Staff

Irene, now a junior at American Heritage, returns to staff as the Online-Editor-in-Chief for her second year with the Patriot Post. She loves all things literature and spends most of her time with her nose in a book. Her passion for writing started early, and she is currently the co-vice president of the Quill and Scroll Society. When she is not studying or writing articles for the wonderful iPatriotPost, she enjoys volunteering and helping lead a multitude of clubs at Heritage such as Best Buddies, Key Club, HOSA, Quill and Scroll and more. She looks forward to making this year special and as amazing as possible.

Senior Nithisha Makesh returns for her third and final year on the Patriot Post staff. She hopes to make this year memorable and one of the best. Besides writing articles and studying, she enjoys crocheting and watching Gilmore Girls. On campus, she is involved in numerous activities including Literary Magazine, EHS, The Urban Garden Initiative, The Butterfly Project, Girl Up, Moot Court, Quill and Scroll and Key Club.

Junior Ella Gohari is entering her third year on the Patriot Post staff and second year as co-Print-Editor-in-Chief. After co-leading the Patriot Post last year, she is excited to continue taking the Patriot Post to new heights in the year ahead. She has done research with Mrs. Joykutty since 6th grade, and is now editor-in-chief of the Sigma Xi Science Society’s magazine. On weekends, she volunteers with Village Book Builders and OTTER to teach underprivileged children, and is also peer tutor chair for the Science National Honor Society. She hopes you enjoy your time reading the Patriot Post.

Zoe Horwitz, a sophomore at American Heritage, returns to the Patriot Post for her second year as the new Sports Editor. Besides reading and writing, Zoe spends her time playing with her dog or tutoring younger students through Learn with Peers, a non-profit organization she helped found in 2020. During her freshman year, Zoe co-founded FALIA (Food Allergy/Intolerance Awareness) at school, a club that advocates for those with food allergies. Zoe also plays lacrosse, as she plays for a club team and American Heritage girls varsity lacrosse team. Zoe is very excited to be contributing to the Patriot Post.

Now a junior at American Heritage, Anya returns as co-Assistant Editor-in-Chief of the Patriot Post. With her passion for journalism, she is Co-Vice President of the Quill and Scroll Honor Society and President of the Current Events Club. As a Youth Ambassador for Bullets4Life, Anya advocates for gun control. She leads the student body as Co-President of SGA and competes nationally in Speech & Debate, Model UN, FBLA and Mock Trial. To relax, Anya hangs out with friends, swims, goes on walks and binge watches Netflix. She loves the beach, karaoke, good food and her lazy little dog Simba more than anything.

Hannah Letzelter is a senior who loves being a member of the Patriot Post. She enjoys reading classic novels, writing, acting in plays, singing opera and singing in the Acapella choir at school. As the president of the Diabuddies club, she loves educating the community about diabetes and fundraising for its research. Hannah looks forward to a great year.

Kayra Dayi will be entering her second year on the Patriot Post Staff as the Social Media Correspondent and entertainment editor. Kayra moved here from Turkey in 6th grade and loves to visit her home country during the summer. In her free time, Kayra adores reading. She also likes to paint, listen to indie pop/rock, crotchet and write. Kayra especially loves to highlight important issues happening around her in her artwork and writing. One example is her Instagram account, kaykays.artworks, where she sells her artworks to donate to BALEV, a non-profit organization in Turkey which helps fund students' educations. She is involved in Mock Trial, the AHS book club, NEHS and will be trying out for the American Heritage tennis team. She looks forward to this year.

Shreya is a junior here at American Heritage. Apart from Newspaper, she participates in clubs and extracurriculars such as Key Club, Model UN, YIS, HOSA, PBS and AASA. She loves writing, listening to music, watching TV shows and editing videos. She has been dancing for almost all her life and has a love for business and computer science. She plans on channeling these interests into her future career and exploring them further throughout high school. When she am not reading or rewatching Netflix shows, she is riding her bike or swimming in the pool.

Emma, a current sophomore at American Heritage, is extremely excited to be joining the Patriot Post Staff this year! As an active reader and writer, she is often found scribbling away in a notebook or devouring a novel. Outside of newspaper, she is an active member of Science Research, Model UN, Science Olympiad, Key Club, and much more. In her rare free time, you can find her watching musicals, volunteering at an assisted living facility for the memory-loss, or catching up on her latest TV drama.

Now a current junior, this is Lauren’s first year writing for the Patriot Post, and she couldn’t be more excited to get started. She enjoys anything and everything science related, playing Papa’s Sushiria, and critiquing movies like it’s her job. She can’t wait to stretch out her horizons and try new forms of writing!

Heather Johnson, a freshman at American Heritage, is looking forward to entering her first year on the Patriot Post staff. Journalism has been a passion of Heather’s from a very young age. Aside from her avid love of writing, she enjoys singing, graphic design, reading and listening to music. She is extremely excited to contribute her ideas and articles to the Patriot Post in the upcoming school year.

Nicholas, a current freshman at American Heritage, is excited to join the Patriot Post staff this year. With a passion for writing and science, he often creates poetry or reads science articles. His favorite hobbies are listening to different kinds of music, collecting albums, and reading. Outside of writing-related activities, he participates actively in clubs ranging from Dead Poet’s Society to Key Club to DECA. He hopes to positively impact others through writing by promoting creativity and inspiring future generations!

As the supreme ruler and queen of The Patriot Post, Ms. Diana Adams has taught English and journalism at American Heritage for 25 years and started The Patriot Post 23 years ago with only 4 students. In addition to the print and online newspapers, she advises yearbook and literary art magazine as well as teaches journalism and creative writing. All four publications have won numerous awards over the years. Ms. Adams also advises the Quill and Scroll Society. She is a member of DAR and Phi Kappa Phi, and has hosted international students in her home the past 15 years. In her rare free time, she enjoys reading science fiction and mysteries.