Our Team
Meet The Editors!
Christopher Ikonomou (Xe/He) | Editor-in-Chief
Christopher Ikonomou (xe/he) is the Editor-In-Chief at OutWrite, as well as an illustrator on the Graphics Team. Xe is a fourth year Communication major and Disability Studies minor. He loves making art for the queer and disabled communities, watching horror movies and shows, and listening to Phoebe Bridgers.
Zoë Collins (She/Her) | Managing Editor
Zoë Collins (she/her) is the Managing Editor at OutWrite and is a photographer on the Graphics team. She is a third year Marine Biology major who has a passion for intersectional environmentalism and using storytelling to advocate for sustainability.
Judah C (They/Them) | Co-Developmental Editor
Judah C (they/them) is a developmental editor and writer at OutWrite. They are a fourth year Chican@/x Studies major who loves to write about everything, from politics to new movies and books making their debut. Outside of OutWrite, they love to write, read, video games, and listen to music.
Kristin Haegelin (She/Her) | Co-Developmental Editor
Kristin Haegelin (she/her) is the Co-Developmental Editor at OutWrite, as well as a writer for the Arts & Entertainment Section. She is a second year English major and currently pursuing a Film/TV/Digital Media minor. In addition to writing, she also enjoys reading short stories, rating movies on Letterboxd, and taking unsuccessful power naps!
Jackson Harris (He/Him) | Social Media Head, Graphics Head
Jackson Harris (he/him) is the Social Media and Graphics Head of OutWrite. He is a third year Psychology major and Professional Writing and Music Industry minor. He loves designing concept photoshoots, stanning C-list singers everyone has heard of but no one takes seriously, and framing making TikToks as professional development.
Bella (She/They) | Copy Chief
Bella (she/they) is the Copy Chief at OutWrite. She’s a third year MCDB major and in her free time, she enjoys gaming, napping and writing/reading queer stories.
Meet The Staff!
Alicia Yu (She/Her) | Web Developer
Alicia Yu (she/her) is a web developer at OutWrite and a first year Computer Science major interested in game development, creative writing, and graphic design. In her spare time, she enjoys reading fanfiction on AO3, studying typology, and listening to Porter Robinson and Taylor Swift. She has not touched grass in quite a while.
Augustine (They/Them) | Outreach
Augustine (they/them) is on outreach at OutWrite, recently entering UCLA with a Sociology and Gender Studies double major as a third year transfer. They are also incredibly passionate about queer self-advocacy, especially within the realms of mental health and community health. Augustine’s favorite coping skill, journaling and card-making, involves a strong artistic preference for pastel-hued colored pencils.
Ava Rosenberg (She/They) | Copy Editor
Ava Rosenberg (she/they) is a copy editor at OutWrite. Ava is a second year sociology major who loves college and professional football, listening to Taylor Swift, and playing the clarinet.
Bellze (They/Xey) | Copy Editor
Bellze (they/xey) is a copy editor at OutWrite. They are a first year transfer student and English major. They are absolutely enamored with video games, their dog named Puddles, and their frog tattoos.
Brenna Connell (She/They) | Writer
Brenna Connell (she/they) is a third year English major and writer at OutWrite. Given the opportunity, she will talk or write about sci-fi/fantasy, videogames, gender, and existential nonsense until hunger and/or exhaustion win out.
Brooke Borders (She/Her) | Copy Editor
Brooke Borders (she/her) is a fourth year Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution Major and Environmental Systems and Society Minor that spends too much time thinking about her DnD characters and has a passion for conservation biology.
Charis (She/Her) | Copy Editor
Charis (she/her) works on the copy team at OutWrite. She is a fourth year Cognitive Science and Communications double major. She loves creating art of all kinds and trying new things.
Cole Lopez (They/Them) | Writer, Artist
Cole Lopez (they/them) is a writer and illustrator for OutWrite. They are a first year Graduate student in the gender studies department as well as a single parent to two young kids.
Colson Kishimoto (He/They) | Writer
Colson Kishimoto (he/they) is a writer at OutWrite. He’s a second year History major and takes an interest in studying politics and religion and how they relate to the queer community. If you need them, you can probably find them playing ukulele, running (slowly), or ranting to some poor soul about Star Wars.
