Cabrini alumna to return to speak about career

by Laura Casamento news editor

Things have changed since the last time Jamie Latshaw was on campus.

Latshaw, who graduated from Cabrini with a B .A. in English/ communication, will return to campus for the first time in over two years to speak with current English/communication students today.Thursday, Oct. 14, at 12:30 p.m. in the Widener Center Lecture Hall.

As the managing editor for two magazines, Latshaw uses her degree on a daily basis.

She covers two beats-major appliances and mobile electronics-for two different magazines: Dealerscope, a trade publication, and E-gear Magazine, a consumer electronics publication.

Latshaw is responsible for editing stories as well as choosing photographs for each issue of the magazines.

"I'm responsible for basically just making sure everything comes together," she said.

At Cabrini, Latshaw served as copy editor for the Loquitur. She was also a member of the yearbook staff.

Between those two activities, she said, she learned many of the skills she needs to carry out her job every day.

"Learn the AP Stylebook," she said, referring to the guidelines used by journalists in their writing and editing.

"I still use the textbook that I bought from Cabrini's bookstore for Dr. [Jerry] Zurek's journalism class every day," Latshaw said.

Latshaw said that the book comes in handy when she edits the copy of the stories in the two magazines, since she is the first editor to see the stories.

Latshaw began working for the two magazines, based at North American Publishing Company in Philadelphia, shortly after she graduated from Cabrini.

"I started there as an intern," she said. "When my internship was over, they wanted to keep me full time, but it didn't really work out."

Latshaw left North American Publishing Company to go work as an editorial assistant at Merion Publishing in King of Prussia.

However, after three months, her former editor called and offered her a position as a managing editor for the two magazines.

Although she admits that she's a little nervous about speaking at her alma mater, Latshaw said that she has several topics that she plans to talk about on Thursday.

"I'm still developing a list," she said.

However, she said that she will definitely speak about several things relevant to English/communication majors.

First, she wants to speak about the differences she encounters working for both a trade journal and a consumer publication. She also wants to discuss the different responsibilities of each staff member of both magazines.

"I want to show how the work that everyone does comes together," she said.

Finally, she said that she wants to stress the importance of establishing relationships with contacts, whether they are relationships with electronics dealers or with editors at other publications.

"When I went to these speeches when I went to school here, I never thought I'd be giving one someday," she said. "It will be fun to be back and I'm sure it will be a great experience."

In addition to speaking with the students, Latshaw is looking forward to catching up on some of

Cabrini's recent developments.

"I haven't seen Founder's Hall," she said. "When I left it was completely gutted. I hear it's very technologically savvy now."

by Janice C. Funk