Willa Lefkowicz, JerEcho Co-Editor-in-Chief
Willa is a senior at Jericho High School and is Co-Editor in Chief of the JerEcho. This is her fourth year taking New Media, and she was initially inspired to join the journalism course because of her passion for storytelling and interest in gaining other people’s perspectives. In her free time, Willa enjoys working out, reading, hanging out with friends, and going on drives. On these drives, she will likely be listening to her favorite music artists: Morgan Wallen, Drake, and Lana Del Rey. As Willa’s time at the JerEcho is coming to a close, her goals for this year are to help edit, produce, and publish quality pieces, and she plans to continue her journalism career in college.
Farrah Park, JerEcho Co-Editor-in-Chief
Farrah is a Senior reporter and the Co Editor-in-chief of the JerEcho program. Her interest in becoming a journalist started when she was younger and would write creative stories in her free time. Continuing her love for writing, she joined the JerEcho when she was a Freshman. Out of her years as a reporter, her article “Friday Night Lights” is what she is most proud of. Farrah is a member and Captain of Jericho’s Jayettes and likes to read, watch movies, and listen to music in her free time. Farrah wants to be able to maintain the class, write articles, and improve the writing of others this year.
Madison Kane, JNN Editor-In-Chief
Madison Kane is a senior at Jericho High School and a passionate journalist with a lifelong love for writing. Now in her fourth year with the JerEcho, she serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the JNN, the Jericho News Network. Madison’s commitment to journalism extends beyond the school walls—she has also been an intern and writer at the Syosset Jericho Tribune since 2022. This past summer, she honed her skills further through a journalism program at Northwestern University. Recently, Madison ventured into broadcast journalism, earning an Honorable Mention at the BASH Awards. Outside of her journalistic pursuits, she enjoys driving, journaling, and watching sunsets with friends. Madison plans to continue her passion for journalism in college, where she looks forward to exploring new opportunities in the field.
Shea Gang, Senior Managing Editor & Webmaster
Shea Gang, a senior at Jericho High School, has been a part of the JerEcho for three years. Throughout her time at the JerEcho, Shea has had several achievements, including winning second place for best visual with her co-reporters for A Little Library Love. In her free time Shea enjoys playing lacrosse and soccer, as well as watch hockey. Shea aspires to become a hockey broadcaster when she grows up. Ever since Shea was little, she spent most of her time watching hockey with her father, and as she grew up her love for hockey also grew. Shea has loved the past three years in the JerEcho, and is so grateful for the wonderful opportunities new media has offered!
Jessy Siegmann, Sports Section Editor
Jessy Siegman is a senior at Jericho and the associate editor of the sports section at the JerEcho. She likes to take photos, exercise, and listen to music in her free time. She has been a member of the JerEcho for 4 years now. Her favorite sports teams are the Knicks, Rams, Yankees, and Rangers. Jessy wants to have a career in sports management when she is older. She plays Lacrosse for Jericho. She took this course because it will help her improve her writing skills for the future and she is excited for sports journalism because she loves both sports and writing.
Ryan Fistel, Associate Editor Sports
Introducing Ryan Fistel. Ryan is a senior and the Associate Editor. Her passion for journalism stems from watching three of her siblings graduate with degrees in communication and have successful careers with what they’ve learned. Ryan enjoys exercise, lacrosse, dance, and reading when she is not writing. Along with those hobbies, she loves listening to country music. She has several goals for her final year in high school including strengthening her writing skills, being a confident leader, and reaching 100+ points in her final lacrosse season. Ryan enjoys video production and editing for the newspaper, although her favorite composition is her article on Ms. Egan. This is her fourth and final year in the New Media and Communications class. She hopes to have left a positive impact on the program and is both astonished and proud of how much the program has grown, and allowed her to grow.
