Skip to Main Content
Emerson College’s only independent, student-run newspaper since 1947

The Berkeley Beacon

Emerson College’s only independent, student-run newspaper since 1947

The Berkeley Beacon

Emerson College’s only independent, student-run newspaper since 1947

The Berkeley Beacon

Latest from Katie Schmidt
Learning to become self-reliant and even enjoying leisurely activities such as going to the movies, dining, and sitting in the park alone is not something women, or anyone, should feel self-conscious about. / Illustration by Ally Rzesa

Op-ed: Don’t let social norms pressure you out of solitude

By Katie Schmidt / April 15, 2019

Last semester, my intermediate magazine writing class at Emerson required me to travel to Gloucester, Massachusetts, to report on the Portuguese fishing...

Guilt-tripping individuals for staying in can make them feel needlessly self-conscious. / Illustration by Ally Rzesa

Op-ed: Don’t let peer pressure trick you into partying

By Katie Schmidt / March 27, 2019

When I attended community college, I became an inside joke with my friends because I didn’t go out that often. If you stayed in on the weekend, or avoided...

One of the most concerning aspects regarding deepfakes in the 2020 election is how accessible the software is, especially to the wrong people. / Illustration by Ally Rzesa

Op-ed: Deepfakes—a newer, more dangerous era of fake news

By Katie Schmidt / March 19, 2019

With just over a year and a half until the 2020 presidential election, a new form of fake news is growing more prominent and dangerous than what we experienced...

The lack of advertising is the root of digital media companies’ financial insecurity. / Photo by Emily Oliver

Op-ed: Resisting the biggest threat to digital journalism

By Katie Schmidt / February 5, 2019

Journalists have faced a grim past few weeks—and this time it’s not because of some Orwellian statement made by President Donald Trump. Last week,...

Even during evening runs on the Common, I find myself locating stores, lit areas, and clusters of people to run to if I’m ever in danger. / Illustration by Ally Rzesa

Op-ed: Exercise for women shouldn’t come with threats

By Katie Schmidt / October 11, 2018

Two summers ago a man in a car followed me while I jogged in my neighborhood. After two instances where he insisted I stop running and speak to him, I...

Absences due to periods should not negatively affect a student’s grade. / Illustration by Ally Rzesa

Op-ed: Honesty is the best policy for periods

By Katie Schmidt / September 16, 2018

One morning last spring, I was lying in bed, feeling drained and dizzy, with an excessive amount of lower abdominal pain. It was the second day of my period....

As a senior, I feel pressured to believe that, come May, I need to have everything figured out. • Photo Illustration by Abigail Noyes / Beacon Staff

Op-ed: Finding purpose in the last year of college

By Katie Schmidt / September 5, 2018

For students, the month of September is the chance for a clean slate, as mistakes and failures of past semesters seem to shrink in significance. As I enter...