Category: Alumni

Emily Walos is a 17-year-old senior at Citrus Valley High School and the CV Chief Executive Officer of Ethic. She has been a student journalist since the 7th grade and joined Ethic four years ago with hopes to give a voice to people wanting to be heard. Walos is involved in ASB, link crew, varsity swim, Redlands’ swim team and thespians club. She is also the president of Jesus at Citrus and president of the virtual enterprise club. Regarding swimming, she has been on varsity for three years and with her team became the first-ever varsity girls champion team and was undefeated last school year. She enjoys performing in after-school plays, piano, ballroom dance and restoring vintage cars with her dad. She achieved over a 4.0 GPA in her high school career, with her lowest GPA being 4.1. Walos hopes to attend a four-year university majoring in broadcasting journalism to become a news anchor and finally become a respected professional journalist.

Emerson Sutow is a 17-year-old senior at Citrus Valley High School. He is Ethic’s Art and Entertainment editor. This is Sutow’s fourth year in Ethic and his second year as an Art and Entertainment editor. Sutow is in the technical engineering CTE pathway and are also taking a Japanese class at Crafton Hills College. Sutow enjoys reading, writing music and cosplaying in his free time. Sutow sees himself in 6 years as a robotics engineer after he finishes college.

Maggie Snavely is a senior at Citrus Valley High School. Her position in Ethic is Self and Style editor. Snavely chose to write for Self and Style because she enjoys writing articles that spread more positivity across campus. She runs an Etsy account for selling and making jewelry and enjoys spending time outside to play with her dogs. This year, Snavely is hoping to improve her social skills and become more outspoken. While in Ethic News, she is hoping to share any important information from past experiences with incoming students. Snavely’s goal for her future is to graduate high school then eventually open up her own bakery. 

Bella Espinoza is a 17-year-old senior at Citrus Valley High School and the co-Multimedia editor for Ethic News. She enjoys being in Ethic because it’s a digital newspaper that allows her to make videos such as interviews and weather reports. In her free time, her favorite activities are playing video games, watching anime or reading books such as her favorite series, “Harry Potter.” In the future, Espinoza plans to possibly continue with video editing and get a job. 

Daniel Waters was the Sports and Opinion editor for La Plaza Press. He was one of the original members of the bilingual publication.

At Redlands East Valley High School, Waters played football for three years and took on leadership roles in La Plaza and Wildcats for Change that gave him the platform to make a positive impact on the school’s community.

Waters says, “La Plaza set me free to write about what I love in a self-directed structure. Journalism restored my passion for the written word and revitalized what drew me to it in the first place. My experiences with journalism in high school were so fulfilling that I felt inspired to continue in college.”

Waters is currently a Business Administration major at UC Irvine, and an Opinion writer for New University, UCI’s official newspaper.

He hopes to graduate early from UCI in 2024 and pursue a stable career in business.

His message to current high school students is, “In terms of journalism, my advice is to make your article matter and write about something that is compelling to you. In terms of life, my advice is to keep chasing the light at the end of the tunnel.”

Last updated 2022

Ahlora Smith served in various leadership positions for both Ethic News and La Plaza Press. She was Arts and Entertainment editor as well as Managing Publisher and Chief Executive for Ethic News. She was the Cultura editor for La Plaza Press and one of its founding members.

Smith attended Citrus Valley High School and was on the Thespian board, ComedySportz manager, Mock Trial captain, Junior Classical League vice president, and a Link Crew Leader.

Smith says, “Journalism experience as a whole broadened my scope of general knowledge immensely! With all the different types of articles going up all the time, I got to learn so much about global and local affairs when I never would have thought to go looking for information on those topics in the first place.”

Smith is currently a sophomore in the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting program at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she says, “I’m constantly pushing to be not only a better performer, but overall creator of art!”

Her future plans are to go into professional theatre in some way, be a dog mom, live in a sweet loft, eat lots of sushi.

Her message to current students is to, “Take this time to learn and broaden your horizons! Write and read about topics in which you may not have previously been interested!”

Nayelli Bermudez was editor-in-chief of La Plaza Press. She attended Redlands East Valley High School

In high school, she was interested in joining La Plaza because of the bilingual aspect. She had always been interested in writing, but was drawn to the ability to communicate in both English and Spanish. Bermudez was also the vice president of Possibilities club, which was involved with special needs students.

