Jeffrey Selingo graduated from Wyoming Valley West in 1991 and went on to become an author and journalist.
While in high school, he was a journalism student, a member of student council, yearbook staff, and marching band and also ran track. Selingo was an all around student that felt being involved was important.
“It was like a family with classmates that I had been with since elementary school just a block away from the high school — the former Main Street school, which has since been torn down. It was big enough that you got to know some new people every year, but small enough that you could have friends and know people throughout your time there,” If Selingo had the option to return and change one thing about his high school career, he claimed he would take subjects like math and science more seriously.
The year Selingo graduated from high school was the 25th anniversary of the district being open. “We had many special events, including a homecoming parade with floats and a school-wide semi-formal. Given the jointure of all the town school districts 25 years earlier, school spirit had been lacking but that year things seemed to come together,” Selingo said as he explains his favorite moments from his high school experience.
After high school, he went on to take many small jobs and now writes on the future of education and work. “I started working for the school newspaper and took a journalism course with Mr. Nicholas [journalism teacher] and saw how writing could be a career,” Selingo said. “I never expected to be an author. I was focused on becoming a journalist when I graduated.”
“I’ve had great full-time jobs over the years, but the freelance writing I’ve done for places like the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic, and New York Magazine have been among my favorites. Those opportunities allowed me to write about a variety of issues from technology to the future of work to higher ed for different audiences as well as work with some great editors,” said Selingo as he spoke on his favorite of his own pieces.
Selingo has now written three New York Times best selling books. His most recent book, “Who Gets in and Why: Inside College Admissions,” was named one of 100 Notable Books in 2020 by the New York Times.
Selingo had much advice for any future writers: “Read widely and write something every day. The best writers read a mix of fiction and non-fiction across subjects. Reading makes your own writing better because you learn from others. And exercising those writing muscles every day through a journal helps you come up with ideas and improve your writing.”
