Alumni Spotlight - Peter Eiswert

This month, The News checked in with recent graduate and former News staff Peter Eiswert ‘25, who is now a Freshman at Washington University in St. Louis and continues to involve himself in journalism.

Entering Gilman as a Freshman, Peter immersed himself in a broad range of activities, spanning from playing the guitar in the Jazz Band all four years of high school to Varsity Tennis, Ethics Bowl, and, of course, The News. Joining in his sophomore year, Peter said he began writing for The News due to his passion for writing and was inspired by other students, such as Zachary Minkin ‘24 and Noah Peters ‘24, saying, “I really wanted to get involved in something they were doing.” He also described his experience writing in the News as a “great introduction to journalism.” 

Moreover, Peter gained a lot from his teachers in the classroom, and he looks back on Spanish Literature with Mr. Matt Zealand with joy. As a Gilman student inducted into the Cum Laude Society, Peter was able to speak about the academic rigor at Gilman, stating that the habits developed there “definitely translate to college.” According to Peter, studying all day on a Sunday is a task he is quite used to, thanks to his experience at Gilman. 

In college, Peter currently studies economics and English and participates in some intramural sports. Most importantly, he writes for Student Life, the independent newspaper of Washington University in Saint Louis. As a reporter, Peter described the workload as “pretty intense” and made the point that it is challenging to participate in a vast number of extracurricular activities, as each has its own fair share of work to manage. Peter noted that articles are published every Thursday, saying, “You are just constantly writing.” In general, universities have a broad range of issues and events that occur daily, making quick deadlines imperative. He remarked, “There is a lot more going on, so there is a lot more to write about.” In terms of the writing process, Peter said he attends the weekly meetings on Mondays and has the freedom to choose a topic that interests him. Over the next three to four days, he allocates time for interviews and writing a rough draft, with edits to be received and completed by Sunday of that week. He commented on the large amount of editing per article, saying it is “pretty hardcore.”

One article in particular that Peter mentioned covered a student protest in October regarding Washington University’s stance involving the Trump administration’s Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education, a controversial proposal to elite universities that included several educational demands. He spoke on his experience as an active reporter at the protest, saying, “I got to interview people and report on it right away.” Further, he noted that he was glad “to keep the campus informed of what was going on.” Other articles he has written cover topics such as Washington University’s connection to the current conflict in Sudan and other student protests related to global events.

At the end of our interview, Peter left current Gilman students with some advice. First, he emphasized that time management is vital in college, and maximizing the free time available to college students is crucial. Finally, he encouraged students to “take advantage of the teachers and courses you have at Gilman. If you treat [high school] like college, college will feel a lot easier.”