Invasion of Privacy: Editor-in-Chief Kaitlin Anzalone
Kaitlin Anzalone holding the "Emerging Club Award" which was recently awarded to the Disabled Student Alliance on April 28, 2024 (Photo courtesy of Kaitlin Anzalone).
Kaitlin “Kate” Anzalone, a senior sociomedical studies and communication double major with a minor in human development, has spent the past year serving as The Lamron’s mighty captain—otherwise known as Editor-in-Chief (EIC). Originally hailing from Fredonia, the SUNY Geneseo campus has been fortunate enough to serve as her home for the last four years. During this time, Kate has worn many hats across campus as the president and founder of the Disabled Student Alliance since spring 2023 (which just won an award for ‘Best Emerging Club’ this semester) and as a loyal Lamron member since her freshman year, having served as a staff writer, assistant opinion editor, and opinion editor before becoming EIC.
Over our conversation, Kate made a point to highlight two sectors of her college life in particular: the friends made along the way and her opportunities in disability advocacy. In the former sect, she cites that, while she finds value in her academic life and remains a diligent student with far-off doctorate dreams, “...it’s not, like, a class or—you know—a professor; I think it’s more like learning from my peers that has gotten me through a lot of interesting times in my life.” She goes on to remark how she is grateful for the fact that she feels Geneseo has provided her with some “lifers” for friends and looks forward to maintaining and deepening these close and reliable relationships that have taught her many valuable things about herself, others, and the world.
Anyone who has met Kate can feel this disposition of hers through the way she carries herself. To those around her, Kate’s language of inclusion seems effortless, and her warmth moves beyond her, creating open, constructive, and welcoming spaces wherever she goes. She creates places where people are not afraid to make mistakes or be fools because she allows herself to do those things herself and never makes it seem as though she is impermeable. This aspect of her has made The Lamron such an interconnected space over these past few years. One of the things I, other executive board, and general members go on and on about when it comes to The Lamron is how personable it is; it is what makes all the effort worth it—not just a love for journalism, writing, print media, and most certainly not for InDesign—but the environment in which all of us do this hard work under that Kate has worked so diligently and subtly to continue and further cultivate.
In the realm of disability advocacy, Kate has served as an Access Advocate through the Office of Accessibility for the past five semesters as a peer resource for those seeking accommodations, support, or guidance in dealing with the often difficult reality of being a person with a disability on campus. This has encouraged her and given her more opportunities to do this kind of work through other mediums, such as in presentations during the Diversity Summit and GREAT Day and becoming the lead SUNY Disability Ambassador. Going forward, she seeks to pursue a career in a similar realm of advocacy work. On this topic, she states, “My passion is advocating for disability rights…Sometimes, you don’t think about accessibility until it’s too late to; accessibility becomes the afterthought, and I think that’s ridiculous! Accessibility just makes everything easier for everyone.”
As the sun sets on her time at Geneseo, she has found within her a new knack for public speaking, a more open disposition, and a further invigorated passion for disability awareness and advocacy. In her final words of wisdom, we return to the importance of friendship: “Don’t just focus on your academics. Make sure you are growing and learning socially as well ‘cause that’s more important than learning the Pythagorean theorem or something. Taking the time to develop your support network just makes your life a lot easier. By overcoming your obstacles and challenges, you can help you grow, or even discover, your passions.”