Bermudez currently attends the University of Redlands.

Last updated 2021

Gael Perez was Chief Executive for La Plaza Press. He attended Citrus Valley High School.

Perez was involved in cross country as well as Spanish Club. His favorite class was AP Human Geography because it expanded his perspective on how the world works.

Perez joined La Plaza to expand journalism from just English to many other languages to be represented within the communities of Redlands. Perez says that his favorite part of being in La Plaza was writing in Spanish because “writing in Spanish has a different meaning than just writing in English.”

Perez currently attends the University of California, Los Angeles.

His message to current journalism students is, “I am very proud of you.

Last updated 2021

Christina Andronescu joined Ethic News her sophomore year, and was a senior was the Editor in Chief for Citrus Valley High School. She was also one of the founding members of La Plaza Press. Andronescu was also involved in extracurricular activities such as Interact Club, Science Club, Mock Trial, and more.

Andronescu currently attends Stanford University.

Her message to current journalism students is, “Each and every one of you have the capacity to create something wonderful — and I hope that through Ethic you gain the skills, the knowledge and the overall platform to express yourselves in the way that you want to, and help the publication itself evolve and grow as you are during these very formative years of high school.”

David Mikhail was a freelancer during Ethic News’ inaugural year and also served as Business Manager. He attended Redlands East Valley High School.

Mikhail says of his time with Ethic News, “Working at Ethic, especially at the beginning, meant that a lot of times, we had to rise to the occasion and step out of our comfort zone to push the Newspaper forward and to collaborate with people on a different campus; it was a rewarding experience that built resilience and adaptability.”

After high school, he attended the University of California, Riverside as a Mechanical Engineering student. He is a board member of Unheard Cries, a nonprofit whose purpose is to dent Middle Eastern poverty.

Mikhail says, “Working with Unheard Cries has been an amazing opportunity to donate more than my money but also my time, my effort, and myself to a cause I find very dear to my heart.”

His message to current high school journalists is, “Be passionate and stay true to yourself and to that passion. ETHIC is a very versatile environment in that it will foster any talent, skill, or interest you might have. Use the opportunity ETHIC gives you to be happy and to do fulfilling work that you can be proud of. I was lucky to be a part of ETHIC when the original editors and founders were there; it is very much a product of love and passion; enjoy it as such, and keep it that way for the future.”

Last updated 2022

Matt Kristoffersen was the REV Editor-in-Chief and the Copy Editor for the 2017-18 school year. In addition to being the Editor-in-Chief, Matt played the Tenor Saxophone with the Wind Ensemble and Jazz Band at REV and the Redlands Fourth of July Band. Matt is currently at Yale University and will be attending Harvard Law School. At Yale, Matt is part of the Independent Party, the Yale Precision Marching Band and the Yale Daily News, where he writes primarily for the Science and Technology section. Matt credits ETHIC with giving him the goal of being a professional journalist in the future.

Last updated 2021

Victoria Chung was the REV Managing Editor for Ethic News. Chung was was class valedictorian for the class of 2016 at Redlands East Valley High School. In addition, she participated and held numerous leadership positions in various activities.

Chung is currently attending the University of Southern California as a presidential scholar in the Honors College. As a chemistry major, she says that her day consists of studying, trying to become a Grandmaster in Overwatch, eating stale pasta from the university cafeteria, and assisting in conducting research on the synthesis of O-H catalysts at the Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute.

Chung hopes to get her Ph.D in organic chemistry or biochemistry and continue her research career to find the cure to Hepatitis B through RNA splicing.

Last updated 2020

Jessica Lopez was a managing editor for Ethic News and a sophomore staff writer during its inaugural year.

Lopez says, “Being one the first people to start Ethic was great! I still remember there only being a total of three of us on the CV side. It’s amazing seeing how much it has grown.”

Lopez attended Citrus Valley High School and also participated in cross country, track, mock trial and Octagon Club.

She says, “Joining Ethic really helped me develop my communication skills, as well as developing a level of professionalism. Weirdly enough, having experience in a telepresence class helped the transition to Zoom University a lot easier.”

