Fall Semester 2020 Clarion Staff
Executive Editor
Ayzha Middlebrooks
Major: Multimedia Journalism
Bio: I originally intended to pursue creative writing at Sinclair, however, I instead majored in Multimedia Journalism. It was not until my third semester when I approached the Clarion and applied to be a reporter, due to the insistence of my Mass Media Communication professor Nadine Cichy. Although I have always greatly enjoyed writing, I was told it was wise to apply and see if I would actually enjoy writing as a career. Now as an Associate Editor, I still find that writing remains to be a passion.
Interests: Music, movies, history, and continuing to write fiction in my spare time.
Managing Editor
Taylor Pendleton
Major: English
Bio: Greetings and salutations! My name is Taylor Pendleton, and I am a freshman here at Sinclair. From an early age, I knew that I wanted to write, as I loved concocting stories and illustrating them. It wasn’t until high school that I knew I wanted to become a filmmaker (I had stumbled upon The Graduate late one morning, and everything just kind of clicked). I studied Graphic Design at SCCTC. In my free time, when I am not reading or writing, I collect vinyl, study music, and learn different languages (Japanese and Dutch). For some time, I had a blog dedicated to classic cinema and music from the 60s and 70s. One day, I would like to travel to Iceland and The Netherlands.
Interests: Filmmaking, Cinema (German Expressionist and French New Wave), Folk and Blues music, Stand-up Comedy, Singing and playing guitar/harmonica, poetry, Indie Video Games, Science Fiction and Horror novels (H.P Lovecraft and Stephen King), True Crime Documentaries/Podcasts, Wisecrack, and doggos.
Associate Editor
Richard Foltz
Major: English
Bio: A friend and I used to write for a blog based out of Boston, covering the site’s film section. I’ve also written for a handful of other blogs, mostly on film and music, and I’ve always wanted to write for some form of a periodical. I first started as a reporter and have loved the experience, working with a large array of talented, wonderful people.
Interests: Writing, reading, movies (both popcorn flicks and artsy stuff) indie music, depressing folk music, murder podcasts, walking my dog whilst listening to any of the past three, and comic books.
Multimedia Specialist
LeAnne McPherson
Major: English
Bio: Ever since I was little I have always loved reading. I read everything I could get my hands on; when that ran out I started writing. I have tried to maintain a life long goal of writing at least an hour a day. I have grown up with a passion for the arts, mainly music and theater. I believe activism is fundamentally important to society.
Interests: Neurodivergent and Disabled rights, Politics, Orchestra (Viola), Singing, Japanese Culture, Aesthetics, Cosplay, Comic Books (Fav. Paper Girls), and Video.
Social Media Coordinator
Jerrod Boiste
Major: Graphic Design
Bio: My name is Jerrod Boitse. I am currently enrolled with Sinclair Community College as a Graphic Design student. I plan on graduating in Spring 2020. I received my Bachelor’s from Wright State University in 2016, majoring in Communications and minoring in English. I decided to go back to school so that I can rejoin the workforce with more knowledge and experience in my field.
Outside of school and work I spend a lot of time listening to music, reading, writing poetry and prose, and watching horror films. I also try to go to as many concerts that I can squeeze into a year. A life with a greyhound, which at times feels more like living with a horse and her name is Rosie.
Interests: Punk/rock music, the emo aesthetic, live music, poetry, horror movies, Halloween, Animal Crossing, and cotton candy.
Distribution Coordinator
Reporters
Jeri Hensley
Major: Multimedia Journalism
Bio: My name is Jeri. I’m at Sinclair for my second degree. I graduated in May 2019 with my Associate of Applied Science in Visual Communication. I enjoy playing video games on the PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. I am a Graphic Designer by trade and received my degree last year. I am pursuing my second interest in Journalism. I hope to move to another state and become either a website designer or a journalist.
Interests: Video games, D&D, reading, writing, crossword puzzles, and plant-parenthood.
Jackie Kasner
Major: Sport and Wellness
Bio: Hi! My name is Jackie, I live in Jamestown, Ohio which is about 30 minutes from Sinclair. I play the flute in the Sinclair community concert band and am also a UD/Sinclair Academy student.
Interests: Running, Exercising of any sort, Making music, Reading, and traveling.
Brittany Smiley
Major: Digital Marketing
Bio: My name is Brittany Smiley from Dayton, Ohio. This is my third year at Sinclair since 2013. I hold a Bachelor’s degree from Bowling Green State University in Communication and Advertising, and a Certificate of Professional Writing from Sinclair Community College. I am now pursuing a Certificate of Digital Marketing, and plan on pursuing journalism or marketing when I finish my program. My dream job would be writing about musicians, concerts, and shows; or promoting them.
Interests: Listening to podcasts and music, volunteering at music festivals, hanging out with friends, and watching movies at the Neon Theater downtown.
Joshua Fadare
Major: English
Bio: After a brief period out of college, I joined Sinclair back in 2017 and joined The Clarion as a reporter in Spring 2020. I’ve always wanted to write and tell people stories and joining Sinclair and The Clarion has helped me get back on track. I love reading, writing, animation, and watching bad movies. Basically, I love to analyze and look at any type of storytelling good or bad.
Interests: Podcasts, video games, bad movies, good movies, reading, Indie comics, cooking, and baking.
Omar Mirza
Major: CIS/Web Development
Bio: I was born in Dayton in 1997, but before moving to the US my family used to live in several countries in Africa, South Asia, and England. After receiving some guidance I was recommended to major in CIS, before I started college I was uncertain what path was really for me. I thought Sinclair’s Clarion was a great team to join because at times I enjoy writing.