Mia Shu, Junior Managing Editor
Mia Shu is a junior at Jericho High School who is currently serving as the Junior Managing Editor for the JerEcho. A dedicated journalist since 9th grade, Mia has been an integral part of the publication for three years, and her passion for informing others continues to shine. She loves staying on top of current events and helping combat misinformation through her reporting. Mia’s interests extend beyond the newsroom—she’s a talented artist who enjoys drawing and reading comics, and an active member of the varsity swim team. She finds joy in video production and photography, with her “Frozen” video project being a standout favorite. Whether she’s crafting engaging news stories, capturing moments through her camera lens, or diving into a good fiction novel, Mia is always eager to learn, create, and share her voice with the community!
Nicole Barnes , Publicity Coordinator
Nicole is a senior and a fourth-year reporter and publicity coordinator for the JerEcho. She has been involved in journalism throughout her high school career. In her free time, she enjoys singing, photography, and cooking. Her favorite genres of music are R&B and classical. Nicole participates in several extracurricular activities, including Girls Spring Track, and is a member of the National Honor Society, French Honor Society, and Medical Minds. She also tutors her cousin in English. Some of her favorite articles include her “Dear Sophomore Year” letter, reflecting on her sophomore year experiences, and “Controversy Over Illegal Renting Leads to Change in Board Policy,” where she was able to work and learn from her upperclassmen. Nicole aspires to pursue a career in the medical field. She has always enjoyed writing and saw journalism as a fun way to enhance her writing skills.
Patty Yan, Socia Media Coordinator
Patty is a senior in her 3rd year of journalism and is the social media coordinator. Her favorite article is “Addressing AI” where she and a fellow reporter discuss the usage of AI and the impact it had on students and teachers. She decided to do journalism because of her interest in writing and it allows her to interact with many individuals. Her goals for this class are to write good articles, work on the JNN, as well as improve her writing and reporting as a journalist. As well as the JerEcho, Patty is a part of the school’s track team and the Jericho Theater Production Organization (JTPO). In her free time, she likes drawing and going on runs.
Andrew Han, Secretary
Andrew Han is a junior reporter for the JerEcho. He grew up in Moscow, Russia and has been living in Jericho, New York since 2022. He loves football, basketball, and music. His favorite teams are the Bengals and the Nets. Andrew’s favorite subjects are history and science. He loves to spend his free time with his friends. He is excited to learn more about the world of journalism.
Miley Yakuel, Student Council Representative
Miley is currently a junior at Jericho and the student council representative for the JerEcho club. Miley likes to play sports and hang out with friends and family. This is her third year being a member of the JerEcho club and first year in sports journalism. Some of her favorite sport teams are the Knicks, Rangers, and the Jets. When she is older she wants to do something involving sports marketing or business. She plays basketball, tennis, and lacrosse. She is interested in sports journalism because she likes to watch sports and learn all about sports.
Bhavin Balgobind, Reporter
Introducing Bhavin Balgobind. Bhavin Balgobind is a Junior reporter. His passion for journalism comes from following in the steps of his sister who was the editor in chief of the JerEcho. Bhavin enjoys playing baseball and football, his favorite teams are the Yankees and Giants. Bhavin also enjoys listening to country music, his favorite artists being Zach Bryan, Tyler Childers and Colter Wall. Bhavin’s favorite composition was his podcast on the importance of mindfulness with guest QB coach James Brady. He also loves doing the new broadcast and had a segment last year called “ Brownie Bites”. Bhavin is most excited for the broadcast this upcoming year and how they can improve on it from last year. Bhavin is excited and ready to take on his third year in new media and being apart of the school newspaper.