After graduating high school, Lopez attended Crafton Hills College for two and a half years. While attending Crafton, she joined the student senate and was the Vice President of Academic Affairs for a year.

She also staged managed four plays for the theatre department just for fun, saying, “I needed something fun to do that didn’t involve my major.”

Once she was done at Crafton, she transferred to Chapman University in Spring of 2021 to finish her degree in political science and ended up adding a minor in Latinx and Latin American studies. Upon transferring, she joined Kappa Alpha Pi, a pre-law co-ed Fraternity on campus. Since joining the fraternity, she has held the Historian position.

At Chapman University, Lopez says, “I also helped establish a Transfer Student Club.My friend Lydia and I are currently Co-Presidents for the club.”

While Lopez originally planned on attending law school right after earning her bachelor’s degree, she says, “I think might take a small break from school. If I don’t end up going to law school, I plan on working for an organization that deals with human rights and the border.”

Her message to current journalism students is, “Have fun with it! Also don’t be afraid to write what you want to write about, I’m sure you’ll have a group of people that will support you.”

Last updated 2022

Dylan Miars was the 2017-2018 News Editor for ETHIC. In addition to this, he was REV’s National Honors Society Chairman and President, Stakeholder in the LCAP Advisory Committee, and Student Representative on the REV School Site Council, among other things. He now attends the University of California: Berkeley as a Gates Scholar with a Triple Major in Political Science, Global Studies, and Linguistics. Dylan is now currently a part of the Peer Review Board, a restorative justice committee for students in the UC system, in addition to consulting campaigns on educational policy for disadvantaged youth.

Last updated 2020

Lauryn Best was the co-editor-in-chief of Ethic News. She attended Citrus Valley High School. Best has a message for current journalism students in the video above.

Cameron Kroetz was a freelancer, writer, and news editor for Ethic News. He was involved in the marching band and music program more generally all four years of my time at Redlands East Valley High School. He held various leadership positions in both the marching band and the REV Wind Ensemble. He also managed the swim team his junior year. He says that, “Ethic really improved my writing ability as well as my capacity for understanding the nuances of journalism, especially political journalism.”

In 2020, he graduated from Montana State University with a BA in Political Science and minors in History and Anthropology. He then went on to conduct opposition research for the Montana Democratic Party in the 2020 Montana Senate Election. After the campaign ended, he attended graduate school at the University of Arizona and graduated with his MA in International Security Studies in December of 2021.

He says, “Journalism not only allows you to improve yourself, but also contribute something to your community.”

As for digital journalism via Telepresence, he says that “the biggest benefit is the connection between schools that probably wasn’t possible before we had that technology. Being able to have a district-wide online newspaper is truly amazing.”

Last updated 2022

Savanna Patino was the Arts & Entertainment editor for the 2016-2017 school year. She was also in honor court, CSF, the Colorguard captain at REV, East Valley Singers president, mixed show choir director, and Vice President of Kimberly Juniors. She currently attends University of California, Santa Barbara as a biology major.

Last updated 2019

Jonas Poggi was an Ethic News staff writer in 2015-2016 and the co-host and founder of Ethic Visual, which spurred the creation of Ethic Viewpoint in 2016-2017. On the Ethic Visual program, Poggi covered current events with fellow co-host Angel Conchas and on Ethic Viewpoint he discussed hot-button political issues with contributor Conner Wise. In high school, Poggi was captain of the Redlands East Valley Speech and Debate team from 2015-2017, a nationally ranked Parliamentary debater, a Mock Trial 2015 County Champion, and a Graduation Speaker for the Class of 2017. Poggi currently attends George Washington University in Washington D.C., and attended the University of La Verne where he competed for their internationally accredited debate team while pursuing degrees in Political Science and Speech Communication. After completing his studies, Poggi hopes to  eventually work on political campaigns

Last updated 2021

Layla Abbas was the co-editor-in-chief and Opinion editor during Ethic News’ inaugural year. She attended Citrus Valley High School. She feels that Ethic News/La Plaza is not just another high school class. She believes that the experience teaches the value of journalism, the power of creativity, and the strength in student expression.

