Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears; I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.
With eyebrows drawn on angry, “the steadfast leader” Abigail Carsner has reigned as Editor-in-Chief of The Wingspan since the start of the 2024-2025 school year. Writers find her blunt personality quite intimidating, including us.
“I’m not gonna change,” said Carsner. “I probably need to let down some walls.”
Carsner’s freshman plan wasn’t to rule the roost, nor was it to write in the first place. After a well-received poem in her freshman English class, she replaced a random business course with School Publications and Creative Writing.
This switch was not easy at first. While she always participated in the class discussions, she would keep to herself afterwards, not talking to the other students. She was far more focused on her creative writing work.
“I wouldn’t say I was worried about her, but I hoped she was having fun,” said Wingspan advisor Jonathan Eisen.
At that point, Carsner’s only exposure to journalism was surface-level: seeing headlines in newspapers and watching CNN 10 in middle school. Creative writing was more comfortable.
She joined The Wingspan as a copy editor; however, it was her sophomore year when she began to fully embrace her passion for journalism. But in feeling that her peers’ articles were repetitive, Carsner became frustrated with both the articles and the editing, feeling as if some writers weren’t writing to their full potential.
“She was clearly invested in the whole project. Abigail is somebody who cannot do a bad job. She doesn’t know how to,” said Eisen. “Even when I tell her, ‘You’ve done a lot, take a break.’ She doesn’t.”
With time, she learned more about editorial. She began to realize that in her articles, she could be as raw as she wanted to be, opinionated, and political.
Her articles, though reflecting her personality, don’t fully reveal who she is. The average experience you would have with Abigail is a form of tough love, where she’d much rather show you she cares rather than tell you.
“I had to figure it out the tough way because no one was holding my hand,” said Carsner.
While a great editor, her lack of sociability hindered the way she interacted with students. She at first grew frustrated with her new responsibilities, and her direct nature could quickly become confrontational.
“I’m not a very rational person, I get irritated really quickly, and I get really angry really quickly,” said Carsner. “I lack patience with some people.”
But this would not do in a leadership position. She needed to adapt. Her sternness needed to become an incentive rather than something to fear; she was the example now.
She was still stern, but now this quality complemented the way she interacted with her peers: instead of becoming frustrated, she encouraged them to be and do better, focusing on work ethic and higher-quality articles.
It’s not to say that Abigail doesn’t still get angry. In knowing her, it’s evident that her anger isn’t that of a spontaneous outburst but a product of caring. Despite her own words, she is quite patient. If someone forgets how to cite a source or edits incorrectly, she never yells. She’d work with you through it.
Aside from the fact that she’s a goth, she has always had a clear presence. She’s assertive, but not truly intimidating. Most of the videos and photos consist of her making funny faces or two-stepping to Albanian music. Everything she’s done has been true to herself. I could always smile around her.
“Radical honesty; I think when you have someone like Abi, who is willing to do that, it encourages other people to do that as well,” said Ms. Boyle, who worked with Carsner in AP Language and Film Studies. er
Carsner’s growth is attributed to the contrasting traits it takes to be Editor-in-Chief: patience and persistence. Her time here has definitely dropped some of those walls. The Wingspan ended up becoming an interest instead of ‘work’. She never sacrificed her “toughness,” but instead, used her toughness as a way to bridge gaps in her own weaknesses. She furthers her education at Temple University, majoring in Journalism with a focus on music journalism.
