Saint Mary’s junior Maria Leontaras ’21 has been named 2020–21 Editor-in-Chief of the tri-campus community student newspaper The Observer. Maria is currently pursuing a self-designed major in interactive journalism where she takes classes across many disciplines including art, communication studies, and English writing.
When Maria first came to Saint Mary’s, she was driven to study journalism, even if the College didn’t offer a journalism major. That’s why Maria took it upon herself to design her own major where she could study some key aspects of journalism all to the benefit of the inclusive and inspirational environment that Saint Mary’s cultivates.
“I wouldn’t have had the chance to do that at other institutions,” explained Maria. “I came in with this plan and the administration was encouraging and said I could do it.”
She has two minors, one in mathematics from Saint Mary’s and one from Notre Dame in journalism, ethics and democracy. The journalism, ethics and democracy minor is a part of Notre Dame’s Gallivan Program for students interested in studying journalism across all levels.
Maria is one of a few Saint Mary’s students currently enrolled in the program and she is only the second Saint Mary’s student to ever become Editor-in-Chief of The Observer. The student newspaper was founded in 1966 and is completely operated by an all-student staff.
“I have always been passionate about journalism,” she said, “and Saint Mary’s fosters an environment that provides women with the ability to grow into themselves while learning how to be effective leaders who advocate for themselves.”
