Layla Wallerstein, College fourth-year and Politics major, brought to the  Review  an unmistakably sharp editorial instinct and uncanny ability to stay tapped into the conversations shaping campus life. Beyond the paper itself, Layla also helped found the Collegiate Journalism Network, expanding opportunities for collaboration and connection between student journalists across campuses. Over several years, Layla worked on many of the paper’s biggest front-page stories, approaching difficult reporting with precision and care while cultivating a newsroom presence that was thoughtful, informed, and always thinking one step ahead. 

 This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

How did you get involved with the  Review ?

I was News editor as a senior [for my high school paper], and after I graduated high school, I thought, “okay, that was a lot of fun.” But it was a huge time commitment, and it is pretty difficult to carve out a career in journalism. So I thought I would step away from that. I lasted about six months in college before I decided that I actually really missed reporting — the opportunities it brings to meet lots of very interesting people, to be constantly learning, and to contribute to one’s community. I took the journalism ExCo my second semester of my first year, and I started writing more my second year. Yasu, who was News editor then, suggested I apply for News editor. That’s how I got involved. I realized that it was too rewarding an experience to pass up. And I have never looked back.

In the past year as editor-in-chief, what have been the biggest successes for you?

First of all, I feel very proud of the content that we have put out this year. I think we had very well-reported and carefully written pieces that deal with a wide variety of topics and a lot of sensitive subject matter. Coming into this year, we knew that we were heading into what could be a year of challenges that we weren’t entirely sure we were prepared to face. It was clear that higher education was shaping up to be a battleground under the current political administration. I knew that might shape the choices I make around the newspaper and how to report responsibly. I believe that we handled some very difficult situations gracefully, dealt with a lot of late night crises fairly well, and also made some changes internally around our production schedule that helped make everything smoother.

What is your favorite piece as a writer?

The second piece that I ever wrote for the  Review . It was about a student who was organizing an event to remove invasive species. It was not necessarily a “big” story (“Student Organizes Invasive Species Removal in Environmental Activism Initiative,”  The Oberlin Review , April 28, 2023). But what was most notable to me about that piece was my interview with the student who organized it. I was asking them why they did it and they said something that really stuck with me, which was that we are only in this town for four years, we pass through, while a lot of people are here permanently. While here, they were wrestling with the question of how to contribute to this community, and how to do all they can for it before they go off somewhere else, and that really resonated with me. I realized that this was a lot of my calling to journalism, and I’ve thought about it a lot since as something that’s framed the work that I do with the  Review . 

What do you think are some of the big ways in which the  Review  has shaped you?

On a personal level, I feel like I’ve grown a lot, especially as editor-in-chief. I feel that I’m emerging from this year with a lot more confidence in myself and my ability to handle difficult situations and lead a team of people. It also reinforced how valuable having a team of people who are passionate, intelligent, friendly, and warm. I really want, as I go into the world, to keep finding these types of communities where I am working with people who are so creative and kind and bring so much energy, and who are all working toward something that they really believe in.

How has it shaped your relationship with Oberlin?

The  Review  has absolutely dominated my relationship with Oberlin. My ear is constantly trained to think about what should be a story. I think that working with the Review made me a lot more aware of the inner mechanisms of the College, of different communities within the College, and its history, and made me feel a lot more engaged.

Describe a classic night in the office.

Some chaos, some stress, maybe a little anger at times, a lot of questions coming at me from all directions throughout the night, sometimes all at once, sometimes spaced out across a couple hours, sometimes exhaustion, sometimes very, very deep joy and intense appreciation.

What is the most absurd thing that has happened during your time here?

We had one Thursday night that was just one of those nights where everything goes wrong. First, I was working on a piece that came in late. It was about faculty wages, and I just had to be doing my due diligence around that, and that took longer than I thought it would. There were two pieces that took a very, very long time to fact-check, and I think mine was one of them. Several of our production editors were also in a play that was showing that week, so they could only come in late, and everybody was tired and stressed. Around 1:30 a.m., a major piece fell through, and we ended up staying there until 4:20 a.m., at which point we checked the date and saw it was Friday the 13, which felt very fitting. Right as we were going to send the newspaper to print, we got an email sent to every single student on campus with breaking news from the President of the College that we then had to write up a brief on. That was a set of 12 hours that tested my limits.

Anything else you’d like to say? 

I feel very grateful for the team of people I got to work with, especially my co-editor-in-chief, James Foster. I think that we complemented each other very well in the position, and he was someone I knew I could rely on in moments of crisis and someone who really made the job something to look forward to. I feel very lucky that I got to lead the newspaper alongside him. But also overall, I feel so lucky for the incredible staff of people I got to work with this year.