Layla says that being a part of Ethic’s inaugural year in 2015 was an impactful and unforgettable experience. She is most proud of her peers from both Redlands East Valley and Citrus Valley who decided to venture out and try something new. Since then, she feels she has had the privilege to witness the opportunities and growth Ethic and La Plaza’s staff have created since 2015.

She says, “I am extremely grateful to have been part of its first chapter. It is an achievement I refer to when asked ‘What has been your proudest life moment?'”

She says, “The confidence and drive I gained from being a part of Ethic is unmatched. I still refer to my experiences learned here for inspiration and a sense of purpose. After this class, you will be empowered by what you created and encouraged to say ‘Yes’ to more opportunities.”

After high school, Layla attended the University of La Verne and earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism. During her undergraduate experience, she completed three years in numerous editor and editor-in-chief positions for the campus newspaper. After graduation, she completed an internship with NBCLA where she gained experience as a digital news editor in a real newsroom — “well, until the pandemic hit,” she says.

In 2021, Layla accepted a full-time job as an internal communications associate at City of Hope, a nonprofit clinical research center and hospital in Los Angeles. In this role, she creates, organizes and sends communication deliverables to our internal workforce. She also contribute stories to the internal publications and provide communication support for events.

In addition, Layla will graduate with her master’s degree in strategic communication from Cal Baptist University at the end of 2022.

Layla also freelances for the Redlands Community Newspaper as a way to stay connected to her community.

Her message to current journalism students is, “Do not let fear or self-doubt stop you from joining Ethic News/La Plaza. You will be provided the necessary tools to be successful in the class. In addition to growing professionally, you will gain a great group of friends and mentors that will last long after the class is over.”

Last updated 2022

Joshua Nuesca was the 2015-2016 Layout Editor for Ethic. He was responsible for the production of the first magazines for the newsgroup and dedicated a lot of his time to design and writing articles for the online edition. During his senior year in high school, he served as the District Governor for California-Nevada-Hawai’i Key Club and represented the interests of 42,000 members to other organizations. Joshua graduated with a degree in Data Science and Environmental Economics & Policy at the University of California, Berkeley. He still remained involved in journalism as the Development Manager at the Daily Californian, supporting the nation’s largest and oldest student-run news organization. Joshua was a Resident Assistant and the Vice President of Administration for his business fraternity, Pi Sigma Epsilon. He served as a resource to aspiring Golden Bears and to those interested in journalism, data analytics, or business. Though his time at Ethic is over, Joshua credits many lessons learned during his tenure to his successes today and in the future.

Last updated 2018

Ryan Aranda was the Ethic News sports editor its inaugural year. While at Redlands East Valley, Aranda was a four-year member of the school’s basketball team. Some of his basketball achievements at REV include being selected as a team co-captain for three out of his four years, a member of the San Bernardino County All-Star team (‘16), All-Citrus Belt League Team (‘16), and the 2016 CBL championship team.

Aranda graduated from the University of California, Riverside under a psychology major and history minor. He earned his masters of science degree in Sport Psychology from Cal Baptist University.

Aranda was head of a nonprofit organization based out of Redlands, CA, “School of Hard Knocks Basketball” and is currently the Redlands East Valley High School junior varsity boys basketball coach. He looks to expand his career in sports psychology.

He thanks Ethic for the many memories, friends, and skills that he gained from being a part of the club for its first year and wishes the best of luck to all of its present and future members.

Last updated 2021

Bella Hanlon was a writer for Ethic News during its inaugural 2015-2016 school year.  Aside from being involved in Ethic her senior year, Bella was a Varsity Song member, ASB executive vice president, a Link Crew leader, a member of CSF, and was in various honors and AP classes.  She also danced competitively outside of school with a studio.  She graduated from the University of Oregon, pursuing a journalism major with a focus in public relations and a creative writing minor.  At the U of O, she was a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta Alpha Xi chapter and the assistant coach for Jam Squad, a club hip hop team.  Bella also worked as a student event coordinator at the University’s Parent and Family Programs. One day, she hopes to publish and illustrate her own children’s book and dedicate it to her little brother.  Bella enjoys hanging out with friends, painting, listening to music and attending concerts, and dancing as often as she can. Bella is so grateful for being a member of Ethic News, and is proud to say that she will continue her writing career in the future.

Last updated 2018