Want to be a part of the nation’s premier student-run media outlet? Want to have your words read or your pictures seen by hundreds of thousands of readers and social media followers? More importantly — do ya like having fun? Onward State is looking for a little bit of everything this semester: writers, photographers, videographers, graphic designers, and even illustrators and business folks.

We’re looking for writers who want to tell the Penn State story. This includes just about every slice of life on campus: from the Board of Trustees, to Penn State athletics, to breaking news. While we never pigeonhole anyone into writing only one topic, a little knowledge about one thing in particular goes a long way. So, if you consider yourself an expert in anything Penn State, we’d love to have you.

We’re also interested in expanding our visual team. Eager photographers have the opportunity to shoot events and showcase the various walks of life at Penn State. We’re hoping to expand our video team to create short, viral content that can be shared on social media. (Remember the ice video?) Additionally, if you’re a graphic designer, we’re interested in adding some flair to our posts and social media with custom graphics and snarky featured images that make our blog unique. We especially want to work on more original visual content this semester, so we’re looking for illustrators who want to draw the Penn State story digitally (and make cool things like this). Social media aficionados always have a place as well, as we’re hoping to improve our team and build upon our following (the largest of any student media outlet, for what it’s worth) with quirky, unique, viral posts and stories.

Our all-student staff works to improve grammar, technique, and content, so our training is some of the best an aspiring journalist can get, but don’t let the “journalist” thing scare you. Students from all majors and walks of life are encouraged to apply. You just need a passion for Penn State and writing. We’re looking for students who are motivated to bring their unique, diverse perspective to our staff to help tell the Penn State story. After all, we’re not all journalists — we’re committing acts of journalism for this little ol’ blog we call home.

Onward State alumni are all over the country, many contributing to major news outlets. But please, don’t join if you’re just looking for another bullet point or resumé-filler. We’re a laid-back group full of snark and camaraderie, and you’ll find it’s easy to fit in.

Our staff has two things in common: We love what we do and we love Penn State. If you think you’d fit in, fill out the application below and if we like what we see we’ll hit you back. The responsibilities of the position you’re applying for will be further outlined during the interview process. In general, staff writers need to compose two posts each week (which is the minimum, mind you), photographers and videographers are expected to contribute on a consistent, weekly basis, and all staffers are responsible for generating story ideas each week. Our meetings are typically held on Sunday evenings and attendance is mandatory. We hope you’ll be excited to both contribute and attend.

Applications are due by 5 p.m. January 19 (the Friday after the second week of classes). If you have any questions, feel free to shoot an email to [email protected]. Hope to see your name on our Masthead!