Liam Feldman, Reporter
Liam is a sophomore reporter for the JerEcho at Jericho High School. His interest in journalism sparked as he enjoyed sports news. In his freshman year, he was in sports journalism making him a second-year reporter this year. In particular, he was pleased by his article “Boys Basketball Triumphant Season” which highlighted the basketball players and their successful season. Throughout his high school career, Liam hopes to gain a higher position in the JerEcho program. He also enjoys spending his free time by doing physical activities such as playing soccer and going to the gym, and also enjoys listening to Rap music
Grace Gagliano, Reporter
Grace Gagliano, is a sophomore at Jericho high school and this is her second year as a reporter for the JerEcho. Her favorite article she’s written was the new hire teacher feature on Ms.Muscarella last year. She also enjoyed making the teacher feature interview segments for the JerEcho new broadcast last year. In her free time she likes to hangout with her friends from other towns,see her family and spend time with her three dogs. She enjoys watching movies and tv, shopping and listening to music . Her favorite music genre is pop music. She joined the journalism class in her freshman year of high school to further her strengths in writing and have an involvement in her school’s current news events.She hopes to publish many more articles to the JerEcho this year as well as continue the teacher feature segments on the news broadcast videos.She is excited to get stronger as a writer and interviewer.
Aleeza Gani, Reporter
Aleeza Gani is a sophomore at Jericho High School and a second-year reporter for the JerEcho. In her free time, she enjoys writing, as well as playing volleyball and lacrosse. As a singer, Aleeza is passionate about music, and especially loves to listen to her favorite artist, J. Cole. Aleeza has come far in her journalism career, attending Vogue Summer School for Fashion Media, along with publishing multiple articles for the JerEcho. When she’s older, she dreams of moving to Spain and pursuing journalism as a magazine editor. This year, she hopes to further improve her writing skills and create even more compelling articles. Aleeza is excited to see where her passion for journalism will take her.
Archana Hariharan, Reporter
Archana Hariharan is a junior and 3rd year reporter for the JerEcho. Ever since she was a kid, Archana loved to write, and as she grew up her passion for literature and writing increased immensely. She truly enjoys journalism and strives to make a difference in her community through her writing. Archana has achieved great success during her time at the JerEcho, winning second place in the Adelphi Quill awards with her co-reporters for, “A Little Library Love”, Archana loves writing about topics she is passionate about and relates too. Archana has cherished the past three years as a reporter in the JerEcho, and is beyond excited for the wonderful year ahead as a reporter for the JerEcho. Archana hopes that one day she can truly create positive change in her community through her writing, and she believes that the JerEcho gives her the opportunity to do so.
Anthony Hirtzel, Reporter
Anthony is a sophomore and reporter for the Jericho News Network. He loves to relax and watch tv in his free time and he loves rap music, specifically Travis Scott. This is Anthony’s second year writing for the JerEcho and has formed a profound passion and speciality for writing and reporting on his favorite sports such as baseball, football, and many others. Specifically, Anthony takes pride in his video of the girls 2024 lacrosse team, highlighting all of the amazing players on the team. In terms of the future of this year, Anthony plans on improving his writing in his articles and making them enjoyable for viewers and fans of the JerEcho!
Sunny Kamadjeu, Reporter
Sunny is a junior and second-year reporter at Jericho High School. As a firm believer that journalism is the best way to receive information, Sunny’s decision to write for the JerEcho stems from his desire to stay informed about current events around the world. He enjoys writing teacher features as well as journaling on his own. Sunny is a member of Jericho’s varsity cross-country team. In his free time, Sunny enjoys running, drawing, and reading nonfiction books. In the future, he would like to pursue a career in biotechnology.
Zoya Khan, Reporter
Zoya is a junior at Jericho High School and is a reporter for the JerEcho. Her passion for journalism stemmed from wanting to further her knowledge and understanding of current events, and wanting to educate others about those same topics. In Zoya’s free time, she likes playing soccer, singing, playing the guitar, and being involved in theater. In addition to playing music, she loves to listen to it as well. Her favorite music artists are Frank Ocean, SZA, and ASAP Rocky. Now, in her third year of reporting for the JerEcho, she hopes to focus on writing current event articles, especially those that are local to Jericho, and expand her work to new mediums.
Janice Kwon, Reporter
As an up-and-coming sophomore, Janice is a reporter for the jerEcho. Inspired by the presentation she saw in middle school, Janice has built a love for journalism and strives to improve her social skills and writing talent through interviews and research. When she is not writing for the jerEcho, she can be found listening to Travis Scott, playing bass guitar, or watching movies and TV shows on Netflix. In her second year of journalism, she hopes to write and publish new articles and improve her interviewing skills to become a better journalist.
