Sydney Allabaugh stood amid thousands of spectators, a throng of journalists and high-ranking public officials Friday evening, with one purpose: to report a major national news event on her own turf.
Mission accomplished.
"It was a great opportunity," said Allabaugh a Wilkes University senior who covered Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign visit to the school for The Beacon, its student newspaper.
Allabaugh, from Hanover Township, is the paper's editor-in-chief as well as director of Wilkes NOW, the student-run TV station. Her story was published to The Beacon's website on Saturday, following some intense writing on deadline. It will appear in print later this week.
"I wanted to spend time working on it," Allabaugh said. "I felt like it was probably one of the most important things that I've written thus far."
Harris spoke to more than 4,100 in Wilkes University’s McHale Athletic Center in Wilkes-Barre, while another 700 to 800 people watched on screens outside.
It was a major event for local, national, and international journalists, requiring extensive planning and staffing to cover. While colleagues from Wilkes NOW were on hand for a separate video production, Allabaugh alone represented The Beacon.
"All of the other journalists around me were simultaneously writing and recording videos and posting as soon as they could," she said. "It's a very fast-paced process."
Allabaugh more than kept pace. Her story includes a gallery of her own photos from the event.
A communications studies major, Allabaugh expects to graduate in May 2025 and said she hopes to pursue a career in broadcast journalism.
Allabaugh joined The Beacon her first year of college, gradually progressing from staff writer to assistant editor, section editor and now editor-in-chief.
"She did a great job, and we're also proud of her," said communication studies professor Kalen Churcher, who serves as The Beacon's faculty adviser.
Churcher, a former reporter for the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader newspaper, advised Allabaugh before the rally to be prepared for anything and keep her eyes and ears open.
"I think at first when I reached out to her and said, 'Hey, you have this opportunity, you know, Are you good with this? Are you cool with this?' she was super excited, but also incredibly nervous," Churcher said.
"I talked to her about how when I had covered things as a journalist, you just have to go in expecting the unexpected," Churcher added.
She was excited with the results, and is looking forward to seeing the print version of Allabaugh's story on Wednesday.
"These are the type of opportunities you hope you can offer to students in their four years, or however long they're at school," Churcher said. "So when the stars all align and you're able to do it, it's just such a great opportunity."
For Allabaugh, it was an opportunity that resonates at home as well as in the classroom. Her mother, Denise, is a veteran local journalist who formerly wrote for the Citizens' Voice newspaper in Wilkes-Barre.
"She had given me a lot of advice and tips — how I should start my articles, how I should structure things, grammatical and AP style advice," Allabaugh said.
"I learned a lot about the industry in general from her."
With the crowds and the intense deadlines and the "airport-level security" behind her, Allabaugh reflected once more on Friday's experience.
"Just to have that opportunity as a student, I think it was great ..." she said, before pausing for another word.
"Cool."
