Isabella Gollomp ’15 is a people’s person. Bella loves people. And people have a habit of loving her back. So it is no surprise that interviews are her favorite part to journalism.
“I love getting to sit down with all these interesting people, and being able to hear their story and share that with the world” Gollomp said, calling conducting an interview both a major responsibility and also a great gift.
Bella joined Inklings her sophomore year, but said with a laugh, “I didn’t get good until last year.” She’s not so proud of some of her older stuff, but takes it in stride. She knows the bad articles led to the good ones. Everyone has to start somewhere, right?
She’s really proud of her article on Andrew
Accardi’s passing last year. She says it was so hard to write about such a sad subject, but that she was really invested in getting the story covered right, and in a respectful way.
Bella was invited to the Accardi house and sat down with Andrew’s father, Frank. She felt so welcome, even though she was hesitant to take the story at first. It was such an emotional topic, Gollomp says, but she wanted to test herself, and push her limits.
“The most important thing in journalism” Gollomp said, “is just taking risks and stepping out of your comfort zone to get the best possible story.”
Gollomp still talks to Frank Accardi. She gets updates about Andrew’s Army, the charity founded in Accardi’s passing.
Bella’s empathy and tact has led her to write harder stories, with more sensitive topics. Her personality lets her make friends on the way.