A veteran of the journalism program, Camille Collier is a junior and an Amplifier section editor. She hasn’t missed an opportunity to take the class since participating in Journalism II as a freshman, and doesn’t plan on breaking this streak once she becomes a senior.
Although born in Hayward, Calif., she moved to West Linn at the age of two, and has grown up an Oregonian at heart.
“When people say ‘I don’t like Portland’, or ‘I want to get out of Portland’, I don’t understand why,” Collier said. She is a big fan of the city, and thinks it has the classic urban vibe.
One of Collier’s favorite things about Oregon is the geographical diversity: deserts, mountains, forests and beaches all packed into one state. Collier enjoys West Linn’s cool, crisp autumns, and backpacking out in Eastern Oregon with her family every summer.
Apart from backpacking, her most notable outdoor activity is running as a member of West Linn High School’s cross country team. She prefers working towards a group goal with others, rather than competition; which isn’t only present in how she runs cross-country, but also in other aspects of her life.
That unity drives her forward, and is extremely prevalent in her work as a member of the Amplifier staff. Though she first joined journalism just as a class that might look good on a college application, it has quickly grown to be something in which she takes great pride.
Collier is a co-editor of the Amplifier, and has charge over much of the “Current Events” section. Despite her large role in the Amplifier, she isn’t interested in pursuing a career in journalism, rather opting for a profession in the fields of biology or medicine.
This year she is ready to have more responsibility and independence as a member of Amplifier. There may not be many newsworthy events in the slow-moving city of West Linn, often the team “feels like not enough happens, but sometimes there is a story right behind our backs,” Collier said.
However, with Collier as co-editor of the “Current Events” section, it’s easy to have confidence that all of the stories, small or large, will receive their due.