Hannah Hall

Arts and Entertainment Editor

For The Carolinian’s first ever Staff Highlight, we have Marlas Whitley. Marlas is a Senior English Major with a minor in Communication Studies and a Staff Writer for Arts and Entertainment, graduating as a part of UNCG’s Class of 2021 this May. She has been writing since age eleven and has loved it ever since.

Marlas is a transfer student, originally beginning her college career at Wake Technical Community College. During her time at Wake Tech, she worked with the school’s student run newspaper, The Wake Review. Upon transferring schools, Marlas paid close attention to student newspapers. During this search, she stumbled across our Instagram page (@carolinianuncg) and immediately knew she wanted to work with The Carolinian.

During her time with The Carolinian, Marlas has held both Staff Writer and Editor positions under the Arts and Entertainment section. Marlas chose to work with this section because of the interest and passion she has for the Arts and Entertainment industry.

When asked to talk about her experience as a staff member here at The Carolinian, she expressed how much she has enjoyed being a part of the paper and how grateful she is for the experience: “It’s been a ball; I’m so glad to have been a part of the paper in more ways than one.”

Marlas’ favorite part of working here at The Carolinian is having the opportunity to become a published writer while still in school. She also added, “At The Carolinian, writers are given the chance to have their voices heard which is very special and valuable to me.”

Marlas feels she has learned a lot about working with a team during her time with The Carolinian. She shared that working in her position here has helped her realize the importance of communication and collaboration; “A well rounded, collaborative space really gets things done.”

As for post-graduation plans, Marlas has some amazing opportunities awaiting her. Over the summer she is planning on teaching with Americorp. On top of that, she is beginning her masters degree program in English at NC State and plans on pursuing a PhD in English as well.

Marlas also wanted to share some advice to other young academics pursuing careers in writing: “Keep writing, even when you think it’s not good. The first draft always sucks. There will always be road blocks but that’s okay. Writing is a process and part of the process and figuring out what works best for you as an individual. Never doubt yourself.”

Keep up with Marlas’ Social Media: @rosey_ram77 (Instagram) @rram72 (Twitter)

Check out Marlas’ writing here: https://carolinianuncg.com/2019/09/11/the-life-and-death-of-toni-morrison/

Categories: Meet Our Staff, Uncategorized