Millbrook High School’s Cat Talk is one of the school’s oldest traditions, the name originating in 1970. Mitra Norowzi and Kiley Burns held the previous position as Editor-In-Chief. Both of these past editors are currently students at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In their studies at UNC, both girls have continued their involvement in journalism and use the same passion they put into being Editor-In-Chief at MHS as they further their education.

 Former 2014-15 school year Editor-In-Chief, Kiley Burns was always a cheery, motivated face in the classroom, and she continues to bring her inspirational outlook to UNC’s campus a sophomore. Recently, Kiley traveled to Rio, Brazil, for the 2016 Summer Olympics Games. There, she served as a flash quote reporter for the Olympic News Service. Kiley was selected as one of the 25 students from UNC’s School of Media and Journalism to find quotes from athletes, coaches, and individuals involved with the ONS.

 One of the sports Kiley enjoys covering at UNC is football, so when she went to Rio, it was a change in atmosphere. Of the activities Kiley reported, she had interviews with athletes, press attachés, and coaches. Kiley’s favorite interview was with a Romanian fencer, Ana Maria Popescu. Securing interviews with athletes was most difficult, but with Kiley’s luck, she scored her chance to talk with one. One thing Kiley learned from Rio was “that it is perfectly okay to feel uncomfortable. Scratch that. Being uncomfortable is a great thing. Being challenged to step outside of your comfort zone is the best thing you can do for yourself.”

 Mitra Norowzi was Editor-In-Chief for the 2015-16 school year. Currently, Mitra is a freshman at UNC Chapel Hill and is a journalism major. With her love for journalism, Mitra has gotten the opportunity to be an editorial assistant for the quarterly journal, Southern Cultures. Mitra describes the journal as a “highly regarded, peer-reviewed quarterly journal that is put out by UNC’s Center for the Study of the American South. We publish scholarly essays, photography, art, interviews, memoirs, and sometimes even fiction that focus on the many nuances of the southern experience.” Southern Cultures takes up a lot of Mitra’s time, and her journalism major as well as her past on The Cat Talk has given her valuable experience for her path this year.

 When asked about how being Editor-In-Chief impacted her, Mitra said, “My editing experience from my three years on the Cat Talk has been extremely helpful to me in both my job and my coursework. The journalistic style of writing that I learned in Newspaper class is useful in college because professors want you to be able to write succinctly and clearly, and will give you a better grade if you communicate your points effectively.” In addition, Mitra expressed that she missed being at Millbrook mainly because of how she misses having close relationships with her teachers. “I’ve also lately been missing being creative, since I went from doing layout for the Cat Talk and Tempest and my work for IB Studio Art, to not doing any art at all!” Mitra said.

 Whether they are writing for The Cat Talk or making waves at UNC, Kiley and Mitra’s impact as past Editors-In-Chief will not be overlooked. Journalism is not dead, and these two are the proof.