by Phil Parker
Daily Lobo
Rivkela Brodsky is a junkie for journalism.
She started writing when she was three and now - 18 years later - she's set to assume the editor in chief post at the Daily Lobo.
The junior has been scheming for this position since she first came to UNM.
"My secret wish when I graduated high school - where I was editor of the paper - was to be editor at the next place that I was at," she said.
That may be a bit of a head-scratcher. Being the boss at the Lobo means monstrous responsibility and brutal hours.
She's the face of the independent voice of UNM, but the job suits her.
"I'm a huge newspaper nerd," she said. "I've just done it since my sophomore year of high school. I love it. It's, like, almost my life, and I pretty much live here (at the Lobo). I'm addicted to this place."
Brodsky has worked at the Lobo since she started as a freshman reporter. Frustrations with the editors and a catty newsroom atmosphere drove her out of the Lobo, though, and she didn't return until Marisa Demarco, who Brodsky will replace as skipper, called her up and brought her back.
"It was hard, watching people who were really motivated and really wanted to do this job and who had the hunger - who were really excited about journalism - be put through the wringer," Demarco said.
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Demarco said she knew Brodsky was one of those people, because she had put in a lot of time and a lot of effort.
"When I was looking for any employees during my entire time here, I wanted to find people who had a passion for journalism, and I remembered that she did," Demarco said.
Passion is definitely a prerequisite for the job. Miguel Gandert, who, along with the rest of the Student Publications Board, voted Brodsky into the position, said the editor in chief needs maturity and discipline.
"It's as real a job as any student can have on campus," Gandert said. "I really stress that. It's a real, independent newspaper. It's not a department paper, and it's not connected to the (Albuquerque) Journal or anyone else."
That it's Demarco departing only adds pressure to Brodsky's new duties. She said she's aware she'll have a hard act to follow after a harmonious and very successful year for the Daily Lobo.
"Marisa seriously turned around the newsroom," she said. "I really think she's done an amazing job, turning it around into a very professional environment where people work positively together, and we're really open and supportive. It's one of the best working atmospheres I've ever been in. I want to keep that."
And as she looks forward to more time with her band, The Ya Ya Boom Project!, Demarco is confident the paper is in good hands.
"I think Rivkela's an amazing person," she said. "She surprises herself over and over again. She was maybe a little scared of being news editor, and then after she got it under control, she became an amazing news editor."
Brodsky's persistence is one of her best qualities, Demarco said.
"She doesn't get to the point where she's like, 'Oh, I can't do that. Clearly, I'm not qualified for this. I'm not gonna try,'" Demarco said. "Her ability to get through anything and keep working here is one of her better traits."
