In 1996, chemistry professor Suzanne Mabrouk, Ph.D., founded The Gold Star Journal, an academic publication that highlights the best work across disciplines. In the 27 years since it was first published, work on the journal has become a status symbol for cadets who excel in the classroom.
Editor-in-Chief Elissa Reckdenwald, an intelligence and Spanish major, got involved with the journal her junior year, initially thinking she would play a minor part. “We had our first meeting to determine roles, and when it came time for editor-in-chief, my hand just went up.” As the Sierra Company commander, Reckdenwald is no stranger to leading a team. Under her leadership, the publication was able to nearly double the number of student submissions between her junior and senior year.
They also built a team that worked well together. “We have so many different moving parts, which are all connected. If someone falls short, it halts our entire operation. It’s accountability on all fronts,” said Reckdenwald.
Seeing—and holding—the tangible results of all the effort, she discovered, is a unique reward. “When I was first able to touch the journal, I thought about how we made this—there’s no part that isn’t ours.”
Reckdenwald also takes pride in elevating the academic accomplishments of the Corps of Cadets, and bringing prestige to the journal has been a primary goal. “We want it to be competitive, where being published is an honor,” she said. Reckdenwald’s work has paid off. The Gold Star Journal recently won three awards, including the American Scholastic Press Association’s Most Outstanding College Magazine for 2022.
The best part, though, is that their efforts made academics fun. “We’re able to make it interesting—from freshmen through seniors, we get to celebrate their talent,” said Reckdenwald. “It has been a highlight of my cadet career.” With her graduation recently behind her, Reckdenwald will continue her academic endeavors as a law student at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.