The first neighborhood I grew up at is also the home of Dayton’s oldest mosque, which has origins dating back to 1933 of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. I used to live in Columbus for 7 years before I came back to Dayton some years ago. I am a versatile writer that can write about a variety of different subjects.
Interests: Gaming, reading, sports, animals, science, geography, history, religions, cultures, and art.
Jennifer Tellez
Major: Social Work
Bio: My name is Jennifer Tellez and I am in my second year at Sinclair as a social work major. I am 21 years old but will be 22 in a month! Going through grade school I realized my writing was not the best and I knew it was because English is my second language. Being Latina is a blessing because I have really been open about learning English and helping my family learn the language as well. I found that I love writing and started to turn all the red marks on my writing assignments as goals for myself to improve my writing. I have become extroverted over the last three years. High school me was very sheltered and writing has helped me open a new door to talk with people and gain knowledge about their interests.
Interests: Aside from work and volunteering, I spend time binge-watching whatever show I find on Netflix or start watching Disney movies. I am a Disney and Pixar nerd, nothing like a good classic movie to make a girl happy. I am also a concert junkie! I listen to all types of music and concerts are such an amazing experience and especially with people who will dance and sing their hearts out with you. I have recently grown an interest in politics over the last year and I am aiming towards getting a minor in political science. Some systems need attention but theirs more to that and I think learning the details can lead to some change in the future.
Graphic Designers
Sarah Kusnerik
Major: Visual Communications
Bio: I chose to work for the Clarion because, one, they all seemed like really fun people to work with, and two, it’s a great chance to get some experience in working with a group of people. I’m very excited to be here and can’t wait to gain experience and grow into a better designer by working with the Clarion crew!
Interests: Art, reading, watching T.V. shows, drawing, hanging out with my friends, and meeting new friends!
Eric Payne
Major: Visual Communications
Bio: My name is Eric Payne. I am 19 years old. I’ve been at Sinclair since August of 2019. I’ve have been employed with the Clarion since February 2020. I’m aspiring to be a designer whether it be in graphic design or fashion.
Interests: Art, Dancing, Theater, Fashion/ Costume Design
Interns
Will Kellum
Major: Multimedia Journalism
Bio: I love to write poetry and hip-hop music. Performing and recording music is my passion. I love the arts, and I love film.
Interests: I love to workout, play basketball, listen to music, of course, go to the movies, and I’m in love with fashion and sneakers…. so I love shopping as well.
Tyasia Waters
Major: Multimedia Journalism
Bio: Hi, I am 20 years old and am currently in the Sinclair/UD academy. I have many interests and writing and reading are my top ones. Writing is one of the biggest things I love to do. I am currently writing a book in my free time. I am a full-time student and work full-time hours at my job. I like to stay busy so I can gain more experience in everything I do. I also love scary movies so much that I can basically name anyone based off of a description. I have a blog that was based on scary movies but I turned it into a recommendation blog.
Interests: Some of my interests are listening to music, reading comics, watching anime, watching horror movies, and working at my job or writing my book. I also love to eat chips over food.
Contributing Writers
Quinton Bradley
Major: Multimedia Journalism
Bio: I chose to work for the Clarion because I wanted to hone my writing skills and gain real-world experience in writing for a news outlet. I felt that interning for the Clarion would be the best choice in doing so.
Interests: Reading, Writing, Politics, Philosophy, and Music.
Henry Wolski
Major: Multimedia Journalism
Bio: After a long and arduous journey, I graduated from Sinclair with my associate’s degree in journalism in Spring 2020 and plan to move onto the job market. It’s been a great ride working at the Clarion and honing my skills over nearly four years, and as I move forward in my media career I won’t forget where I came from.
I plan on writing a little bit of local news, entertainment news, media reviews, and an opinion piece here and there when the inspiration strikes. The Clarion gave me a purpose along with new friends during a dark time in my life, so I will continue to give back to this awesome news organization.
Interests: Film, music, video games, local history, cycling, professional wrestling, Marvel movies, and copious amounts of YouTube.
Maxwell Patton
Major: Graduated (AA in Multimedia Journalism, Pursuing a BA in Media Studies)
Bio: I am an aspiring journalist and current Wright State student who loves writing about and discussing entertainment and pop culture. That includes music, movies, television shows, video games, and the like. I’ve been interested in writing and sharing my opinions with the masses for most of my life, but only got into the journalism field after a switch of university and major.
As you can tell, I have a lot of opinions.
Interests: Marvel movies, sleeping, poetry, cosplay, listening to music, hiking, trivia, karaoke, Dungeons & Dragons, spending time with friends, and most combinations of what I just listed.
Nora Stanger
Title: Appalachian Outreach Coordinator
Interests: anything to do with understanding people better
Clarion Adviser
Jessica Graue
Department: Journalism
Bio: “I started my journey at Sinclair Community College in 1999 as a student. I also played volleyball for the school. After I graduated with a degree in communication, I went to Wright State and received my bachelor’s degree in mass communication. After working for various newspapers, I went back to school and got my master’s degree in English Composition and Rhetoric and that’s when I began teaching and fell in love. After five years at Cox Media, I was offered my dream job as a journalism instructor and Clarion advisor. A few facts about me are I am a comedian, I have won five Associated Press awards, and I love to go to the casinos with my family.”
Interests: Reading, writing, performing comedy, eating good food, and helping out my students in any way I can!