April 25, 2025
AWE Alumnus Interview: Kana Coonce
Where do we go from here? Kana Coonce, one of the previous year’s co-editors-in-chief of the Northern Lights Literary & Arts Journal, faced this daunting question after graduating in spring 2024. He described the experience by saying, “It was terrifying being thrust into the real world without the structure I had been relying on for the past several years.”
Through an internship with The Green Bay Press Times, he already knew he enjoyed the atmosphere at Multi Media Channels, which runs many papers throughout the state of Wisconsin. After graduation, Coonce reached out to his former editor, who had overseen his internship to ask if there were any openings. Kate Leonhardt, the editor of The Green Bay Press Times, created a temporary position for him until his current role as associate editor of Wausau City Pages, a free weekly arts and entertainment newspaper, became available.
Networking had proven time and again to help students succeed after graduation. Although Coonce thought he was prepared when he left UWGB, his first month was spent feeling like a fraud. “It was hard to fight off the imposter syndrome, but patience, good humor, and honest feedback from the staff at the Green Bay office kept me afloat.” Establishing a strong support system and discovering through Google that he wasn’t alone helped him process these feelings.
Coonce advised keeping the first month at a new job free of outside obligations. The transition to a full-time job after operating on a student schedule could be exhausting. Allowing time to decompress and focus on enjoyable activities helped ease the change. He also suggested being honest about one’s abilities. “You’ll save yourself and your coworkers a headache or ten by just admitting you’re kind of a noob in the grand scheme of things.” He encouraged students to never be afraid to reach out and take a chance on their future.