Impassioned senior Giavanna Murgia will take her superb writing skills to the collegiate level at Moravian College in the fall where she will study journalism and communications. As the editor in chief of both The Slater Newspaper and The Slate yearbook, Murgia is ready to show off her craft.

“Ever since I was little, I loved reading newspapers and magazines. Whether it was reading articles or just looking at comics and ads, I was always fascinated by newspapers and magazines,” Murgia said.

Murgia’s keen interest in journalism began her freshman year when she enrolled in Mr. Madden’s journalism class, which entailed writing for the school newspaper.

“When I found out that I could write for the school newspaper, I was so excited. I used to always read my sisters’ school newspapers when I was younger, so I couldn’t wait to join,” Murgia said.

Once Murgia finally reached high school and got into the process of writing for the newspaper, her passion set fire.

“My favorite part about writing for the school newspaper is getting to interview people. If I didn’t have to write articles about people or get certain quotes from students, there is a good chance that I would never talk to them. The interview process allows me to get to know a great variety of people and I have the opportunity to share their story for everyone in the community to share,” Murgia said.

Despite interviewing now being Murgia’s favorite part about writing, it once was a challenge for her to overcome.

“One of the biggest challenges I have faced while writing for the newspaper was having to interview people face to face. I nearly peed my pants my freshman year when I found out that I was going to have to interview Amber Ward in person. This was totally out of my comfort zone and I immediately regretted taking the class,” Murgia said.

Eventually, Murgia knew she had to defeat this fear in order to succeed in her newfound passion.

“Somehow, I got through it and after my first interview, I realized that it wasn’t too bad at all. I quickly found out that the person I was interviewing was usually more nervous than I was, so that definitely settled my nerves a bit,” Murgia said. “The more I interviewed people, the easier it became. Especially now that everyone has their own email and iPad, it has become even easier to interview and contact people.”

While writing for the newspaper can be rewarding for Murgia, frustration also sets in when the creativity just stops flowing. Luckily, Murgia knows just how to set her mind back into the writing zone. 

“Most of the time when I’m trying to come up with article ideas I try to think of all kinds of people in our school to write a spotlight on them. Whether they’re in the band, play a sport, or have an interesting hobby, I think everyone deserves to have an article written about them. Then, I normally try to come up with ideas on a larger scale, like things going on in our community or new movies coming out,” Murgia said.

By Murgia’s sophomore year of high school, she had mastered the skill of writing, and was rewarded with the title of editor. With this title, Murgia continues to write articles for the newspaper, but also edits other reporters’ articles, assists with interviews, and helps Mr. Madden with any formatting for the paper.

“I would have to say that the best part about being an editor is getting to help everyone with their articles. I remember when I was just a freshman and I was amazed at how well all of the senior editors could write and how they were able to make my writing sound ten times better,” Murgia said. “Now, as a senior editor, it’s been really satisfying to come full circle and help all of the underclassmen with their articles.”

Expanding her skillset, Murgia earned the title of editor in chief of The Slate yearbook her senior year after mastering her notable writing and editing techniques. 

“Without a doubt, the best part about working on the yearbook was submitting the last page. This was the first year that I actually worked on the yearbook, so I didn’t realize just how much work went into making it. It felt so good to see all of the pages come together and to finally submit the last page for the publication,” Murgia said.

While working on the yearbook for the first year was exciting, Murgia was also faced with promising challenges that she powered through in order to contribute to the distinguished yearbook.

“With it being my first year working on the yearbook, I definitely faed a lot of challenges. I mean, I didn’t even know how to place a picture on the page until my third or fourth day. The only way I really overcame any challenges was by trial and error,” Murgia said. “This method may have led me to delete an entire page here and there—thank God for the undo button—but by the end of the year, I had a pretty good grasp on how everything worked.”

Stepping away from the keyboard and onto the tennis court, Murgia’s athletic side shines as captain of the Lady Slaters tennis team. 

“The best part about playing tennis was the killer tan. The crazy tan lines I would get from my racerback tank top and socks would literally last for months! All jokes aside though, the best part about playing tennis was forming a close relationship with everyone. Since we were such a small team it was really easy to get close. I mean, if it wasn’t for playing tennis, I would never have learned how sassy Morgan Putvinski could be haha,” Murgia said.

Murgia’s inspiration to join the tennis team is unique to her, but is certainly comical and memorable.

“Honestly, I decided to join the tennis team because of Wii tennis. As a kid, Wii sports was my life and I absolutely killed it at tennis. Eventually, I decided to actually go outside with a racquet and try it for real, and I’ve loved playing it ever since,” Murgia said.

After playing tennis for six years, putting down her racquet for the last time was a sentimental moment for Murgia. Thankfully, she has the bond with her teammates that will last a lifetime.

“By far, the best part about being on a team is forming a close relationship with everyone. When you’re with the same group if girls for a period of time, it’s pretty easy to create friendships and become really close. I am incredibly thankful for all of the friendships and memories I made over the past year,” Murgia said.

Looking towards the future, Murgia will be spending the next four years at Moravian College.

“I know this sounds super cliche, but as soon as I stepped on campus, it felt like home to me. I absolutely fell in love with the buildings and scenery and I could literally picture myself going to college there,” Murgia said.

Even though Murgia’s time at Bangor is quickly coming to an end, the legacy of being a Slater will be carried on forever.

“To me, being a Slater means having pride in your community. I know that sounds super basic and pretty much everyone says that, but I truly feel that way. I love how our entire community supports one another in everything,” Murgia said. “I will miss how close everyone in our school is. Since it’s pretty small, it’s been really easy to get to know a lot of people and it’s been really fun to watch everyone grow over the years.”

Murgia is sure to find success on all of her endeavors no matter where her writing takes her.