PAST ADVOCATE EDITORS-IN-CHIEF: WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Over the past few years, the Advocate has been fortunate to have had many talented leaders who have served as Editor-in-Chief: the one individual (in most cases) who ultimately decides on its content and coverage.
The 2012-2013 edition serves as a special year for The Advocate, as that is when our newspaper started posting complete issues online, via Issuu (https://issuu.com/theadvocate). It also was the year that Howard Buck, a faculty co-adviser to the Advocate, joined his colleague, Dan Ernst, who has been advising since the early 2000s and was an Advocate writer himself in the 1990s.
As Chloe Collin’s year as Editor-In-Chief for the challenging 2019-20 school year comes to a close, it is a special moment for the Advocate to recognize past leadership: What are past editors up to now?
It’s also a moment to see how the Advocate has developed into what it is today: a proud collective of friends with the goal of not only establishing the truth, but also being a voice for the student community – For the students by the students.

2012-2013 Mike Mata

“When I finished my time with The Advocate and MHCC at the end of the 2012-13 school year I decided that while journalism had been my initial interest into college, my career would be in a different field.
I took a few years off of school but returned to Portland Community College and then transferred to Portland State University, where I earned my Bachelor of Arts in history last year.
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, I was narrowing down my choices for graduate school, where I hope to earn my Ph.D. in history.”

2012-13 John Tkebuchava
“After finishing my time with MHCC and The Advocate, I transferred to Portland State University to finish my degree. A few years later, I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communications. Soon after, I moved to Arizona to begin work as a public relations coordinator for a school district. Looking to do some traveling, I decided to leave my job in the States and moved overseas to Vietnam and settled in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) where I have been working as an English teacher for over a year after attaining a CELTA.”

2013-14 Katelyn Jackson (Hilsenbeck)

“After my time at MHCC, I transferred to the University of Idaho where I received my bachelor’s in public relations. While there, I served as editor-in-chief of its student newspaper, The Argonaut, and creative director of the student magazine, Blot. Now, I conduct public outreach for highway construction projects in the Portland metro area for the Oregon Department of Transportation. I’m thankful for my student journalism experiences and use the writing, editing, managing and design skills I developed through it every day.”

2014-15 Greg Leonov
“After earning a broadcasting degree in 2018, I studied political science at Portland State. I picked up some contract work as a KXL radio board operator. In seven years as a student journalist, I’d developed a nasty habit of following headlines. But, with rumblings of a recession looming I took on temp jobs, including busy work for a waste disposal company.
Not long after, I lost my father to a heart attack. This still affects me. I abandoned dreams of media glory and now work as a dispatcher, keeping trash trucks rolling from A to B to C. I hope for more interesting twists and turns ahead.”

2015-16 Adam Elwell
Declined to be interviewed.

2016-17 Gloria Saepharn
“I still talk to my core editors from 2016-2017 almost every day. They’re like family to me. Since then, I’ve never really left the mindset of being editor-in-chief. Being a leader is intuitive for me; I’ve always wanted to stay positive and be a good role model for young adults. I’ve had the chance to teach broadcasting to Saturday Academy students for a weeklong course and am the Summer Sound Producer for 1450-AM radio, KBPS, at Benson Polytechnic High School.
Due to various life events, I’m currently finishing my Integrated Media broadcasting degree at MHCC.”

2017-18 Matana McIntire

“Since leaving the Advocate in 2018, I’ve been working as a marketing coordinator at a local restoration company. The skills I learned at The Advocate have been helpful in my role, particularly page design as I produce original marketing materials. Ultimately I’m craving a more creative and philanthropic field of work later in my life.
In passing, I enjoy reading and PC gaming, I volunteer in the south metro area, and I an ambassador with the West Linn Chamber of Commerce, serving with the Lake Oswego Lions Club and working with Youth Villages Oregon to develop a Young Professionals Board that will fundraise and bring awareness to the work they’re doing to keep children with their families, when possible.”

2018-19 Megan Phelps

“After graduation I was hired at a small business in Portland as a marketing communications specialist. Flipside Hats makes hats and accessories out of repurposed, recycled, and organic materials. They opened a new position based on my experience at The Advocate! I managed product listings on e-commerce platforms, created email campaigns for different audiences, and added to my customer service abilities. My years at The Advocate led me to an amazing opportunity to try marketing at a cool brand with a great purpose. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic I was temporarily laid off in mid-March, with no set date for my return. Currently I’m seeking new job opportunities in my degree (field), administrative office.”

Advocate Staff