My Interactions With Contributors

Text by Alyshia Guan


I start every one of my editing processes with the question: what do you want to say? (1).gif

Kristen was afraid

In retrospect, she looked at the piece she had submitted and started to question herself:

“am I oversharing?”

“will people benefit from it?”


I’ll leave you with the questions that I’ve asked myself numerous times- questions that ground me when I’m feeling time is being lost:

"What are you trying to say with the actions and words you’re putting out there? Is there a purpose?”

“Are you doing everything in your control to express it the way you’d like people to understand them?”


But… what university has taught me above all else is that sometimes we just need to chill. (2).gif

My response was…

About “show your cards once in a while” - Kristen Sunstrum



Intentions are important when we are coming up with a piece. Our words are being increasingly valued, sometimes getting more attention than actions.

This is just a natural result of spending more time online, where words can be scrutinized and manipulated to the liking of the reader.

Asmaa reorganized and repurposed her piece about 6 times, trying to find the right message to emphasize. Telling a story about the impact of nutrition on neurodegenerative diseases is a difficult task, especially with all the jargon that is now a part of our everyday language in the dietetics program.

“Should I leave this out?”

“Did I say enough?”

Valid questions.

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