Following a leap of faith, Aaron Edwards headed straight to Ithaca College in New York, despite never having visited the campus, and found the perfect place to cultivate his newfound love for journalism.

A native of Queens, N.Y., he moved as a child to Grayson, Ga., where he acted in various theater productions and became a student leader. After a conversation with his mother, Edwards began brainstorming possible professions for the next chapter of his life. He would no longer be focusing on acting and directing, but writing. Edwards, a rising junior, was drawn to the journalism major by word of mouth from his peers as well as the student-run publication The Ithacan.

“When I first saw my story published, I said, ‘Yeah, I could do this,’” he said.

Edwards is currently the news editor and has previously served as an assistant arts and entertainment editor. He joined the editorial team after several long intimidating nights in the newsroom as a staff writer.

“I remember going into that meeting just terrified, thinking I could never get to that point and it looked so unrealistic,” Edwards said. “These people later became some of my closest friends who taught me everything that I know.”

He won the “Story of the Year” award for an article that told the story of a freshman theater major who almost had to leave the college because she could not afford to attend. And he regularly solicits feedback from family, friends and colleagues to sharpen his reporting and storytelling skills.

Edwards, who directed or acted in two plays during his time in college, pushed aside his longtime love of the theater to begin telling stories through his words rather than his acting. “I think I have made a good choice by bridging the gap between being in the arts and being someone covering the arts and telling stories of those involved.”
– Lauren N. Johnson

An earlier version of this article incorrectly described the attendance status of the subject of Edwards’s winning article, and misstated his participation in two plays.

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