For me, copy editing and life share the same core truth: you can’t learn anything if you’re afraid of being wrong.
In the past four years I’ve learned — and been wrong about — a lot, but I can honestly say that’s the most important lesson OU Daily has taught me.
‘Don’t dabble, dive in’
Starting college at OU promised to be a fresh start. I had spent my junior year of high school remote during the COVID-19 pandemic, and I was disconnected from the people and the place. Alone in my room for hours each day, I dropped nearly all of my extracurriculars and let once-close friends fade to acquaintances. I was ready for a change.
Walking into the newsroom for open house in fall 2022 was the most terrifying thing I had done; as a linguistics major I didn’t know anything about journalism, and I had never heard of the AP Stylebook. But I liked reading, and I was known among my friends as the go-to for essay editing. The copy desk seemed to be the perfect way to keep up with campus life.
I still recall then-editor-in-chief Jillian Taylor’s surprise when I asked to be directed to one of the newsroom’s lesser known desks. I sat with Bella Avila, then-assistant copy chief and future co-copy chief alongside Francisco Gutierrez, and learned what it means to be the last line of defense between story and audience.
Bella told me about the necessity of fact checking and the tedium of an unwieldy content management software. I could tell she was bracing for me to get up and leave, but I was committed to trying new things. I took an extra boost of courage from newsroom adviser Seth Prince’s charge at the start of the open house.
“Don’t dabble, dive in.”
I started as an intern on the tiny desk a couple weeks later, and though I asked many dumb questions, I must have asked some of the right ones because that October I was offered a position as a junior copy editor.
The first end of year event Mary Ann Livingood ever attended was in newsroom adviser Seth Prince's backyard. Though she didn't know it, many people in this photo would become very important to her in the coming years.
Even being in the newsroom for 10 hours a week, I still felt disconnected. I didn’t understand how I fit into the bigger picture. I was scared to reach out to the people around me, anxious they’d finally realize I wasn’t supposed to be there. While I loved the job and was starting to appreciate the Daily’s mission, it was hard to stay motivated.
Working in a vacuum, I couldn’t tell if my presence mattered.
‘Somewhere to anchor myself’
As I drifted through my first year to the spring semester, Karoline Leonard was elected to become the next editor-in-chief. The copy desk was heading toward a major period of change with the majority of the desk graduating or leaving for other commitments. In a demonstration of unearned trust that would change my life, Karoline asked me if I would consider becoming copy chief.
It felt like any decision I made would have dire consequences. I was a first-year. I had never taken a journalism class, written a final headline or published a story. I didn’t know anything about production or design. And most of all, I didn’t think I had anything worth saying, especially not anything that the rising newsroom leaders — all of them at least a year my senior — would trust.
Mary Ann Livingood with the copy desk after watching "A Minecraft Movie" in spring 2025.
My first instinct was to retreat from responsibility and just hope everything would turn out fine. That way, I would never have to find out whether I would fail or succeed.
But Seth’s words at the beginning of the year stuck with me: “Don’t dabble, dive in.” I had joined the newsroom wanting to find somewhere to anchor myself.
My answer became clear when I thought about what the Daily had come to mean to me. I saw that it was a place where anyone could walk in and play a part in serving city and campus, and I realized for the first time that instead of minimizing my impact I had the chance to wield it.
Soon I was hired as co-copy chief alongside Nikkie Aisha, who would become the desk’s steady hand and one of the best mentors I’ve ever had. She never rushed to a decision and is funnier than most people know. I only wish we could have worked together longer.
The copy desk as it is today — with anywhere from 12 to 16 members depending on the semester — has a hard time imagining it, but Nikkie and I started our first summer with just two copy editors: Grace Rhodes and Avery Avery.
‘A team stronger than its parts’
Though the desk soon began sprouting around the four of us, Grace and Avery formed its beating heart and set a standard of compassion that lives on beyond their time with the Daily. They were always ready to jump in with a funny anecdote, a thoughtful question and a helping hand. As I navigated my new role, they showed me where collaboration and care come together to form a team stronger than its parts.
From left: Avery Avery, Sophie Hemker, Grace Rhodes and Mary Ann Livingood formed the copy desk's senior copy team during the 2024-25 academic year.
