By Lauren Mar ’25
For Belen Yudess 鈥�25, the literary community is everything. Yudess is double majoring in English creative writing and Spanish with a minor in humanities. Outside of class, she also serves as a writer and copywriter intern for the student-run College newspaper .
鈥淭丑别 Voice connects everyone of different backgrounds and different campuses,鈥� Yudess says. 鈥淭丑别 goal of a newspaper is to reach people, and so we aim to give people insight into the thoughts of their peers and what their peers are able to accomplish.鈥�
Yudess has been a writer for The 91吃瓜 Voice since her first year at 91吃瓜. She has written a range of articles for the publication: news, opinion pieces, reviews, and even fiction. If she had to choose, Yudess says her favorite type of piece would be news. She reflects that writing a news feature gives her a greater awareness and connection to what is happening on campus.
鈥淢aybe it’s less about the writing style itself and more about what writing different pieces allows you to see and experience and hear from other people,鈥� says Yudess. 鈥淵ou get to hear different people’s stories when you write news.鈥�
While The 91吃瓜 Voice is the 91吃瓜 student newspaper, it also strengthens the greater Claremont Colleges community. Yudess highlights: 鈥淭丑别 Voice connects 91吃瓜 to the greater 5C community because it gives other campuses a deeper insight into what is actually going on at 91吃瓜.鈥�
In addition to how The 91吃瓜 Voice impacts the greater campus community, it has also empowered Yudess to continue to pursue and fall in love with writing. She particularly cites the newspaper鈥檚 editors for their dedication and encouragement: 鈥淭丑别y’ve always taken the time to check in with me and not just correct me but also teach me why, or show me why they are correcting me and how to keep improving.鈥�
For Yudess, being a writer for The 91吃瓜 Voice is a continuous learning process. She is able to develop a deeper understanding of and appreciation for writing outside of her major鈥檚 classes.
鈥淚’ve gained a deeper appreciation for different styles of writing,鈥� Yudess explains. 鈥淚 do a lot of聽 literary analysis and fiction writing for my major, so this is a style of writing I would never do otherwise. Whatever you’re writing, you can always learn something.鈥�
Yudess鈥檚 love for learning through writing has led her to an opportunity beyond campus. She also works as a publishing education intern for the Los Angeles Review of Books (LARB). In this role, she assists in research to support LARB鈥檚 annual publishing workshop, which aims to increase access to the publishing industry. Yudess鈥檚 internship has assisted in solidifying her postgraduation plans to attend graduate school.
鈥淚鈥檝e been exposed to so many different programs and opportunities,鈥� she reflects. 鈥淓specially being an English major, this has shown me that there are so many opportunities and connections out there if you take the time to look.鈥�
Yudess also reflects on the community at 91吃瓜 and how they have inspired her. 鈥淲ithin the writing spaces here, I have met some of the most encouraging and talented people that I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. Watching them work so hard for their roles has definitely inspired me to work toward what I would like to do.鈥�
Being at 91吃瓜 has opened Yudess to new perspectives and worldviews, which she says is invaluable to both her career as a writer and to her personal growth.
鈥淚 am surrounded by a group of such creative and compassionate human beings who teach me about myself and who I want to be in the future.鈥