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.
Current Staff
Megan Yoshioka
Editor-in-Chief
Megan Yoshioka is the editor-in-chief of the Southern Accent. This is her third year working for the Accent, previously holding the positions of copy editor, lead reporter and staff writer. She is currently a senior mass communication–writing/editing major who hopes to write feature articles for a magazine.
Sarah Klingbeil
Managing Editor
Sarah Klingbeil works as the managing editor for the Southern Accent. This is her third year working for the newspaper, and she loves 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.
Amanda Blake
News Editor
Amanda Blake is a sophomore journalism major and, having worked as a lead reporter last year, is now the news editor for the Southern Accent. She is passionate about telling stories and loves to travel. One day, she hopes to write feature articles for a magazine.
Alana Crosby
Collegedale News Editor
Alana Crosby is a junior English major minoring in journalism publication, and she hopes to pursue a career in copy editing. This is her first year working full-time at the Southern Accent, and she is looking forward to holding the position of Collegedale News Editor.
Xander Ordinola
Photo Editor
Xander Ordinola is the photo editor for the Southern Accent. He began as a staff reporter but quickly realized that photography was more his niche. He switched majors from publication journalism to mass communication with an emphasis in photography, and he one day hopes to become a photojournalist working at a reputable newspaper.
Elise Deschamps
Lifestyle Editor
Elise Deschamps is a journalism senior who is passionate about working toward a career surrounding storytelling. This is her second year as the lifestyle editor for the Southern Accent, and she previously worked as a lead reporter.
Madison Reinschmidt
Opinion Editor
Madison Reinschmidt is a junior mass communication–writing/editing major. This is her first year working with the Southern Accent as the opinion editor, and she aims to form positive connections between differing opinions. In the future, she hopes for her career to use her writing skills and creativity to serve and inspire others.
Frank Canizares
Religion Editor
Frank Canizares is a communication major with a minor in religion. His spirituality and passion for writing led him to study both communication and religion. He transferred to Southern Adventist University from Oakwood University in winter 2021. In his first semester at Southern, Canizares served the Southern Accent as a staff writer as part of a news reporting class. Fall 2021 will be his first semester serving as the religion editor. Canizares’ dream is to utilize the talents given to him to proclaim the gospel through Christ-centered creative writing in Adventist media ministries.
Patrick Scriven
Sports Editor
Patrick Scriven is a senior journalism and political science major. This is his second year working with the Southern Accent and his first as the sports editor. Having lived half of his life in France, Scriven has developed passions for travel, storytelling, politics and sports. He hopes to work in a field that helps foster positive change in the world.
Aaron Mumu
Copy Editor
Aaron Mumu is a first-year copy editor for the Southern Accent. He is in his senior year and is majoring in English and professional writing. In his free time, Mumu enjoys hiking, playing the ukulele and eating ice cream.
Violet Petrikas
Copy Editor
Violet Petrikas is a senior professional writing major at Southern Adventist University. This is her first year working with the Southern Accent. Petrikas is a California native who has a passion for traveling, sports and photography. After graduation, she hopes to attend law school.
Nickolas Nieves
Layout Designer & Web Manager
Nickolas Nieves is a returning layout designer for the Southern Accent. He is a senior majoring in computer science and graphic design. With his degrees, he hopes to find a position as a front-end web developer or a UI/UX designer in the digital space. On the weekends, he enjoys hiking, throwing a frisbee, and drawing, but most importantly, he loves to sleep.
Madi Sewell
Layout Designer
Madi Sewell is a layout designer for the Southern Accent and a senior in graphic design. She’s very interested in packaging design and also book design. Her favorite colors are #587f8e and #e5b52b, and coconut is her go-to flavor and scent. Sewell’s current drink of choice is iced espresso with oat milk and brown sugar.
Lucas Bueno
Reporter
Lucas Bueno is a junior religious studies major and a reporter for the Southern Accent. This is his first year working for the newspaper. After college, he plans to teach religion and history. Bueno greatly enjoys writing and hopes to use it as a way to share God with others.
Geoffrey Fowler
Reporter
Geoffrey Fowler is a reporter for the Southern Accent. This is his first year working for the newspaper. He is currently a junior majoring in public relations with a political economy minor. He loves to learn the perspectives of individuals and connect their stories with others.
Lesieli Heimuli
Reporter
Lesieli Heimuli is a second-year reporter. As a senior communication major with a minor in evangelism, she hopes to utilize the two in making a positive impact not only in the Christian world, but globally. Lesieli loves the ocean, eating mangoes and spending time with her family and friends.
Cassidy Connolly
Reporter
Cassidy Connolly is a reporter for the Southern Accent. She is a broadcast journalism major with an excitement for storytelling. She takes pride in being as impartial and understanding as possible while obtaining information. After graduating, she hopes to use the skills she’s acquired at Southern Adventist University to start her journey as a foreign correspondent and news anchor.
Judah Brass
Reporter
Judah Brass is an English secondary education major. He is a junior transfer student at Southern Adventist University and a new reporter this year who is eager to write interesting articles and stories. Brass plans to apply his skills in writing and communication to be a voice for the voiceless and to inspire others to reach their fullest potentials.
Alyssa Rivas
Reporter
Alyssa Rivas is a sophomore majoring in political science, minoring in journalism and minoring in Spanish. It is her first year working for the Southern Accent, and she is excited to work as a reporter. Her goals following graduation at Southern Adventist University are to attend law school, pursue immigration law and hopefully open her own firm one day.
Madison Wilcox
Reporter
Madison Wilcox is an English literature and Spanish major from California who hopes to pursue a career in writing. This is her first year working as a reporter for the Southern Accent. She is excited to interact with people on campus and hear their stories.
Nicole Sabot
Photographer
Nicole Sabot is a film production and French major with a minor in Italian. She has always enjoyed photography and has a special love for film photography. After graduation, she would like to work in the film industry in Los Angeles.
Jenna Williams
Circulation Manager
Jenna Williams is the circulation manager for the Southern Accent. This is her first year at Southern Adventist University, and she plans to study nursing. In her free time, Williams enjoys spending time with friends and family and going on adventures.
Previous Staff
Paola Mora
Paola Mora Zepeda was the editor-in-chief of the Southern Accent for the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 academic years.
Taylor Dean
Taylor Dean was the news editor for the 2020-2021 academic year and a copy editor for the 2019-2020 academic year.
Christina Coston
Christina Coston was the managing editor for the Winter 2021 semester and a copy editor for the Fall 2020 semester.
Everline Ondieki
Everline Ondieki was the circulation manager for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Timothy Morgan
Timothy Morgan was the web manager for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Samuel Mora
Samuel Mora was the opinion editor for the Winter 2021 semester.
Zach Roberts
Zach Roberts was the sports editor for the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 academic years.
Bailey DuBose
Bailey DuBose was the Collegedale news editor for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Maria Jose Moran
María José Morán was a lead reporter for the 2020-2021 academic year and the religion editor for the 2019-2020 academic year.
Aubri Dancek
Aubri Dancek was a Collegedale news reporter for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Zoe Kanas
Zoe Kanas was a lead reporter for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Xavier Quiles
Xavier Quiles was a lead reporter for the 2020-2021 academic year.