Skylar Rubel: A Leader That Lets Her Hair Down

View the original article from the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication here.

Story and Photo by Adelaide Miller
Edited by Kate Foster

Skylar Rubel holding a recent issue of InfUSion magazine.

Skylar Rubel, editor-in-chief of InfUSion Magazine, is one of those students whom you envy for her success yet admire for her drive. With rigorous schoolwork and extracurricular commitments, it’s hard to make a difference at a big school like the University of Georgia. But some defy the odds and rise above the rest. Rubel, a senior journalism major and women’s studies minor from Marietta, demonstrates what it takes to be a leader in our school community.

“She’s able to blend her intense personal work ethic with her independence while still managing to be very welcoming and open to collaboration and new ideas – pretty much the definition of a leader,” said InfUSion Magazine’s news director, Drew Kirby.

InfUSion Magazine is a multicultural publication that covers topics like race, culture, sexual orientation and the struggles that people face in society because of these segments. This diverse magazine is becoming well known on campus thanks to the dedication of Rubel.

“I like working for a publication that’s different from all the other ones and that talks about things that maybe other people are afraid to talk about,” said Rubel.

Working at InfUSion Magazine since freshman year, Rubel has committed her time at UGA to the growth of the publication. Rubel was proud to share the expansion of InfUSion, including distribution boxes at East Campus Village and the Tate Center, an increase to about 1,500 views of the online publication, and an increase in staff from 35 to 70 people in one year. Rubel didn’t stop there. Under her leadership, InfUSion met their advertising goal in three months and added a multicultural beauty section to the magazine. She said that since distribution boxes make the biggest difference in the coverage of the magazine, her goal is to get a distribution box in downtown Athens. With this amount of growth, Rubel’s passion for her work is obvious.

InfUSion Magazine’s graduate advisor, Irfa Hirani shared the advancement of the publication with Rubel in charge. “It’s grown tremendously,” Hirani said. “The quality and the quantity of the number of articles have gone up.”

What does it take to be a successful editor like Rubel? Time, dedication, and a committed staff.

Her duties as editor-in-chief include several meetings with the editorial staff and the advisor and working in the InfUSion office three to four times a week. According to Rubel, the most stressful aspects of her job are meeting the advertising requirements and deadlines. Rubel said that people on her editorial team, such as the managing editor Jasmine Clayton, make the publication possible.

“She’s not used to asking for help because she’s so capable of doing everything herself,” Clayton said about Rubel.

Aside from her work at InfUSion Magazine, Rubel has other impressive accolades on her résumé. She interned at Good Housekeeping magazine last summer, working in the fashion closet. Over winter break, she assisted the founder of an online lifestyle magazine, Mood of Living, whom she met while working at Good Housekeeping. Impressed with Rubel’s motivation to contact her, the founder gladly gave her an internship.

At the end of the day, Rubel is disciplined, but she takes time to enjoy life, according to her roommate and childhood friend, Kaleigh Davis. Davis said her favorite memory of Rubel is the spontaneous road trip they took into South Carolina as they sang “horrible rap music” the whole drive.

Her internship in New York wasn’t all work and no play either. Rubel took full advantage of New York culture by visiting museums, going to Broadway shows, and spent Saturday mornings drinking coffee and people-watching at the Union Square Farmer’s Market.

Rubel said, “My friend and I actually snuck into a Haim concert, which was probably the social highlight of my summer.”

It’s refreshing to know that even ambitious leaders like Rubel let their hair down every once in awhile.