By Owen McArdle
Staff Reporter
Going into his freshman year, Nathan Dent had a decision to make. Would he continue on the theatre path or apply for The Sentry, which was reported to be a selective class for new and incoming freshmen? Dent knew he loved to write, and he thought newspaper sounded like an intriguing elective. He decided to go out on a limb on the off-chance he got in.
Now a senior and the head editor, Dent has enjoyed every second of his three years writing for The Sentry. Some of his fondest memories during his time on staff include trips to both the National Museum of African American History and Culture and the Newseum.
“Being in that environment where you’re learning about such a serious topic with people who you’re going to spend the year reporting on serious topics with was a really unifying experience,” Dent said.
As The Sentry’s leader, Dent strives to build connections between the staff.
“He is welcoming to all, and wants the class to be a comfortable learning environment where reporters, photographers and editors are not afraid to take risks,” English teacher and The Sentry’s sponsor Chrissy Wiedemann said.
Dent also gets upstanding reviews from former editors about his natural knack for leadership and writing.
“Working with him also as a reporter and brainstorming ideas, the entire process that The Sentry goes through, he’s just fun to be around. He’s always known what journalistic process entails and been really confident,” last year’s opinion editor Anna Trainum said.
When he’s not busy writing articles, leading the Young Democrats Club or working on his college applications, Dent plays the guitar and sings. He aims to release an Extended Playlist this fall. Although Dent classifies his songs as generic indie, he also enjoys listening to Miles Davis and French music.
When writing articles and listening to music makes Dent hungry, you might find him at the local Which Wich.
“I’m a big fan of subs — outside bun toasted till its light golden brown, cheese melted inside, deli meats, lettuce, tomato, onion, black olives, light mayo, the works,” Dent said.
As college application deadlines draw near, Dent is aiming for schools all across the country, including UCLA, Northwestern, USC, Columbia and Yale, and has a kaleidoscope of interests that will shape his courses.
“I’d love to study journalism. I’d love to study political science. I’d love to study international relations. I’d love to study psychology. I’d love to study philosophy. I’d love to do a pre-law track,” Dent said.
When asked about Dent’s greatest strength, one of last year’s head editors Charles Finn had a lot to say.
“I would have to go with his ability to self critique, his ability to reflect, his ability to continue thinking about how to do something better, which is never easy, and Nate is really good at it,” Finn said.
Dent’s flavorsome personality and his wide range of interests will help him as head editor of The Sentry this year as well as in the future. Wherever he ends up next year, hopefully there is a worthy sandwich shop nearby.
By Nathan Dent
Head Editor
Owen McArdle was not built for a desk job. On any given day, you might find the new Sentry reporter hard at work on an article — but you would just as likely find him on a bike ride, or off on a run around the neighborhood.
“I love running, I run a lot. I also like to bike — I’m trying to do a century soon, which is a 100-mile bike ride,” said McArdle.
McArdle is a free spirit, which becomes evident during any conversation with him. He is most at peace when he is out in nature, and dreams of one day being able to live in a cabin in the Rocky Mountains. He is also an avid skier, having started when he was only three years old. In a hypothetical scenario where he was given a year to do whatever he pleased, McArdle outlined the following plan:
“I go to Utah. I become a ski patrol at a ski resort; I love to ski. I go with all my boys … I bring all my friends, and we run. We run during the summer, ski during the winter, and … live up in the mountains. Not in the city.”
McArdle’s quest for adventure is not limited to the physical world, however. There are some things that fascinate him enough that he could talk about them for hours on end; most notably, space.
“You can get into such deep conversations when you’re talking about space, even if you have no idea what you’re talking about. You can just sit there and be like, oh my god, aliens can exist! Space is infinite!” said McArdle.
Space fascinated McArdle enough that, for a long time, he even dreamt of being an astronautical engineer. Although he has now shifted away from this career path, he continues to keep touch with his roots, maintaining a love for science fiction. Now, the careers that interest McArdle are those which would allow him to go beyond the traditional confines of a desk job, like journalism.
“I don’t know if [journalism] would be a permanent job, but definitely something I’d be interested in, because you actually get to go and interview people, you actually build more connections than you would just … sitting at a computer, typing in numbers or something,” said McArdle.
Whatever McArdle ends up doing, it will surely work to satiate his yearning for adventure, whether it be journalism or marine biology. Perhaps his time to come on The Sentry’s staff might increase his interest in the former — but with someone as full of energy and curiosity as him, there is no way to know for sure. To put it in his own words:
“I like to try new things, to go new places. I like different flavors.”
