Every team has its fearless leader. Here at the Muleskinner newspaper, we call our leader Sadie. Sadie Staker has been our Editor-in-Chief for the last two years while she pursued her Masters of Arts in Communications, something she will be graduating with this May.
“Sadie consistently brings a strong sense of purpose and professionalism to her work. She approaches each story with curiosity, care and a commitment to accuracy that elevates not only her own writing but the entire newsroom. Her growth as a student journalist and editor-in-chief has been impressive and she leads by example in both her work ethic and her willingness to support others,” said Dr. Julie Lewis, faculty adviser for the Muleskinner.
Part of being the EIC and a graduate student is balancing questions from the section editors and staffers, giving final say on articles and photos, meeting with Dr. Lewis, attending conferences as a representative of the news outlet, writing and editing stories, creating slides and leading the weekly pitch meeting and somehow getting all classwork and homework done on time.
“I guess one big thing that I kind of realized is, I thought my job was mostly to make sure that the work is getting done, but also to make sure people are happy and having a good time. In reality, it’s totally flip-flopped, and your main job is to deal with the people and the individuals and a lot more attention goes to that than I realized, as opposed to just getting the work done,” said Staker.
This May will mark Sadie’s fourth and final semester here at the Muleskinner with a total of 26 publications, ranging from hand-drawn comics to stories and photos across all sections. Sadie’s favorite story she wrote was the profile on Darlene Simpson in the Elliot Student Union and her favorite print edition was the September 2025 publication. She also enjoyed creating the “Backpack Journalism” series, which won a Pinnacle Award in 2025 at the national College Media Association competition.
No matter where Sadie goes, her commitment to learning and striving to be the best version of herself possible remains at the forefront of all her efforts. Her time at the Muleskinner is a testament to that drive.
“I think one of the things that I’m most grateful for during my time here is the people that I’ve met, everybody that I’ve gotten the opportunity to work with, eventually become friends with, that’s been the most meaningful thing to me. I’m very grateful for all of the wonderful people here at the Muleskinner, it’s my favorite part,” said Staker.