Ellie Chun (She/They) | Layout
Ellie Chun (she/they) is on the layout team at OutWrite. She is a first year Psychology major and loves crocheting, video games, and anything lavender flavored or scented.
Elliott Couts (He/She/They) | Layout
Elliott Couts (he/she/they) is a layout designer at OutWrite and a fourth year Studio Art major, LGBTQ Studies minor, and basically an English minor in disguise. An overly-avid reader, curious music lover, and certified hippie child, this unabashed oddball will talk your head off about books any day of the week and can be found amongst the wallflowers making curious and often queer artwork.
Emerie Avila (She/Her) | Writer
Emerie Avila (she/her) is a writer at Outwrite and a first year English major. In her free time, she likes watching zombie movies, reading books, and eating just about anything with chocolate.
Emma Blakely (They/She/He) | Writer, Copy Editor
Emma Blakely (they/she/he) is a copy editor and writer at OutWrite. They are pursuing a double major in Communications and Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics (MIMG). They are passionate about writing, both at OutWrite and fiction and poetry on their own, and love listening to music and podcasts.
Giulianna Vicente (She/Her) | Layout, Writer
Giulianna Vicente (she/her) is a third year Gender Studies major on the Pre-Medicine track. She is interested in Women’s health, menstrual health accessibility, and advocacy for diverse and inclusive sexual education, including menstrual and breast health. Additionally, she is interested in the inclusion of queer individuals in healthcare and the medical field. She is currently involved in the Lavender Health Alliance, a queer medical organization, amongst other organizations she’s a part of.
Gwendolyn Hill (She/Her) | Copy Editor
Gwendolyn Hill is a third year Psychobiology major and copy editor at OutWrite. She loves involving herself in as many arts as she can find: music, martial arts, origami, photography, jewelry making, and more. Outside of the arts, she enjoys reading, trying new recipes, and board games.
Harper Dunn (She/Her) | Web Developer
Harper Dunn (she/her) is a web developer at OutWrite. She is a first-year Computational and Systems Biology major. She enjoys cooking, reading, and skateboarding.
Jennifer Collier (She/They) | Copy Editor, Writer
Jennifer Collier (she/they) is a copy editor and occasional writer at OutWrite. She is a fourth year Sociology major double minoring in Music Industry and Musicology, and she hopes to one day become a music critic or arts and entertainment journalist. She loves the color yellow, anything pumpkin flavored and finding new music.
Jericho Tran-Faypon (They/Them) | Writer
Jericho Tran-Faypon (they/them) is a writer for OutWrite. They are a first year Psychology major who enjoys dancing, meeting new people, and learning new things. By being a writer for OutWrite, they hope to contribute to the coming together of the queer community and the dismantling of the cisheteropatriarchy!
Joel C Sitanggang (He/Him) | Writer
Joel C Sitanggang (he/him) is a writer at OutWrite. He is a first year transfer student majoring in Psychology. Originally born and raised in the lush archipelago nation of Indonesia, Joel is a ball of flamboyant energy with a penchant for table-top role-playing games, eclectic internet subcultures, and biting off more than he can chew.
JQ Shearin (She/Her) | Copy Editor
JQ Shearin (she/her) is a copy editor for OutWrite. She is a first year Economics major with a passion for local activism and transformative queer readings of art.
Julianne Lempert (She/Her) | Writer
Julianne Lempert (she/her) is a writer at OutWrite. She is a second year Political Science major. She loves working on advocacy projects, skateboarding, and listening to Taylor Swift.
Kelly Doherty (She/Her) | Artist
Kelly Doherty (she/her) is an illustrator at OutWrite. She is a fourth year Communication major and Film minor. She loves animation, camping, and dogs.
Laila Alderson (She/Her) | Writer
Laila Alderson (she/her) is a writer at OutWrite. She is a second year Comparative Literature major, and she loves making and drinking cute little drinks (coffee, Arizona Arnold Palmer, sparkling mint limeade, etc.)
Layla Knowles (She/They) | Writer
Layla Knowles (she/they) is a writer at OutWrite. She is a third year English major pursuing a Creative Writing minor. When she isn’t writing, she’s thinking about writing, playing guitar, or doodling on her lecture notes.
Lorely Guzman (They/Them) | Writer
Lorely Guzman (they/them) is a fourth year Psychology major with a minor in Brain and Behavioral Health. They love film and theater, creating hand built pottery, playing video games, and working with kids as a tutor and mentor.
