Lauren Lejeune

Doug, although we have not had the pleasure of meeting in person yet, I must implore you to change your suggested name of the “Blough Tribune” to something more inclusive. 

I know I’m a touch late to the rebranding party of the Powell Tribune, but I felt that I needed to get a few more columns under my belt before I entered the ring. Although I do appreciate the haughty compliment in your Sept. 19 writings, I must bring to your attention that you, in fact, are outmatched in name. I think it’s only fair if we go for a more inclusive approach. 

We have three other viable options that need to be strongly considered. Brown, if Katie wants to ditch her marriage surname in favor of her maiden name in her newfound journalism career, or Schiller if she doesn’t. And of course, Lejeune is the main contender in this round. Tongue twister as she is, I think it adds a nice touch of grandeur and pleasantry (it’s Luh-zhan, if you’re unsure how to pronounce it). 

And really, if we are going to stick with the growing trend of society, we really should go with my last name. As a woman, going with Lejeune would be very pro- feminism, and that’s never a bad look for anyone (so they say, I’m not too sold on the idea of that one, but I won’t digress too much on the subject yet). 

I will say, Doug, that you have a unique writing style and I enjoy your story telling abilities. When I decided I wanted to start writing again, Nate informed me of the uncle who has not one, but two columns and I was instantly intrigued. 

In all seriousness, I’ve enjoyed the short amount of time that I’ve been fortunate enough to have my own column. It wasn’t something that I had thought would be in the cards for me, but God has a funny way of bringing you to places you’d never dream of. Having confidence in myself, my thoughts and becoming OK with sharing them on a larger platform than I was used to has been a welcome challenge. 

I’m very thankful for the opportunity I had to learn about journalism from my former teacher, Mr. Vin Cappiello. He has always been an inspiration and champion of all things writing. I still send him my writing just to get his professional opinion. I remember when he first wanted to start up the journalism class and consequently The Prowl, Powell High School’s student newspaper. 

That first year was filled with writing exercises, web design and surprisingly, more history lessons on free speech than I would have thought possible. Braden Schiller was in that class as well and now writes for the Powell Tribune. I like to check in and read some of the stories the students are writing nowadays and am always so impressed with the professionalism and quality of writing.

Good journalism is now more important than ever, especially in the ever-growing spread of misinformation. How thankful I am to have had the education I did and become a champion of truth!