Makenzie Hoeferlin

Enthusiastic and looking for a place to make friends, Makenzie Hoeferlin stumbled upon The Wright State Guardian Media Group the summer before her freshman year at Wright State University. 

She quickly fell in love with the aspect of delivering important news to her community and making meaningful connections along the way. Starting as a contributing writer, she quickly advanced to campus reporter and then editor-in-chief beginning May of 2020. Since then, Hoeferlin has made a name for herself at Wright State and developed a hands-on digital media experience for the Wright State community.

Hoeferlin continues to lead the student publication towards a more comprehensive media group. In the past year, The Guardian has won three awards, including the Society of Professional Journalist’s Best College Newspaper–Daily. Hoeferlin and her team organized and published the first-ever issue of “Flight Magazine,” a feature magazine produced by students, for students. The publication's viewership has increased by 128% since the 2020 spring semester, and the staff size has doubled since the fall of 2019.

Hoeferlin is a media studies major with a marketing minor at Wright State. During her second year as editor-in-chief of The Guardian, she plans to involve more students with the organization, increase collaborations with other student organizations, and expand the multi-media and digital aspects of the publication. Hoeferlin is looking forward to meeting new students and continuing to grow the publication's community impact.

"The Guardian completely changed my college experience, introducing me to some of my best friends and offering an abundance of opportunities to grow emotionally, personally, and professionally. I am so thankful for this opportunity and cannot wait to share it with others," Hoeferlin said.

Hoeferlin is also a contributing writer for the Springfield News-Sun.