Maddie McEwen (She/They) | Photographer
Maddie McEwen (she/they) is a second year Environmental Science major and Conservation Biology minor. She’s a photographer for OutWrite with a passion for native biodiversity, social activism and sustainability. They love hanging out with their cats and running a flourishing Stardew Valley farm in their spare time.
Maya Parra (She/Her) | Writer
Maya Parra (she/her) is a writer at OutWrite. She is a second year English major. She loves listening to music, reading classics and thrillers, and watching movies (especially Studio Ghibli ones).
Mia Riedel (She/Her) | Writer
Mia Riedel (she/her) is a writer with OutWrite and is going into her third year of school. She is a Philosophy and History double major who loves cartoons and horror video games.
Michel (He/They) | Copy Editor
Michel (he/they) is a copy editor and occasional writer at OutWrite. He is a second year Classics major double minoring in Music Industry and Musicology. They have a passion for music and songwriting, and he loves to take what some might say are too many pictures of his cats.
Mieko Tsurumoto (They/Them) | Illustrator
Mieko Tsurumoto (they/them) is an illustrator at OutWrite. She is a fourth year Anthropology major. She loves making art from oil painting portraits to digital art cartoons. In her free time she likes to listen to 70s music, drink iced coffee and watch animated movies.
Min Kim (They/Them) | Copy Editor
Min Kim (they/them) is a third year Computer Science and Linguistics undergraduate working as a copy editor at OutWrite. They are minoring in Film and Television and like to fantasize about the tattoos they swear they’ll get one day in their spare time.
Paheli (She/Her) | Illustrator
Paheli (she/her) is an illustrator at OutWrite, a Biomathematics PhD Candidate researching neuron cell geometry and function, and a consultant at the Graduate Writing Center at UCLA. She love making art in a variety of mediums including digital, acrylics, water color, and colored pencils. Her favorite queer artists to listen to are Raveena, Hope Tala, and Clairo.
Rainer Lee (He/Him) | Writer
Rainer Lee (he/him) is a writer at OutWrite. He is a third year English major and an avid believer in the power of story. He’s passionate about queer media, good noodles, and fun fashion.
Reid Sperisen (He/Him) | Writer
Reid Sperisen (he/him) is a writer at OutWrite, with a concentration in the Arts and Entertainment department. He is a first year Political Science major from Northern California. He loves swimming, watching reality television shows on Bravo, eating foods containing peanut butter, and listening to Lady Gaga.
Sarah Belew (She/Her) | Layout
Sarah Belew (she/her) is on the layout team at OutWrite and a third year transfer student studying Applied Linguistics. When she is not trying to study a dozen foreign languages at once, Sarah can be found making art, writing a few novels, or taking care of her succulents.
Steph Liu (She/Her) | Artist, Writer
Steph Liu (she/her) is an illustrator and writer for OutWrite. She is a third year Communication major. She’s also the music director of Pitch, Please! a cappella and likes watching historical fashion YouTube videos.
Taylor Kunin-Ur (She/Her) | Writer
Taylor Kunin-Ur (she/her) is a writer at OutWrite. She is a first year Pre-Psychology major. She loves to read and write fiction short stories, as well as protesting for any cause she believes in (usually losing her voice in the process). She loves New Girl and will never stop trying to channel her inner Jessica Day.
Luna (She/They) | Social Media
Luna (she/they) is on the social media team at OutWrite. She is a second year Cognitive Science major. In their free time, they love playing the guitar, obsessing over queer films and shows, and making niche playlists on Spotify.
Vanessa Zhou (She/They) | Writer
Vanessa Zhou (she/they) is a writer at OutWrite. She is a first year Molecular, Cell, Developmental Biology major with hopes of going to medical school. Outside of writing and cramming for biology, she likes listening to music, playing games, and facetiming friends that are going to different colleges.
Zora Lam (She/Her) | Copy Editor
Zora Lam (she/her) is a copy editor at OutWrite. She is a third year double-majoring in Anthropology and Spanish and minoring in LGBTQ Studies. She is passionate about uplifting queer and mixed-race voices and enjoys spending her free time hiking and listening to Kendrick Lamar.
Want to join us?
OutWrite accepts applications every Fall and Winter quarter! Keep an eye on our Instagram and monthly newsletter for when applications open next.