Huntington Alum Visits
Journalism Class
Erin Zammett-Ruddy felt right at home in a Huntington High School journalism class last week. After all, she graduated from the same school in 1996. She visited her alma mater to meet with students and discuss aspects of her journalism career.
Mrs. Zammett-Ruddy seemed legitimately excited to be "home" and said she has "many fond memories" of high school. Huntington English teacher Aimee Antorino welcomed her and students were ready for an interesting give-and-take session.
After graduating from the University of Tennessee, where she earned an athletic letter as a varsity volleyball player, Mrs. Zammett-Ruddy landed a position at Glamour magazine. She worked there as an assistant editor for eight years, leaving in 2008 and moving from Manhattan to the Huntington area to raise her two children with her husband, Nick.
Since departing Glamour, Mrs. Zammett-Ruddy has worked full-time as a freelance writer. Over the course of her career, her work has appeared in numerous magazines including Glamour, Playboy, Modern Bride, Real Simple, Redbook and Parenting.
Well-known as an eight year survivor of chronic myelogenous leukemia, for many years Mrs. Zammett-Ruddy wrote a hope-filled blog aimed at young people with cancer.
She penned a book in 2005, "My (So-Called) Normal Life," which told the story of what it was like to receive a chilling cancer diagnosis at 23 years of age and her battle against the dreaded disease. The book evolved from her columns at Glamour.
"The students asked many perceptive questions about how Erin managed her career and found work," said Patricia Dillon, the library media specialist at Huntington High School.
Mrs. Zammett-Ruddy, who played soccer, basketball, volleyball and softball as a teenager, spoke about the life of a freelance writer and how she is always learning to "follow the story." She discussed the concept of "pitching" a story idea and said journalism "keeps one hungry for knowledge as you follow the story."
Students were interested to learn about the compensation a freelance writer can expect to earn. The teenagers were intrigued to hear the inspiration for a lead or a possible headline sometimes comes to Mrs. Zammett-Ruddy in her car or on the treadmill.
Mrs. Zammett-Ruddy said the highlight of her book tour came when she saw her name displayed in the window of Book Revue, announcing she would be signing copies of the volume. "She said that many times when she needs comments for her articles, she turns to her old friends from Huntington High School, such as Brad Reminick, which brought a chuckle from the class," Mrs. Dillon said.
The Huntington alum has raised tens of thousands of dollars for cancer research and has served on the board of directors of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's New York City chapter and Gabrielle's Angel Foundation. She has appeared on Good Morning America, Dateline, Nightline and The Today Show.
"It is so cool to hear such a warm, friendly person relate to the kids and share her life," Mrs. Dillon said. Mrs. Zammett-Ruddy's leukemia has remained in complete remission.