{"id":554,"date":"2026-07-27T17:18:20","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T17:18:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mjw.ua.edu\/?page_id=554"},"modified":"2026-07-27T18:20:28","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T18:20:28","slug":"mjw-journal-staff-bios-397-554","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/mjw.ua.edu\/?page_id=554","title":{"rendered":"MJW Journal 2026 Staff"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Bowen Darling<\/strong><\/strong>
Hometown: Little Rock, Arkansas<\/strong>
Hi! I’m a rising junior at Little Rock Central High School, and the social media editor for our publication, The Tiger. Outside of school, I love creating things, whether it’s making new coffees or building with Legos. I originally pursued journalism because it seemed like a combination of every job I’d dreamt of. Now, I hope to become an entertainment, lifestyle or science reporter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read Bowen’s Story<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Sofie “<\/strong>Fin<\/strong>ley” Dhar
Hometown: Birmingham, Michigan<\/b><\/span>
Hi! I’m Sofie, and I’m a rising sophomore at Ernest W. Seaholm in Michigan. I came to MJW to further my reporting skills and my love for journalism. Beyond writing, I also enjoy rollerblading, speech and debate and reading.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read Finley’s Story<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Paityn Dickerson
Hometown: Harvest, Alabama
<\/strong>Yello! My name is Paityn Dickerson, and I’m a rising senior from Madison, Alabama. I’m involved in community service, church, choir, theatre, and of course, journalism. I plan to major in communications in college and to continue writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read Paityn’s Story<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Mariam Faruqi<\/strong>
Hometown: Houston, Texas<\/strong>
Mariam Farqui is a rising senior at Harmony School of Advancement. She currently serves as her school’s student body president, DECA president and newspaper’s editor-in-chief. Outside of school, she shadows regularly at the Houston Chronicle, and has started her own initiative, Petals for Promise, where she fundraises and spreads awareness about women of color who struggle with breast cancer. She loves visiting thrift stores, attending concerts and documenting everything on her digital camera.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read Mariam’s Story<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Poojasai Kona<\/strong><\/strong>
Hometown: Frisco, Texas<\/strong>
Hi! I’m an incoming freshman at Texas A&M University and I will be majoring in international affairs. I was the former managing editor of my high school newspaper, the Raccoon Rambler. At Texas A&M, I hope to get involved with its campus newspaper, The Battalion, and its satirical newspaper, The Mugdown. Additionally, I am the College Outreach Specialist for New Voices Texas, which is a student-led coalition fighting for student press rights in the state of Texas. Apart from journalism, I enjoy reading, watching comedy specials and collaging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read Poojasai’s Story<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Abigail Min<\/strong>
Hometown: Sunnyvale, California<\/strong>
Abigail Min is a high schooler from Sunnyvale, California. She is very interested in sports broadcast journalism or international relations. When she’s not shopping, filming or editing videos, she can be found cuddling with her Dachshund, Kyrten.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watch Abigail’s Video<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Aanya Sheth<\/strong>
Hometown: San Mateo, California<\/strong>
My name is Aanya Sheth, and I’m a rising freshman from the San Francisco Bay Area! My interests include writing, law, debate and history. Outside of school, I write for a magazine focused on diving deeper into the profiles of women in sports (TrailbazeHERS in Sports) and enjoy participating in Model UN conferences. I also play club tennis and run track and cross country. I am passionate about uplifting marginalized communities, understanding multiple perspectives and sharing stories!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read Aanya’s Story<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Selah Thomas<\/strong>
Hometown: Atlanta, Georgia<\/strong>
Hi! My name is Selah Viana. I am an upcoming sports journalist entering 11th grade! I am a published journalist, baseball social media manager and my school’s reporter. I am also the host and founder of my school’s pre-game football talk show. When I’m not writing, you’ll find me with a book in hand or with my brother. Connect with me @SelahViana on Instagram and TikTok!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watch Selah’s Video<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Lei’Lani Townsend<\/strong>
Hometown: Trussville, Alabama<\/strong>
My name is Lei’Lani Townsend. I am a rising junior at Hewitt-Trussville High School. I am interested in music, journalism, cooking, TV and learning languages. Journalism intrigues me because of the ability to share out experiences across many areas, such as culture, sports and politics. I was inspired to attend MJW to learn about journalism and to grow my skills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read Lei’Lani’s Column<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Ana Zlatanovic<\/strong>
Hometown: Seattle, Washington<\/strong>
Hi! I’m Ana, and I’m from Seattle, Washington. I enjoy hiking, traveling, listening to music, spending time with my friends and more! I’m interested in journalism and am a member of my school’s newspaper. I’ve loved getting to learn more about writing and multimedia, and am definitely looking forward to applying to UA in the fall!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read Ana’s Story<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Bowen DarlingHometown: Little Rock, ArkansasHi! I’m a rising junior at Little Rock Central High School, and the social media editor for our publication, The Tiger. Outside of school, I love creating things, whether it’s making new coffees or building with Legos. I originally pursued journalism because it seemed like a combination of every job I’d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":82,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-554","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mjw.ua.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/554","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mjw.ua.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mjw.ua.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mjw.ua.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mjw.ua.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=554"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/mjw.ua.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/554\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":625,"href":"https:\/\/mjw.ua.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/554\/revisions\/625"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mjw.ua.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/82"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mjw.ua.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=554"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}