Meet the 2023-24 Student Journalists!

June 25, 2024

Crystal Cai is an eighth grade student reporter for the Jayhawk Nest. She loves to bake, listen to music, and has always been passionate about writing and ice skating during her free time. Some of her interests in journalism are hearing a variety of unique stories and editing her articles. She is a creative writer and a patient listener. Throughout her amazing time in JMS, her favorite memory is the eighth grade Roem project where students cooperated across teams. She is looking forward to exploring new challenges and participating in extracurriculars in addition to academics. In the future, she plans on pursuing finance and biology to become successful in the business and health industries.

John Chen is a reporter for the Jayhawk Nest. His favorite sport is basketball and he loves to play video games. What interests him the most in Journalism is writing about topics and learning more about them. His favorite JMS memory is meeting and spending time with friends. He hopes to make the basketball high school team. His future goal is to attend Cornell University. An interesting fact about him is that he has a dog named Teddy.

Kavin Dharanilingam is a reporter for the Jayhawk Nest. His favorite sports are soccer and badminton, and his favorite soccer team is Inter Miami. He also likes to play video games during his free time. What interests him in Journalism is researching his favorite sports, and researching topics which pique his interest, such as celebrities. His favorite JMS memory is meeting new friends. He hopes to be a part of the high school soccer team. 

Sophia Ho is a reporter for the Jayhawk Nest, an Asian-American, and an athlete. She enjoys making art and fencing. Interviewing people for the articles is what interests her the most about Journalism. Her favorite memory of JMS is getting to meet new people, while saying goodbye to her old friends. She aspires to be a lawyer and fashion designer, and has big plans for her future in fencing by earning a higher rating and medaling at a North American Cup. She is looking forward to meeting new and exciting people in high school, and hopes for more exciting times to come.

Gratia Lam is a reporter for the Jayhawk Nest. Other than writing, she also enjoys singing and watching shows such as Business Proposal, Jujutsu Kaisen, and King the Land. Gratia also loves spending time with her dog. Something that interests her about Journalism is having the opportunity to choose to write about what she is passionate about. Gratia’s favorite memory from Jericho Middle School is singing for Diversity Day. In the future, her dream job is to become a veterinarian. She hopes to perform a solo in high school Chorus next year.

Kelly Li is a reporter for the Jayhawk Nest. She likes to spend time with friends, listen to music (especially Taylor Swift), bake desserts, and watch movies. Journalism is interesting to Kelly because she aspires to be like Rory Gilmore, a character from Gilmore Girls, where she is the editor of Yale Daily News. Kelly likes writing to inform people about important issues and topics that she finds interesting. Kelly has made a lot of memories throughout her Middle School years; however, her favorites are definitely the ones where she became close with the people around her today. Kelly will soon be a 9th grader attending JHS. She is looking forward to meeting new people and to Battle of the Classes.

Marcus Lonshein is a reporter for the Jayhawk Nest who is finishing 8th grade. He likes playing and watching basketball. His favorite basketball team is the Golden State Warriors and his favorite baseball team is the New York Yankees. In Journalism, he enjoys writing and researching sports, especially basketball. His favorite JMS memory is making new friends. He looks forward to spending time with friends and learning more about sports journalism in high school.

Nuerya Nijiati is a reporter for the Jayhawk Nest. She enjoys spending time with her friends, listening to all types of music, and watching dramas, such as Reply 1988, Business Proposal. She also enjoys watching movies by Studio Ghibli. The thing that interests her the most about Journalism is the research because it is interesting to put all the parts together to get the entire story. Nuerya’s favorite memory from JMS is the Roem project because she was able to see everyone else’s work. She is looking forward to taking electives and meeting new people in high school.

Jessica Peng is a reporter for the Jayhawk Nest and is in eighth grade. She enjoys baking or listening to music in her free time. She believes that journalism can improve her writing, and that it is an opportunity to connect with other staff and students in Jericho while interviewing and reporting for her articles. She feels that meeting new people is extremely important in middle school and continues to value friendship in her life. Jessica believes that high school is an opportunity to further gain knowledge and make new friends in a new and fresh environment. In the future, she hopes to continue contributing to Journalism by writing articles she is passionate about.

Zack Qasemi is a reporter for the Jayhawk Nest and is finishing up eighth grade. He is passionate about reading, writing, and math. He enjoys wrestling, reading, and watching videos in his free time. He enjoys interviewing people and learning more about the interesting information they hold. Zack has great memories of the Philadelphia trip and having fun with his friends. As of now, he looks forward to more challenging classes, more responsibilities, and new opportunities in High School.

Sophia Sher is a reporter for the Jayhawk Nest who has enjoyed her final year of Middle School. She is a 14 year old girl who enjoys spending time with friends and playing tennis. She has participated in extracurricular activities such as sports and music, and received a bronze medal in the Long Island Math Fair this past April. She has done many different sports such as soccer, gymnastics, and tennis. Currently, her focus is on competing in tennis. Her favorite tennis players are Jannik Sinner (current #2 men’s tennis player in the world) and Ons Jabeur (current #2 women’s tennis player in the world). Her favorite JMS memory is going to Washington D.C with all her friends. Finally, she is looking forward to learning new things in high school.

Flora Tang is a reporter for the Jayhawk Nest. She is nearly finished with eighth grade and is going to high school soon. She likes to listen to and play music on the piano and violin. She also loves to play with her dog. The part of Journalism that interests her the most is doing research. She likes to look up information and use it in her articles. Her favorite memory this year is interviewing people. In the next year, she is looking forward to reading more books/articles.

Charlie Woo is a reporter for the Jayhawk Nest. He enjoys playing soccer, biking with friends, spending time with family, and playing with his dog. His favorite part of Journalism is the interviewing process and converting the interviews into transcripts. Charlie’s favorite JMS memory is the Sixth Grade Mini Olympics. He is looking forward to the new rules, schedules, and teachers in high school.