Meet Ella Holt: The Journey to Managing Editor at NTx Connect

By Ella Holt

For as long as I can remember, I have always loved writing. I was always making up stories as a kid, and English and Literature were my best subjects. However, I didn’t seriously consider a future in the field until I was in eighth grade. The English teacher at our school had a reputation for being extremely tough, and we spent classes upon classes deconstructing sentences and learning about grammatical rules. At the time, it was torture, but what I didn’t know was that it was laying the foundation for something special.

Then, at the end of eighth grade, it was announced that the valedictorian of the class would give a speech at our graduation ceremony. It was a small grade – we only had one class of 24 or 25 people. Yet, I was so honored when it was announced that I was the valedictorian. The feeling of pride quickly turned to fear when I realized it meant I’d be speaking publicly in front of all my classmates’ families and friends.

I spent hours writing my speech, and my teacher was not easy on me. I was given endless lists of notes and edits. There were times that I felt so frustrated and I wanted to give up. Yet, on my last day of middle school, I stood up and delivered a speech that I was very proud of – a speech I had poured my heart into. To this day, my family still talks about that speech a decade later.

After gaining the writing and editing experience I did in middle school, high school was a breeze for me. I could write papers the night before a deadline and walk away with an A. My middle school English teacher had instilled so much information about grammar and writing that I rarely needed to edit what I wrote.

But, as high school went on, I worked hard in my classes but found myself focusing more on friends, dance team and choir. All were things I loved, but not necessarily future-defining. My senior year rolled around and I found myself asking, “What now? What do I want to do with my life?” I didn’t know what to major in or where to go to college. I thought about a major in English, but the future seemed so distant and intimidating that I didn’t want to decide just yet. I chose to go to Mizzou the day before decisions were due. I wanted to get far enough away from St. Charles to experience true freedom and to learn to stand on my own two feet, but I wanted to stay close enough to home because I was still so hesitant and indecisive. I entered my freshman year of college with an undeclared major.

It was in the last few weeks of my first semester that I spoke with my academic advisor, and she asked me what I wanted to do and what major I was leaning toward. I said, “Well, I don’t know. I’ve always loved writing and editing.” She recommended that I take an introductory journalism class that would still fulfill a Gen Ed English credit if I went another way. I walked into that class, and that semester truly renewed my love for writing.

I’d be lying if I said it was an easy path. While the first few classes allowed us to practice interviewing and writing stories about our friends or classmates, the later courses demanded more. As someone who hated speaking with strangers and pushing past my comfort zone, several courses challenged me and made me question myself and my decision. The most challenging semester was the fall semester of my junior year. The class required six projects: a written project, an audio project, a video project, a social media project, an infographic and a photography project. The grading standard? The professors expected everything to be news-ready. It was a semester of tears, anxiety, rejection from sources and late-night editing, but from that challenge came my greatest victory up to that point. The affiliate news stations at Mizzou were always looking for stories, and my instructor emailed me after I submitted my last project and informed me that my project would air on the 9 p.m. news at KOMU 8.

I was thrilled, and I had to make some last-minute edits (including rerecording narration with my airpod while under a blanket to block out noise, as I had already gone home for break). I still remember the feeling of seeing my work on the news. That’s the feeling that kept me going through college, and I still think about it even now. It was my first real confidence boost.

Things picked up in my senior year, and I got a job editing in the newsroom at The Missourian after interning there for a semester for a class. I also worked as a reporter for KBIA, Columbia’s NPR-affiliate radio station, as part of a class. I loved editing, but my heart wasn’t set on reporting. Still, with each story I submitted, hearing my voice on the radio and succeeding in being able to uphold comfortable conversations with strangers grew my confidence. The roles I had in these newsrooms helped solidify my future as a journalist by giving me experience and growing my passion for the job.

Toward the end of my senior year, as I searched for jobs, I was ecstatic to find a listing in my hometown. Here at NTx Connect, I’ve been honored enough to build upon so many of the skills I learned throughout the course of my education. I love talking with new people, I love editing and – most of all – I love that the little girl in me still gets to find joy in writing. As I enter this new chapter as Managing Editor, as well as still being a contributing writer, I’m filled with excitement and anticipation for all the new challenges and projects to come. I’m so grateful for the amazing readers and the amazing staff that have given me this opportunity. Thanks for following along!