Author: Allison Dodson

Lily Saunders is a junior at Broadneck High School, in Annapolis, MD. She is the editor of her school’s newspaper, TriBruin News. She loves to travel, spend time with friends, and watch movies. Attending WJMC was an amazing experience and she is so excited to help to ensure future correspondents will get the same experiences and more!

Lauryn Simmons is a high school senior majoring in dance at Detroit School of Arts. She have 11 years of classical training and experience as a pre-professional dancer. Outside of dance, she enjoys reading, writing articles and poetry, and watching logical YouTube videos. She is thrilled to return and assist as a youth adviser after attending WJMC in the summer of 2022!

Lauren Sousa is a junior at Chantilly High School in Fairfax, Virginia. She attended WJMC 2022 and loved connecting with other passionate students as well as learning new journalistic skills. She is currently a producer of her school’s morning news show. She had a fantastic experience at the conference and hopes to make this year’s WJMC as memorable for others as it was for her.

Lauren Lee is a graduating senior at Pennridge High School in Perkasie, Pennsylvania. She is an alum of the 2022 Washing Journalism and Media Conference. Lauren participates in her school’s morning announcement news program and writes for the school newspaper. Outside of journalism, she takes part in a multitude of clubs and activities such as marching band, indoor drumline, Key Club, and International Cultures Club. After high school, Lauren hopes to further her education and study Broadcast Journalism and Communications in college.

Lauren Albano is a senior at Olympic Heights High School in Boca Raton, FL, and is thrilled to be a part of the WJMC Youth Advisory Board. She is the Editor-in-Chief of her school’s newspaper, focusing on stories surrounding politics at the state and national level, and is looking forward to continuing her pursuit of a career in journalism in college and through the WJMC community. Outside of journalism, she plays flag football and soccer, is a member of the National Honor Society, and holds a part-time job at a restaurant. WJMC means so much to her (members of the Lime group know!), and she is so excited to help create a meaningful experience for the National Youth Correspondents at WJMC 2023.

Lanie Keast is a senior at Saint Ignatius High School. She is interested in politics and art history. Lanie also loves to read and travel. She plans to leave the state for college after she graduates this spring.

Kyan Camarillo is a high school senior from New Baltimore, Michigan. He attended WJMC in the summer of 2022, which sparked his passion for journalism writing. He is also the student director of his high school and is a staff editor for the school yearbook. Kyan wishes to attend Michigan State University to pursue a degree in journalism. He is very excited to work on the youth advisory board to ensure that the future national youth correspondents have a great time.

Kristina Haviland is a junior at Kinnelon High School in Kinnelon, New Jersey. She attended WJMC in 2022. She is the editor-in-chief of her school newspaper, the Colt Chronicle, and has been in journalism since her freshman year, along with being the student representative on the Board of Education voicing her peers’ issues and ideas. In her free time, she enjoys figure skating and recently placed 5th in the country for solo ice dance. She absolutely loves to write and report and plans on being a political journalist. She is so excited to be a part of the YAB to help other students learn more about their love for journalism, which is what WJMC did for her.

Knox Rives is a senior at Clarksville High School in Clarksville, Texas and an Athletic Communications Assistant at Austin Peay State University. He is a a huge sports fan, loves musicals and theater, and lives for all things journalism!

Kaitlin Settle is a senior, graduating early from South Carolina Connections Academy. Kaitlin is a military brat who enjoys cooking, traveling around the world, meeting new people, running, and trying new experiences. She volunteers through the National Honor Society and various projects with the military. Kaitlin attended WJMC in July of 2022 and quickly learned how to speak up for herself, find her voice, and build her confidence. She can’t wait to be able to help other high school students find their passions and create lasting memories, as well as assist the leadership team in planning WJMC 2023.