Musa Ma, Reporter
Musa is a senior and in his 4th and final year as a JerEcho reporter. He has found a passion for journalism when he was just a freshman and enjoyed photography and filming in New Media. In his free time, Musa loves playing baseball, hanging out with friends, and listening to music. Musa’s goal for this year is to stay on task and to get work done in a timely manner. His favorite article he has written for the Jerecho was an article highlighting player Joe Cavallaro who is a teammate of his on the baseball team. Musa also finds passion in his real estate class and he participates in art club where he does a lot of fundraising. As it is Musa’s last year in New Media, he hopes to continue to learn new things and improve his writing overall with the help of his peers.
Lilly Mark, Reporter
Lilly Mark is a junior and it is her third year as a Jerecho reporter. Lilly first joined this class as a freshman because of her early passion for writing. This year Lilly is looking forward to improving her writing skills and working with her peers. Her favorite article she has written was her teacher feature freshman year. In her free time, Lilly loves to play soccer, bake, and hangout with her friends and family. She also enjoys participating in clubs such as the Young Hearts Club and The Blue Keys club as she holds a position in both. Lilly is looking forward to an amazing year and continuing her journey as a reporter hoping to improve and learn new things each day.
Olivia Robbins, Reporter
Olivia is a junior reporter for the JerEcho at Jericho Highschool. Now going into her 3rd year as a reporter for the JerEcho, she enjoy’s spending time with her friends and watching shows, she also enjoys listening to music. When asked why she choose journalism, she explained how she enjoy’s writing. Olivia is ambitious and ready to write articles for the Jerecho, and is excited to build her way up to a higher position within the Jerecho. Olivia stated that she enjoyed writing an article on “Jericho Entrepreneurs”.
Sasha Savel, Reporter
Sasha Savel is a junior in her 3rd year of reporting for the JerEcho. In class, she enjoys writing what she is passionate about and hopes to improve her writing and make her articles more interesting. One of her favorite articles is “Jericho’s Entrepreneurs” where she talks about the various student entrepreneurs in the school. She is also a part of the school’s lacrosse team and enjoys hanging out with friends, running, and listening to rap and r&b.
Ella Webb, Reporter
Ella Webb is a junior and it is her third year as a reporter at the JerEcho. She has written numerous articles for the JerEcho, and she is most proud of Persevering through Peer Pressure. She is a member of Blue Keys Club and Jammin Jayhawks. In her free time, she loves spending time with friends and going to the gym. This year, she is excited to write about and report current events and interesting topics
Annie Zhou, Reporter
Annie is a junior and a second-year reporter for the JerEcho. In her free time, she loves watching TikTok videos and volunteering in her community. Annie has a passion for RnB music and finds it a great way to unwind. This year, she is focused on enhancing her writing skills and building stronger connections with her fellow reporters. Annie is enthusiastic about her second year in journalism and is determined to continue producing high-quality work for the JerEcho. She looks forward to embracing new challenges and growing both personally and professionally in her role.
Sara Zimmerman, Reporter
Sara is a sophomore in her second year as a JerEcho reporter. Writing has always been a passion of hers, and she chose journalism to address important issues that others may not be aware of. Sara’s currently a member of JMAC and hopes to join Model UN. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends, drawing, listening to music, and occasionally cooking. Her goal this year is to get good grades without a lot of stress. Her favorite article so far is “Flood Provides a Thanksgiving Surprise” because she found it enjoyable to write about and report on.
Skyler Derector, Reporter
Skyler is a junior and first year reporter for the JerEcho. Her interest in sports journalism stems from her love for sports and being an athlete herself. She plays basketball and lacrosse, both at school and outside.Skyler enjoys spending time with friends and family, and her favorite sports teams are the Rangers, Giants, and Yankees. Looking ahead, she wants to either work in music production or pursue a career in the sports industry. She cant wait to enhance her understanding of sports!
