The Northern Star is a second home to a variety of students at NIU. Located in the Campus Life Building, we have given students a platform to exercise free speech and keep the NIU community informed since 1899. We serve as a space for students to transition from the classroom and off to professional newsrooms, national publications and award-winning media outlets. Hear from some of our section editors on why they love working here at the Star:

I love working at the Northern Star because . . .

The Northern Star has given me the opportunity to become more comfortable setting up and conducting interviews, improving my writing and editing skills significantly as well as giving me opportunities and experiences that will help me succeed now and in the future.

The Star isn’t just one man for himself, everything you see is a team effort. Everyone at the Star is smart, helpful and determined. Working for the Northern Star is incredibly rewarding and joining is the best decision I have made since attending NIU. – Madelaine Vikse, Lifestyle Editor

Working at the Star teaches me something new every day. And I don’t mean learning something life-changing every day. I mean something small but really significant to my day-to-day routine. I did not know any of my current colleagues before working at the Star and I am happy to call them some of my best friends. After having left my mind to run stale with no fresh ideas for over a year because of the pandemic, working around professionals that set a very high standard for themselves encouraged me and kept me in a very good mindset. –Zulfiqar Ahmed, Media Editor

The Northern Star has granted me the skills needed to be a journalist and succeed within my major and has allowed me to be one step closer to my dream of being a news anchor. I have always been passionate about writing and the Star has allowed me to advance my grammar skills and AP (Associated Press) style knowledge. 

I love the people I work with in the newsroom and that everyone makes you feel like you belong. We really are a family and I am so blessed to be working in such an awesome, yet challenging place. One of the reasons I chose to attend NIU when looking at schools to transfer to is I saw that they had a newspaper, which has definitely made me realize that journalism is the field that I want to work in for the rest of my life. I have learned so much about DeKalb and NIU through the many amazing sources I have spoken to during my time as a News Reporter and now the News Editor. –Elisa Reamer, News Editor

Want to join our team of writers, photographers and columnists? Apply for the Northern Star here.