And, slowly but steadily, the desk became stronger. I’ve heard one of the quickest ways to learn is to teach, and I faced a steep learning curve as Nikkie and I scrambled to build up systems for training and feedback.
I wanted to create an environment where it was easier to ask questions than to stay quiet, where copy desk members could dig deep into the “why” and where no one was left unsure if their work was important or valuable.
The discussions and debates that followed have been one of my favorite parts of working at the Daily. I’ve learned more about copy editing through figuring out how to answer questions than I ever could working alone.
These conversations have challenged me to think widely and creatively, to value conflicting perspectives and to put abstract concepts into words. They also showed me just how many people care about getting it right, and when there’s no easy answer, how many people will pause to find a solution.
And most importantly, not only did people ask me questions, they listened to and trusted my answers. I could look around the newsroom and see faces of people to whom it mattered that I was there. As someone who has always felt my presence was optional, this meant everything.
‘The people and the lessons’
I’ve worked with dozens and dozens of reporters, editors, copy editors, photographers and videographers in these past years who make the world vibrant simply because they care.
They care about telling the story, getting the facts right, picking the perfect verb, shooting the best angle, clipping the best sound byte, sharing their passions and greeting everyone in the newsroom with a smile.
While the Daily has offered me many transformative moments, it’s the people and the lessons they’ve taught me that are going to stick with me for the rest of my life.
It wouldn’t have been possible without all the copy desk members who let me learn to lead them, even if it meant listening to me ramble on at our 8:30 a.m. desk meetings. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you Nikkie, Grace, Avery, Cooper Marshall, Zoe De Leon, Lily Grace Battles, Sophie Hemker, Natalie Armour, Ryan Little, Gracie Benge, Grayson Blalock, Kylie Caldwell, Riley McDaniel, Matthew Moore, Chelsea Rose, Andrew Paredes, Gretchen Schultz, Geethika Kollu, Joshua McDaniel, Tori Pham, Allie Clift, Madisson Cameron, Kennedy Johnson, Hannah Lambert, Larkin Bock, Chelsea Low, Arthur Shamayev, Vanessa Essien, Andrew Higgins, Parker Newman and Lauren Brogdon.
Mary Ann Livingood and most of the copy desk at the newsroom's Friendsgiving in 2025. For bonus points, try to guess which two people were photoshopped in later.
We’ve been together through late nights, early mornings, coffee runs, semi-consistent book club meetings, movie trips, hysterical laughter, Thai Delight and Qdoba visits, gift exchanges, Friendsgivings, “Twilight” marathons and the highs and lows of working a nonstop news cycle as a full-time student.
The person who walked into the Daily’s doors four years ago couldn’t begin to imagine the love and joy that she’s shared and the trust that she’s been given by so many talented and amazing people. All of it is only possible because she — I — chose to be present, to dive in when I wanted to run.
What comes next
After Nikkie graduated, I continued as copy chief for two more years with brilliant assistant copy chiefs in Grace and Sophie. In the fall, Sophie will become co-copy chief alongside star first-year Larkin, and I’ve already seen them rising to the challenge: coordinating meetings and tackling breaking news. The newsroom should watch out because they make for a terrifyingly competent duo.
One of the perks of working on the copy desk is getting to work with people across the room, which also means that I can be fully confident the Daily will carry on in good hands. They may have big shoes to fill — like those of amazing editors Anusha Fathepure and Annie Davenport — but I know they can rise to the occasion.
Annie Davenport, Mary Ann Livingood and Anusha Fathepure spent the past two years working alongside one another as editors and friends, but Mary Ann knows their friendship will last long after graduation.
It’s comforting to picture this future because, as I’m writing this, there are only nine days left until graduation and I don’t know yet where I’m going to end up.
I won’t try to pretend that’s not terrifying, but I’ve learned that the best things come when you give it your all, and because of the Daily I’ve got so much to give.
Mary Ann Livingood is an OU linguistics graduate with minors in Arabic and editing and publishing. At the Daily, she served as a copy editing intern, junior copy editor and copy chief. She previously interned at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette through the Dow Jones News Fund and at the Journal of Women’s History. This is her first and last byline for OU Daily.
