Cassie Halford: The New Girl in Town
When it comes to finding new members for the Editorial Board, the applicants are usually heavily involved within the English / Communications Departments or have very close ties with a current member. And normally, one of the most sought-after positions is none other than that of the Head Photographer. Imagine the surprise from the EB of ‘21-22 when no one applied for the position – like no one at all. At the end of the school year, when EB recruitment takes place, there was one spot still open and, man, did it make the then Editor-in-Chief (and many others) a tad bit nervous. I’m almost completely certain that many members started bribing anyone they could get a hold of….
Jump to the weeks leading up to this school year, when I was getting my Editor-in-Chief 101 training, and I get told something akin to, “So we still don’t officially have a Head Photographer but there is someone possibly lined up.” I was a mix of slight horror, full anxiousness, and a dash of anticipation. Then, I was given a name I, being completely honest, had never heard before – Cassie Halford. She was going into her senior year and was a brilliant STEM student. I still had no idea who she was. But, I was told she was great working with others and was willing to fill the role. As it got closer and closer to us going live with the 1st issue of the year, I was more than happy to have her.
When I finally got to meet Cassie – to, you know, actually introduce myself and explain the job more – I was kind of blown away. Cassie was on the quieter side, a great listener (who actually listened), asked a few great questions, and claimed to be ready to start with a small smile. This was my first time meeting this person, and I did the usual EiC recruitment thing where you downplay the job, so they don’t feel pressured to accept, but was so, so relieved that she wasn’t scared away. When she left, I remember my predecessor and I just sitting there for a few minutes, finally looking at each other, and smiling. I could tell we were both thinking pretty much the same thing – we had just found our Head Photographer and she was going to be wonderful.
That was simply an understatement. For someone who was almost completely new to this type of environment, Cassie hit the ground running and has only begun to slow down. She managed to recruit and manage a small team of photographers, and when things got too crazy, she did it all on her own. And she did it confidently. She had great ideas for what photos to include for certain articles and created some of my favorite edited photos for the Misc BS’s “A Home Alone in Paris” and “Skeeter Stalks Freshmen.” Whenever she expressed these photo ideas to me, it was clear to see how much fun she was having with them. She went above what was expected of her and did it all fantastically. Seeing her grow over the year has been the biggest privilege; she became surer of her skills and really grew into this position. Even more, my various conversations with her were some of my favorites, no matter the length or topic. Her calm aura (which I very quickly found out had a playful sharpness to it) was refreshing, and I enjoyed hearing more about the STEM based organizations and events she was involved in / running (did you know she was the President of Chemistry Club?). It felt that the more I talked to Cassie, the more diverse she was becoming.
I am so proud of everything she’s accomplished and am excited to see what she does in her very bright future. Getting to form a relationship with Cassie was an absolute joy. She taught me a lot about working with different types of people, Chemistry related issues, and much more. I could not thank her enough for wanting to be a part of an organization she had no original tie to; she really took a jump of trust, and I am so grateful she did. When I look back and recall our first meeting, I remember knowing that she was going to be a great Head Photographer. I just had no idea I would also make an even greater friend.