My NSA Story: In Pursuit of the Perfect Sentence
By Onyinyechi U.
Text correction, proofreader by Maica from Getty Images Signature Created in Canva
Hello My Name’s Onyi.
No. No. No. Scratch that out and start again.
Separate Hello and My with a period, put Name in lowercase, and avoid contractions in formal writing.
Hello. My name is Onyi.
That looks better.
The editor is a perfectionist. No article is ever flawless, no publication ever ready, no work ever complete. Even after the NorthStar Navigator website has been replenished with a new month’s stories, I find myself going back over my old works, hunting for ways to improve my writing. For the editor is also an idealist–a dreamer who continues to envision the perfect sentence: one so balanced in grammar, style, and syntax that it seamlessly communicates its message to the reader.
But how did I come to join the editing staff of the NorthStar Navigator?
When I was growing up, my house was always filled with books, which I devoured eagerly as a quick reader. I first discovered my interest in grammar when I was around eight-years-old. Watching my older sister doing homework early in the morning, I wanted to join her in “looking busy.” I asked my mom if I could do some schoolwork on my own, and she found me a set of English books. Over the next three years, I studied topics from correct capitalization to complex punctuation.
When I joined the Navigator in tenth grade, I was not sure how well I would cope with the new responsibilities. Nevertheless, I found myself interested when Mrs. Meyer mentioned that the position of “editor” was available. I reached out to her, and she accepted me for the position, which I would share with Jonah S., a young man equally passionate about helping writers achieve good grammar and style.
Of course, I do not know everything about grammar. There were times that I did have to check the Internet about a correction I was making (Hey, Grammarly, is this supposed to be a semicolon or dash?). But consulting outside sources is a way to strengthen editing skills and learn new information for next time!
The following year both Jonah and I returned as editors, and I found the role even more enjoyable than before. And, thankfully, joining the editing staff was Joseph P., an amazing editor who focuses on helping writers cite their sources correctly. As someone who has struggled with MLA formatting, I am grateful for his help!
I hope to come back next year as an editor, working alongside my fellow staff members. I look forward to the new things I will learn from my experiences on the Navigator. I enjoy serving the whole team–editors, journalists, leaders, and everyone who commits their time to making this newspaper one of the best!
And meanwhile, I can spend the summer reading, writing, and preparing to accomplish the seemingly impossible–to craft the perfect sentence. But for now, this will have to do:
Hello. My name is Onyi, and I like editing!
Columns: 🗞️Staff Stories, 👤NSA People
Onyinyechi U. lives in Pennsylvania with her parents and two siblings. She is in eleventh grade. This is her fourth year at NSA and her second year on the Navigator. In her free time, she enjoys writing novels and poetry.