Rehana Dhirani, Reporter
Rehana Dhirani is a sophomore and it is her first year as a reporter for the JerEcho. She is excited to learn more about journalism and is enthusiastic about researching more about sports. Her favorite sports teams are The Brooklyn Nets and Barcelona Football Club. She loves spending time with friends, family, and is great at soccer, basketball, and lacrosse at Jericho. She hopes to become a better writer and have more experience with interviews for the future.
Logan Fuller, Reporter
Logan is a 9th grader who loves soccer, flag football, and spending time with friends and family. A fan of the Buffalo Bills and New York Islanders, she’s been active in sports from a young age, participating in middle school teams and currently playing soccer in her first year of high school. Logan hopes to try out for flag football as well. With aspirations to work in the sports industry, possibly as an NFL broadcaster, her passion for sports journalism comes from her long involvement in sports and desire to go deeper into the field of sports journalism.
Melanie Jernigan, Reporter
Melanie Jernigan is a junior and first-year reporter for the JerEcho. In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with friends, playing volleyball, and watching basketball. Melanie is taking Sports Journalism to learn more about the intricacies of team dynamics and improve her writing and speaking skills. When she grows up, she aspires to work in the medical field.
Marcus Kranz, Reporter
Marcus is a current 10th grader and this year is his first year as a reporter in the JerEcho. In his free time, he enjoys watching his favorite sports teams: the Mets, Buccaneers, and the Iowa Hawkeyes. He also loves to spend time with friends and family. Marcus wants to take his love for sports and writing to the next level by being a future sports journalist. His love for sports journalism sparked when he realized that he loved to watch and read about sports. He is very hopeful that he will get better at his writing skills and word choice.
Sonia Ngai, Reporter
Sonia is in 9th grade and this is her first year working for the JerEcho. She enjoys spending time with family and friends and likes going to the beach. Sonia likes to watch and root for the Knicks, Aces and Liberty. Sonia is undecided on what she wants to do in the future. Furthermore, she plays school volleyball and basketball here at Jericho. Sonia is interested in sports journalism because she enjoys playing and watching sports and enjoys writing. Additionally, she thinks sports journalism will make her a better writer and give her a more indepth analysis of athletics.
Naya Reddy, Reporter
Naya Reddy is a freshman and this is her first year as a sports reporter for the JerEcho. She is most looking forward to reporting and writing about our sports teams. Outside of school, she plays volleyball & tennis.She chose sports journalism to help her with interviewing and writing.
Ethan Rubin, Reporter
Ethan Rubin is a freshman in high school and a first year reporter for the JerEcho. He loves to play sports and go skiing with his family. His favorite sports teams are the Yankees, Knicks, and the Rangers. When he is older, he wants to do something in sports journalism with writing about sports. He currently plays tennis for the school team. This will definitely help Ethan in the future because he will become a better writer and increase his love for sports.
Austin Weiss, Reporter
Austin Weiss is a sophomore at JHS and a first-year reporter for the JerEcho. A passionate sports enthusiast, Austin plays football, basketball, and lacrosse He’s a huge fan of the Jets, Mets, Heat, and Islanders. Austin is excited to give his commentary on sports both in and outside of school and wants to pursue a career in sports marketing and believes this journalism course will help him achieve his goals.
Matthew Weissman, Reporter
Matthew is a sophomore and is in his second year working with the JerEcho. Mathew does bowling and baseball for Jericho and loves to watch sports. Some of his favorite teams are the Mets, Jets and Rangers. Mathew enjoys aviation and hopes to become a pilot in the future. He is looking forward to improving his writing skills while being in sports Journalism.
Christine Yu, Reporter
Christine Yu is a freshman and it is her first year reporting for the JerEcho. Christine is interested in sports journalism because she loves to watch sports and thinks this will help her future to become a better writer. In the future, her dream is to open her own business. Christine loves to dance and spend time with her friends. She is a big fan of watching basketball, specifically the Brooklyn Nets.
