Southern Accent Staff
Our Mission Statement
The Southern Accent would be nothing without the wonderful minds of Southern Adventist University students. Our staff is devoted to representing and informing them by reporting accurately, fairly, and to the best of our ability.
Paola Mora
Editor-In-Chief
Paola Mora is a broadcast journalism senior from Costa Rica. This is her second year as editor-in-chief of the Southern Accent and she has previously held both the positions of news editor and lead reporter. After graduation, Paola would like to work at a local newspaper or at a church magazine.
Taylor Dean
News Editor
Taylor Dean is the news editor for the Accent after previously working as copy editor. She is a junior studying Public Relations & hopes to attend law school or get her Masters in Journalism after graduating. Her career goal is anything that will inform or represent the people, preferably in the law or sports field.
Christina Coston
Managing Editor
Christina Coston is a senior Communication Studies and International Studies major. This is Christina’s first year working for The Accent. As a copyeditor, Christina seeks to clarify grammatically incorrect or confusing phrases. In her free time Christina enjoys watching TED Talks, caring for the environment, and hiking.
Evarline Ondieki
Circulation Manager
Everline Ondieki is a Circulation manager for the Accent. She is a sophomore studying Speech and Language Pathology & hopes to graduate and attend Andrews for her masters. Her career goal is assist Kids and adults with speech impairment.”
Elise Deschamps
Lifestyle Editor
elised@southern.edu
Elise Deschamps is a public relations junior working towards a job in the fashion and creative industry. This is her second with the Accent, having previously worked as a lead reporter and now taking on the position of lifestyle editor.
Paula Macena
Opinion Editor
Paula Macena is a sophomore majoring in English with an emphasis in professional writing. This is her first year working with the Southern Accent and taking on the position of opinion editor. Her career goal is to eventually become an independent successful writer.
Xander Ordinola
Photo Editor
Xander Ordinola is a mass communication major with an emphasis in photography. He has worked with the Accent before as a lead reporter but this year he is taking on the position of photo editor. Xander is the guy who is always with a camera in his hand, recording all school events as a photojournalist.
Sarah Klingbeil
Religion Editor
Sarah Klingbeil works as Religion Editor for the Accent. This is her second year working for the newspaper , and she has loved exploring and sharing the world through words. Currently, she is pursuing a double major in Mathematics Education and TESOL English. In the future, she would like to be a teacher and a freelance writer.
Zach Roberts
Sports Editor
Zach Roberts is a senior mass communication major with an emphasis in editing and writing. This is Zach’s third year with The Southern Accent and his second as the sports editor.
Megan Yoshioka
Copy Editor
Megan Yoshioka is a copyeditor for the Southern Accent. She began writing articles in August 2019 and became a lead reporter in January 2020. She is currently a junior Mass Communication – Writing/Editing major and aspires to become a featured article writer.
Patrick Scriven
Copy Editor
Patrick Scriven is a senior journalism and political science major. This is his first year working with the Accent. Having lived half of his life in France, Patrick has developed passions for travel, storytelling, politics and sports. He hopes to work in a field that helps foster positive change in the world.”
Bailey DuBose
Collegedale News Editor
Bailey DuBose is the Collegedale News Editor, this is her second year reporting for the Southern Accent. She is studying Public Relations and is focusing on learning and acquiring as many skills as she can from Southern’s School of Journalism and Communication.
Lesieli Heimuli
Lead Reporter
Lesieli Heimuli is a lead reporter for The Accent. This will be her first year working for them. She is a California native majoring in Communication with a minor in Evangelism.
Maria Jose Moran
Lead Reporter
María José Morán is a mass communication senior and an international student from Honduras. She has worked for the Accent for three years as a religion editor and a lead reporter. Morán’s career goal is to become an investigative journalist in Honduras.
Amanda Blake
Lead Reporter
Amanda Blake is a journalism major here at Southern Adventist University. She is a freshman, so this is her first year with the newspaper. She is excited to begin her work as a lead reporter. In the future, she hopes to combine her skills for writing and passion for traveling in a journalism career.
Aubri Dancek
Lead Reporter
Aubri Dancek is a mass communication senior from Punta Gorda, Florida. Aubri discovered her passion for journalism after taking a news reporting class at Southern. This is her first year working at the Southern Accent as a lead reporter. In her spare time, Aubri enjoys playing sports, cooking, and graphic design.
Zoe Kanas
Lead Reporter
Zoë Kanas is a sophomore mass communication/ art student at Southern Adventist University. This is her first year working for the Southern Accent and is excited to take the role of lead reporter. In her free time, Zoë enjoys painting, baking, and reading.
Xavier Quiles
Lead Reporter
Xavier Quiles is a mass communication major specializing in writing and editing. He has written various articles for the Accent in the past but this is his first year as a lead reporter. In the future he wants to use his skills to tell stories across many platforms.
Timothy Morgan
Web Manager
tmorgan@southern.edu
Timothy Morgan is a senior Computer Science major at Southern. In the future, Timothy hopes to use his technology experience to help better the world around him and purse a career in development and cyber security.