the guidelines put in place by the College Media Association and the Associated Press.”
In conjunction with this, we forbid any kind of discrimination and hate speech within our staff and publications. The intention and purpose of our publication will never be to align with or perpetuate these views.
The Flor-Ala receives funding from the University of North Alabama as one of its registered student organizations, but the university’s administration does not tell us what to say or publish. We are not affiliated with the university’s Media and Public Relations department, and it is strictly prohibited for student workers to work for both the department of Media and Public Relations and The Flor-Ala. As an entirely independent publication, our views do not reflect those of the university or our student body, and we do not speak on behalf of UNA, aside from any story that is attributed to a university official or any direct quote from a university official.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me at [email protected]. I would love to hear your thoughts and feedback.
To get to know me a bit better, I would like to tell you a little bit about myself. I am a senior from Plantersville, Mississippi (right outside of Tupelo, if you know where that is), and I plan to graduate in December of this year. As an English literature major, as well as the editor of my high school’s yearbook during my senior year, The Flor-Ala seemed like an amazing opportunity to continue doing what I loved during my time at UNA. Though I was scared at first, my mom convinced me to try it out, and trusting her turned out to be one of the best decisions of my college career.
I began working with the newspaper as a volunteer writer, and I got hired onto staff shortly after as a staff writer. During my time on staff, I have also been the news editor and managing editor, and I greatly enjoyed both of these positions. I have worked under the most amazing leadership imaginable, and I will forever be grateful for their guidance and support every step of the way.
My time with the newspaper has taught me how amazing it can feel to truly have an impact on our community, especially in a way few have the ability to. I love being able to contribute to our campus and the surrounding community through my work at the newspaper, but my favorite part of this job is what I gain in return. Through writing for The Flor-Ala, I have gotten to meet some of the most amazing people, and I have had the opportunity to share their stories with our readers, something I will always be thankful for.
I would not have made it here without the support of so many wonderful people. My parents have always been my biggest supporters, and they are the primary reason I even decided to volunteer for staff in the first place. Their belief in me, even when I’ve called them crying because I was so stressed out, or when I felt like I made a mistake too big to be corrected, has kept me sane and has gotten me through college – and life in general – up until now.
My little brother Blake, who’s not very little anymore, probably has no idea of how impactful he’s been on my life. It’s a unique experience to have someone look up to you in the way that a younger sibling does, and it has always seemed that, no matter how badly I mess up, Blake is always in my corner cheering me on. He’s the best built-in best friend I could ever ask for, and I’m so glad we get along better than we did when we were younger.
My grandparents’ support also means the world to me, and it makes me so happy to go see them, a newspaper in hand, because I know they’re going to ask me to read what I’ve written since they last saw me. I look forward to their breakdown of every article I write, and I appreciate their support more than they’ll ever know.
My girlfriend Christa came into my life at a very tumultuous time, both with the newspaper and in general, and she has been nothing but encouraging and supportive ever since. She’s been such a source of stability when everything goes sideways, and she knows how to help me calm down and find the ability to keep going even when things are at their worst. I hope I’ve been able to give her even a fraction of the reassurance she’s given me.
My previous editors-in-chief, Lavette, Brooke and Emma, got me to where I am today by teaching me how to be a good student journalist. As someone who is not planning to go into journalism, I could have easily given up on being a member of the student newspaper, but their belief in me is what has kept me here and what gave me the confidence to keep doing something I love. My managing editor, Trenedy, has also helped me more than she’ll ever know, and I am so thankful every day that I got the best managing editor to ever exist. Seriously, Tren, thank you for being you and for all that you’ve done and are doing. I appreciate you so incredibly much, and I couldn’t do it without you.
I have had the privilege of learning from our previous advisor, Ms. Cathy Wood, who has been such a gift to our organization. I also really appreciate Dr. Arif, our new advisor, for agreeing to help our staff during such a period of transition. No matter what position I have held on staff, I have learned with and from my staff, who are the best student journalists around. You all make me so proud every day. I hope I serve you well as your editor-in-chief, and I can’t wait to see what we can do together this semester.
I hope that all students, both new and returning, have an amazing semester, and I hope that my staff and I can make that experience better through our work. Thank you for reading The Flor-Ala.
