Spectrum Announces New Managing Digital Editor
Isabella Koh will be taking on the role of managing digital editor for Spectrum, responsible for the weekly work of running the website. She began working for Spectrum as a summer intern in June of 2023 and has enjoyed the opportunity to try new styles of writing, engage with Adventist news, and work within a passionate, talented community.
Isabella recently graduated from Andrews University with a BA in English literature and minor in Chemistry, summa cum laude. A prestigious J. N. Andrews Honors Scholar, she excelled, not only as a student, but also an employee in the English Department where she honed her academic skills crafting theses and checking footnotes. She is enthusiastic about storytelling and has been working in communications and social media writing over the past few years. Showing her diverse experience, Isabella was a contributor to The Student Movement, the campus newspaper, as well as a writer for the university's in-house communications department.
Her senior honors thesis centered on racial representation in a television adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henry VI trilogy and Richard III. In it, she explored the ramifications of failed diversity casting measures within the show The Hollow Crown and sought to present ameliorative techniques for non-traditional casting and ethical representation. “My experience at Andrews deeply impacted how I engage with the world through writing,” she says. “I have learned the importance of critiquing unjust systems, caring for marginalized communities, and using my voice responsibly. I have also experienced the joy of being in a community where people utilize their words to make a positive impact on the world.”
Isabella currently resides in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, where she grew up supported by the Pleasant Valley Adventist Church community. In her free time, she enjoys trying her hand at crochet and keeping the craft of stationery-making and letter-writing alive (both through snail mail to friends and an impressive letter-opener collection). You might also find her curled up with a good book, enjoying a cup of tea, or attempting to make salted brownie crinkle cookies with her sister.
She looks forward to the opportunity to continue honing her writing and editing skills in this new role and is grateful for the opportunity to work with a company that prioritizes a diversity of thoughts and viewpoints within the church. She has enjoyed engaging with high quality work on the website so far, and is excited to be a part of Spectrum’s continued growth and development. “I feel that I’ve found another one of those special communities,” she says. “Everybody that I have encountered, from team members and writers to readers and donors, has shown incredible passion and care in what they do, and that inspires me. I have been challenged and encouraged in the best of ways throughout my time with Spectrum, and I look forward to more of that in the future!”
Isabella comes to Spectrum highly recommended from faculty at Andrews University. "Isabella's attention to detail and thoughtful engagement with the issues that matter to Spectrum readers make her the perfect fit for our growing organization," states Alexander Carpenter, executive director. "In a recent gathering of Adventists, when I mentioned that I had hired Isabella as our new managing digital editor, someone loudly expressed frustration that another entity hadn't acted faster on their recommendation to hire her."
"We got a good one," adds Carpenter. "Each Spectrum member can walk around with a big smile knowing that their donations support Isabella and the dozen relatively recent graduates of Adventist institutions who use their top tier talents to further the mission of Spectrum."
Title image from Isabella Koh
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