I first walked into the Lantern newsroom still unsure if I had made the right choice majoring in journalism. Sure, I loved to write and tell stories but I had not yet mastered the very necessary skill of speaking to others. In fact, I was quite shy and insecure. Though I tripped over my words, avoided eye contact and doubted my abilities, I forced myself into that room repeating to myself that I belonged there until I tricked my brain into believing it.
I happily took on the role of John R. Oller Special Projects reporter with The Lantern during my sophomore year because I knew the experience would be meaningful to my career goals. I was grateful for adviser Spencer Hunt’s guidance in applying and settling into this role, but I still did not believe I deserved it.
I had the pleasure of meeting John Oller himself on several occasions and though he was always kind and open, I was unsure I could live up to the name I was chosen to represent.
Little did I know that it would end up being one of the most defining roles of my college career.
That year, I wrote three project-length investigative reporting pieces. I revisited a murder cold case from over half a century ago (“The Tragedy of Bill and Mary”), I examined how our understanding of merit in higher education is being reshaped by the Supreme Court decision to overturn affirmative action and I unpacked the layers behind Ohio State’s naming policy and challenged whether those decisions reflect the promised values of the Ohio State campus.
With Spencer Hunt’s valuable and compassionate mentorship, each story pushed me further outside my comfort zone and allowed my confidence to blossom. I learned to dig through archives, conduct sensitive interviews, sit with uncomfortable truths and most importantly, trust myself. I slowly started to feel like I was supposed to be there, and that it was okay to make mistakes. I rewrote leads, stumbled through a few early interviews and definitely overused the phrase “shed light on.” But The Lantern gave me the space to make those mistakes. I didn’t need to prove my worth in that room, despite being the only one who looked like me. I just needed to try. This lesson, I believe, is what transformed me into the reporter I am today.
Now, as a trending features reporter with The Columbus Dispatch, not even a full year post-grad, I often look at my experience with The Lantern as my real beginning as a journalist. It’s where I found my reporting voice, a voice that’s grounded in curiosity, community, compassion and integrity.
I’m no longer afraid to look people in the eye and lead a conversation. I don’t shrink under pressure in a tight deadline. And I’m committed to chasing stories that don’t land in my inbox, but live in overlooked communities, quiet conversations and sometimes even in fear.
I even feel secure enough to offer my unsolicited advice. To anyonejust joiningThe Lantern, especially if you feel like you’re the only one of your kind, you don’t need to be loud to be heard here. You just have to care and be dedicated to the value of journalism.
Thank you, to Spencer Hunt, to my peers and to anyone who cared enough to offer me honest feedback, for teaching me how to report, and for showing me that I was always a journalist, even when I wasn’t sure. As I say when asked by people in my community what I do, I respond, “Je suis écrivaine,” (“I’m a writer” in French).
Editor’s Note: Amani Bayo (B.A. Journalism, 2024), is a first-generation American from Grove City and the third daughter to Guinean immigrants.
