Student journalist Elizabeth Secor has touched almost every possible bases when it comes to student journalism. A former multimedia editor for the Daily Lobo, a former editor for New Mexico News Port and a member of The New York Times Corp mentorship program, Secor is graduating this semester with a bachelor’s degree in journalism & mass communication and a minor in professional writing.
Secor started writing for the Daily Lobo her freshman year and served as the multimedia editor from January to June 2023.
“I’ve always enjoyed being able to write,” Secor said. “In college, unless you’re getting internships, it’s kind of hard to go find stories and be able to write for a publication.”
During her long reporting career, two stories stood out to Secor. The first was a piece about the Savannah Bananas, a baseball team that visited Albuquerque.
“We were there from 10 a.m. to the very end of the game,” Secor said. “We were interviewing the players, we got to be out on the field and we sat in the dugout to watch the game, which was pretty cool.”
The other standout was when she interviewed New York Times Chief White House Correspondent Peter Baker for a story on the White House attempted control of the press pool.
“It was both exciting and nerve-wracking," Secor said. “He gave really good answers, and it was one of the articles I was the most proud of.”
A part of The New York Times Corp mentorship program, which she began in fall 2023 as one of 19 mentees nationwide, Secor worked on 2024 election coverage by providing data for The Needle, The New York Times’ election live election forecast.
“I got to go to Arizona and report back on the number of votes they have left to count, where they are with ballots, mail-in ballots and help form predictions and collect data,” Secor said.
She was also the head editor of the New Mexico News Port, a student journalism lab based in UNM’s Department of Communication and Journalism. As editor, she managed six interns and “found stories in the New Mexico area that would showcase the community,” Secor said.
Outside of journalism, Secor was etiquette chair for Chi Omega and a writing tutor at the Center for Teaching and Learning.
“If anyone looked at my Google calendar, they would probably think I’m insane,” Secor said. “I’m very much someone who likes being very busy and having no free time.”
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After she graduates, Secor will spend a year writing for the culture desk at the Albuquerque Journal as part of the New Mexico Local News Fund fellowship program.
As a soon-to-be alum, Secor will miss UNM’s vibrant college culture and community, she said.
“I just love how much there is to do, how many events UNM has and how there’s never really a dull moment on campus,” Secor said.
Shin Thant Hlaing is a beat reporter for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at news@dailylobo.com or on X @dailylobo
