Meet Our Managing Editor: Kiley Capstraw
In West Orange, Kiley Capstraw is just about a household name. Many have seen the Yale University commit tear up the basketball court as co-captain of the Mountaineer girls basketball team. Perhaps you have also witnessed her as a friendly face at Freshman Orientation as a Mountaineer Mentor or even liked her pictures on Instagram where she shows off her fun and girly side every so often. And if you are reading this, you may have (or at least should) read her variety of articles as a three-year editor of The Pioneer. While Capstraw is renowned for her skills on the court, she truly is a multifaceted gem in all fields at West Orange High School.
Early on in her high school career, Kiley knew that she wanted to explore the sphere of journalism. As a freshman, she took the Introduction to Journalism course with the expectation that she would pursue a career in sports broadcasting, just like her father, sportscaster for the Brooklyn Nets Tim Capstraw, and her inspiration, NBA analyst Sarah Kustok. The class fueled her interest to join the Newspaper class and become a staff editor for The Pioneer. She began as an In Our School/In Our Town editor, eventually working her way up to becoming the Managing Editor for the 2021-2022 school year.
Though Kiley has not been in the position for that long, she is “feeling confident and lucky to have such a supportive team” and that the strengths of the Co-Editors-in-Chief are her weaknesses. She plans on achieving an increased readership of The Pioneer and wants the student body to recognize the talents of our writers and editors. Each year, she enjoys coming back to the newspaper because she is able to foster close friendships, develop her writing skills, express herself through her work, and learn about all that goes on within the school community. While Kiley’s articles can be found in nearly all sections of the newspaper, she especially enjoys speaking her mind through editorials because no one can judge her. If she were to interview anyone for an article, her top choice would be actress Yara Shahidi. Kiley finds her extremely fascinating because of her ability to balance an acting career, college responsibilities, and activist campaigns all while maintaining clear skin.
Senior year is typically bittersweet because of drudging college applications and the sadness of a chapter that is beginning to close, but Kiley has a few things to look forward to in order to get her through it. Like most of the Class of 2022, she is excited about senior privileges like leaving campus for lunch, and for festivities such as Senior Fun Day and Prom. As a committed Division 1 athlete, she is especially looking forward to National Signing Day, in which she hopes to sign alongside Dylan Wilkes, who she has been friends with since their days at Mount Pleasant Elementary School. Wilkes has recently announced her verbal commitment to play D1 lacrosse at Delaware State University.
Because of the hard work she puts forth in both her athletics and academics, Kiley is a busy girl. When she does have some free time, she loves to eat (especially a good old-fashioned Chipotle burrito), hang out with her friends, and watch reality TV shows like Keeping Up with the Kardashians and Chrisley Knows Best. Kiley is also family-oriented, so she enjoys spending time with the rest of the Capstraw clan and vacationing with them at locations such as Turks and Caicos. She is especially close with her mom, who she considers her biggest inspiration because of her everlasting independence, strength, wisdom, and determination.
Kiley’s next chapter will be taking place in New Haven as she continues her academic and athletic endeavors at Yale University, but she is not stopping there. In 10 years, she sees herself finishing up her professional basketball career (preferably overseas in Spain) and entering either graduate or medical school. She is keeping her options open, but she envisions herself as either a sports broadcaster or a professional in the psychology field. With her intelligence, kindheartedness, and all-around diligence, Kiley Capstraw will continue to leave her fascinating mark on the world.
