Nate Freed ’21, English and East Asian Studies

From editing manuscripts to drawing up contracts, Nate Freed '21 is gaining the hands-on experience he needs to launch a career in publishing as an editorial fellow at the Bucknell University Press.

Nate, who hails from Perkiomenville, Pa., is one of Bucknell's Presidential Fellows, who partner with faculty on a long-term project or experience on campus. At the press, the English and East Asian studies double major screens submissions, interviews authors and even helps make decisions about which books will be published — each a skill that he can take to a publishing company after graduating.

Here’s what Nate says about his experience:

On receiving a Presidential Fellowship

"I have a pretty large Bucknell legacy. I'm actually the fourth generation of my family to come here. So I was really, really excited to get into Bucknell. But then, of course, when [I got] the Presidential Fellowship, I was ecstatic. All the things that I did in high school, the hard work paid off."

On honing his editorial skills

"Through that work at the Bucknell University Press, I get to see basically the whole [editorial] process. Any sort of editing and writing practice really goes to just honing your skills and being able to notice what's good writing and others’ work. And then that sort of thing is something that I can take, and notice in submissions that you would perhaps get at a publishing company.”

On preparing for a future in publishing

"In a way [being a Presidential Fellow is] a job, but it's more than that because you work directly with a professor. I definitely enjoy it, and it's so very relevant to what I want to do because, as an end goal, I would like to work in a publishing house. And while I am obviously focusing and getting a lot of stuff done that will help me in my future, I get to enjoy the now as well."

Learn more about Nate's story in the video above.