Class of 2021 Co-Editor-In-Chief of Buena Speaks Faith Stewart will be remembered as a kind hearted, hardworking individual. As she will be passing on the position this year, her lasting contributions to the success of Buena Speaks will continue to impact future editions to come. 

“Faith is an extraordinary person, she has so much love, compassion, and patience for just about anyone…I’m so proud of the person she is,” sister and senior Hope Stewart said. 

As the editor-in-chief in charge of online content this year, Stewart has had to overcome unique challenges and come up with creative solutions in order to adapt to the completely new virtual setting. This school year was the first time Buena Speaks has been solely publishing online content and Stewart had a big position to fill. 

“Before this year, our Journalism program had a small online presence,” journalism adviser Jessica Castaneda said. “Due to COVID-19 we had to migrate entirely online and purchased a brand new website to host our content.”

Stewart’s proudest and most fulfilling aspects of becoming editor-in-chief include working closely with other students and supporting them throughout their learning journey. 

“The greatest joy of being an editor-in-chief for me is just being able to help my peers be the best student reporters that they can be,” Stewart said. “…at the end of the day I just feel so accomplished in helping people write awesome articles and continuing making Buena Speaks the best it can be.”

Stewart’s favorite and most memorable moments as a part of the Buena Speaks staff include writing to inform and entertain the public, and occasional Uno card game tournaments. 

“It was fun to forget about the chaos of school and the world, and just play a friendly game of cards with some good friends,” Stewart said. 

 As a second year journalism student, Stewart has gained many lifelong skills and has not only grown as a writer, but as a person. 

“Some skills that I’ve learned include maintaining a website and communication, but I feel like the most important skill I gained was perseverance,” Stewart said. “If it weren’t for journalism, I will say for certain that I would be a more isolated person. Journalism helped me overcome a lot of my social anxiety…this class helped me take that first step in becoming more confident and outgoing.”

After high school Stewart will attend Ventura College with future plans to study at the University of California Santa Barbara. 

Stewart would like to thank Castaneda for always believing in her. Stewart accredits Castaneda for giving her the extra boost of confidence she needed to not only make her feel better about her writing abilities, but also for encouraging her to become the most outgoing person she could be. 

“Faith has natural journalism instincts, and is driven to do her best,” Castaneda said. “She was always willing to go the extra mile on any task, be it writing or editing an article, learning how to build and manage a website, or teaching a lesson to her fellow journalists…she is a true testament to the power of journalism.”