ACES: The Society for Editing announced that Lori Sosa, a student in Cohort 16 of the MPS in Publishing Program at the George Washington University, has been awarded a scholarship in the amount of $2,500 for 2020-21. Previously, Gabrielle Bethancourt-Hughes (Cohort 15) and Amy Megill (Cohort 14) were awarded ACES scholarships in 2019-20. Publishing Program Director John W. Warren spoke with Lori, Gabrielle, and Amy about the ACES scholarships, their backgrounds and goals in publishing, and the importance of networking and membership in publishing societies such as ACES.
Q: Why did you apply for the ACES scholarship?
Lori Sosa: There aren’t very many scholarships available to grad students, to be honest, so I was excited to see a scholarship opportunity I could actually qualify for. When I found out that part of the scholarship would help send the winners to the ACES annual conference, I was even more excited. It’s been my dream—a very nerdy dream, I know—to go to the ACES conference one day. I’m so grateful for the opportunity to go!
Gabrielle Bethancourt-Hughes: When I applied for an ACES scholarship, I was a first-year GW Publishing student who did not come from a publishing background. ACES made it clear that they are committed to connecting editors, furthering education in the field, and supporting newcomers. The scholarship offered many benefits, one of which was a complimentary ticket to the ACES conference. Their annual conference is an impressive gathering of all the biggest names in editing and the session topics were beyond thrilling for the word nerd in me. Last year’s lineup included The Invention of the Modern American Dictionary, Edit Sober: Quick and Dirty Tips for Editors, and Grammar Saves Lives. I knew I wanted to be there. (ACES made the most of the pandemic and hosted the conference online, as they will do this year.)
Amy Megill: I’ve been a member of the American Copy Editors Society (ACES) for several years, but I never thought to check and see if they had scholarships. Thankfully, Professor Warren sent an email to my cohort mentioning it, so I applied. (This involved things such as taking an editing test and getting letters of recommendation.) Then, I actually won!
Q: What did winning the scholarship mean to you?
Lori: I’m not someone who ever wins things, so this was an especially wonderful surprise. I love editing, and I’ve worked hard to continually improve my editing skills, so to win an award for those skills is extremely validating.
Gabrielle: Winning this scholarship was invigorating. The application included an editing test, so a win reassured me of my editing abilities, and it assured me that I was on the right track. Moreover, the scholarship win also provided substantial prize money, which was used to further my education at GW.
Amy: Winning meant I didn’t have to take out quite as much money in student loans, so it has saved me from some debt. (What a relief!) The money ACES gave me for the scholarship went straight to my tuition.
Q: Tell us a bit about your background in publishing. How long have you worked in the field of editing?
Lori: I loved editing papers back in high school, and I was lucky enough to go to a college that had an editing program. At Brigham Young University, I majored in English language and literature and got a minor in editing. I hadn’t planned to work in magazines, but I got a magazine internship after I graduated in 2012. That internship helped lead to my current job with an international children’s magazine called the Friend. I spent seven years there as copyeditor and am now the assistant managing editor. Editing for children forces you to write in a really simple, concise way, which is much harder than you might think!
Gabrielle: I taught high school English for five years, and while I enjoyed the grammar lessons, helping students find their voices through their writing, and discussing books, I knew I wanted to play a more behind-the-scenes role in the world of books. I obtained a certificate in editing from the University of Chicago and then entered into the publishing program at GW.
Amy: Regarding my publishing background, I’ve been a professional editor for fourteen years. I started in journalism and later ended up in more technical roles, most recently in STEM. I’m currently a senior technical editor for an IT consulting company in Houston, and I’ve also run my own freelance editing business, EditorAmy.com, for almost eight years. With freelancing, I get to edit more creative materials (versus what I edit for my day job), such as novels.
Q: How has becoming a member of ACES impacted you in the profession?
Lori: Editing can feel like a fairly solitary profession at times (no one else cares about the commas quite like you do), so having a whole community of editors through ACES has been a really valuable resource.
Gabrielle: With an ACES scholarship win on top of this as well as an ACES membership that includes some unique connections and opportunities, I am looking forward to a lengthy and successful career in publishing.
Amy: I enjoy being a member of ACES for so many reasons: networking opportunities, continuing education (e.g., webcasts), and the job board. It’s definitely a great resource for editors.
Q: What can you tell us about your longer-term career goals in publishing?
Lori: I’ve been really, really lucky to get my dream job so early. I love writing and editing for children, and I’ve begun to get more management experience, which has been helpful. I’m looking forward to gaining even more experience through the master’s program at GW. I’d like to keep progressing in my current job and to get better and better at writing for a global audience. Someday I would also like to teach editing at a university; my editing professors made such a huge difference in preparing me for my career, and I’d like to do the same for someone else.
Gabrielle: After graduation from GW (2021), I hope to pursue a full-time role in a publishing house or university press as an editor or a production associate. ACES will keep me up to date in the latest style guide changes, their continuous training offerings will keep me sharp, and the networking opportunities will enrich my life as well as my career. [Gabrielle can be followed on Twitter at @gabethancourt]
Amy: Long term, I’d like to either stay in STEM or move to a full-time editing position in publishing. Having my master’s degree in publishing now will certainly open some doors for me. Wherever I end up, I know I’ll always be editing.
Details for the 2021-22 ACES Scholarships will be available in Spring 2021. The scholarship application deadline is November 15, 2021.
