Roman Hladio ‘23: The Pandemic Shaped His Perspective on Journalism 

When Roman Hladio stepped onto the Allegheny College campus in 2019, he knew he wanted to study English and enjoyed writing, but he didn’t know what his path at Allegheny would be. That changed quickly.

“My first English professor Soledad Caballero said, ‘If you want to write, you should write for The Campus,’” Roman recalled. “I started reading the paper, signed up for a journalism class, and then things just snowballed.”

“I started as a science/international contributing writer, and Editor Willie Walker (class of ’22) liked working with me so much he kept throwing me more ideas. Before I knew it, I was a science/international section editor,” Roman said. Not long after, he was elected co-editor-in-chief along with his friend Ethan Woodfill, ’22.

Then COVID changed everything.

“My colleagues and I had to figure out what the new normal was,” he recalled. “How do we publish a student-run newspaper on a college campus with some of our writers on the other side of the country and some here? There was pressure to produce stories to fill space, and I don’t think it was the best work we did, but we were able to stick to the schedule and keep publishing.”

Today, Roman is the chief reporter for NEXTpittsburgh and says lessons learned during the pandemic at The Campus shape how he approaches journalism. “It remains important to me to find a good story, but also to ensure that I’m not just yelling into the void,” he emphasized. “I want my work to have meaning for my readers and for myself too.”

Skills he learned at The Campus have become second nature at NEXTpittsburgh. “I thought managing deadlines as a writer was a pretty hard thing. Now, I’m usually balancing five or six different projects a week. I don’t think I could do that if I hadn’t gotten that experience at The Campus,” he shared.

Meeting other Allegheny alumni, Roman says, is one of the best parts of his job. “I’ll often send an email to someone requesting an interview, and they’ll say, ‘You’re an Allegheny grad? Me too!’ It’s so much fun building these personal connections and seeing where Allegheny took them after graduation.”

Roman stays in touch with faculty too. “Professor Mike Crowley taught me everything I know about being a reporter, and I still see him at The Western Pennsylvania Press Club’s annual awards dinner,” he noted. “Professor Matt Ferrence was my advisor and pushed me to be a better writer. He still gives me tips!”

“I think all Allegheny students should write at least one article for The Campus,” Roman advised current students. “You’re going to learn something you didn’t know about part of this community and develop communication and collaboration skills. Beyond earning your degree, those are some of the best soft skills you can take away from your time at Allegheny College.”