Mang is editor of The Panther for fall 2018
By:
May 17, 2018
Olanma Hazel Mang. (Panther photo by Jelah Anderson)
Olanma Hazel Mang has been named editor of The Panther for fall semester 2018.
The native of Nigeria is a senior mass communications major. She minors in biology/chemistry.
Mang succeeds May graduate Bradley Harris as Panther editor.
About the editor/in her words
I grew up in Nigeria reading books by writers like Chinua Achebe, Buchi Emecheta and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. They were stories unlike those by Enid Blyton or C.S. Lewis, whose books I also enjoyed. Achebe challenged me to learn more about Nigerian history and Igbo culture; Adichie allowed me to explore characters that talked like me; Emecheta exposed me to the pains of womanhood in Nigeria. These are the people that piqued my interest in writing. I, too, wanted to tell stories, both fiction and non-fiction. Yet, it was not until I watched Christiane Amanpour on CNN that my eyes were set on journalism.
Journalism, to me, is a megaphone. Over time, it has been a tool for change, for enlightenment. It highlights societal issues, acts of bravery, acts of god. It sparks a discourse on controversial topics and holds everyone accountable for their actions. This is something I would love to be an active part of, especially coming from a country where the people’s voice desperately needs to be heard.
In today’s world where facts are lost in a tangle of misinformation and propaganda, I think it is important to always be accurate and truthful as a journalist. This is something I’ve learned as a reporter for The Panther and I hope to make this a priority as the editor for the next academic year. I am very excited about this opportunity and it is a huge accomplishment for me.
I am a senior mass communications major with double minors in biology and chemistry. I’ll be graduating in December and while the thought of stepping into the real world is daunting, I am excited to do so. After graduation, I hope to pursue an investigative journalistic career mainly on the African continent – to underscore its cultures, the human condition and the socioeconomic factors that affect it.