Ethan Cheung, Reporter
Ethan Cheung is a freshman, and it is his first year reporting for the JerEcho. Ethan is excited to begin reporting and writing his own stories at the JerEcho. He wanted to start writing for the JerEcho because he enjoys writing and wants to start writing more. He enjoys being with friends, watching Marvel movies, and listening to music. He enjoys swimming in the Long Island Aquatic Club, and enjoys wrestling, and track and field participates at school. His goal in life is to get into a top college and become an engineer. Ethan is a proud member of the JerEcho team and is very excited to report this year!
Maddy Hatz, Reporter
Maddy is a junior at Jericho High School. This is her first year on the staff, and she is ecstatic to learn and grow while maintaining a journalistic position. In her free time, she likes to volunteer, socialize with friends and help those struggling with their health. Creativity and talking, whether it’s about her passions, school work, friends, etc., are fundamental aspects of her life. One of Maddy’s many passions, which she hopes to pursue in future endeavors, is journalism and reporting. This passion transpired through her childhood when she first started writing. Reporting and storytelling are some of Maddy’s strengths, which she is beyond excited to share through her pieces in the JerEcho.
Madison Lee, Reporter
Madison is a sophomore who attends Jericho High School. This is her first year in journalism, and she aspires to learn and grow while maintaining the journalist position. In Madison’s free time, she enjoys painting, drawing and socializing with friends. As reflected through her hobbies, creativity is one of Madison’s strengths. She aspires to form many literary pieces reflecting her love of writing, which is one of the many reasons she chose to take this class. Madison is beyond ecstatic to further expand her experiences in writing and reporting and make a positive impact being a part of the JerEcho.
Heer Patel, Reporter
Heer is a sophmore at Jericho High School. This is her first year being part of the JerEcho. Heer plays basketball for Jericho High School. Additionally, she enjoys dance. Heer is kind, outgoing and empathetic. Her favorite foods are pasta and sushi. Heer’s favorite holiday is Halloween. In her free time, she likes hanging out with her friends. Heer aspires to go to a good college for business. Heer’s favorite subject in school is english because she likes writing. Heer enjoys cooking and music. Heer’s favorite movie is “10 Things I Hate About You” because it is romantic and funny. Heer is excited to have a fun year and be part of the JerEcho!
Konstantina Sacoulas, Reporter
Tina is a junior and this is her first year working in the JerEcho, her favorite show is “Gilmore Girls” and her favorite sport is dance. She decided to join the JerEcho because interviewing and learning more about people has always been one of her interests, as well as hanging out with friends, shopping and traveling. Her friends would say she’s kind and ever since she was a kid she always loved writing about her life which is why her favorite class has always been English. Tina enjoys fashion and planning events so she would like to pursue a career in the business industry later in life. She is proud to be working on the JerEcho this year and is excited to see what the future will bring!
Vivienne Scharf, Reporter
Vivienne is a sophomore, and this is her first year in journalism. Vivienne’s favorite show is “Modern Family” and she plays softball. Vivienne decided to join JerEcho because she wants to film interviews and podcasts and add her own comedic spin on them. Words to describe Vivienne’s personality are funny and hardworking and she wants to bring that to the table this year! Her future goals are to work in the film industry and to produce and direct media. In her free time, Vivienne enjoys watching movies, baking, making YouTube videos and listening to podcasts and music. Vivienne is excited for what the year is going to bring!
Zhigang-Gill Zhang, Reporter
Gill is a Junior at Jericho high school. This is Gill’s first year being a part of the JerEcho. He enjoys swimming, watching racecar videos and playing video games in his free time. Gill is funny, optimistic and kind. He enjoys being social with his peers and family. In the future, he aspires to go to a great college and become a doctor. His favorite subject in school is science because it is challenging and interesting. Gill joined the JerEcho to improve his writing skills. He does cross-country for the Jericho cross-country team. Gill is excited to have another year filled with fun and inspiration!