Meet the Team

Julia White – Editor-in-Chief

To the esteemed and inquisitive perusers of this website,

Hi! I am Julia, this year’s Editor-in-Chief for the Phoenix Magazine. A few things you should know about me: I am an English major who loves writing the occasional poem, indulging her addiction to TJ’s candy cane green tea, and cultivating hospitable spaces to pause in wonder at the beauty that daily surrounds us. I am drawn to the Phoenix because I am an enthusiastic curator of meaningful poems, stories, pictures, and pieces of music.

Mark Szekrenyi – Business Manager

Hi, I’m Mark Szekrenyi and I’m a Mechanical Engineering major in my final year at Westmont. After graduation, I plan to pursue a Master’s Degree in Manufacturing Engineering and ideally work in the Aerospace industry. I appreciate the liberal arts structure of Westmont as it allowed me to explore my passion for art along with the engineering curriculum. I particularly enjoy ceramics.
For four years I ran cross country for Westmont, as well as a couple seasons of track and field. I run about 50 miles a week, year-round, so you will often find me running around campus or along Mountain Drive. I am an Eagle Scout and enjoy the outdoors and I love to travel. My hobbies include strategy games and entrepreneurship, as well as dynamic marksmanship competitions. I also love classical music and orchestral soundtracks.

Clare Carey – Art Editor

Hello! My name is Clare Carey and I am a senior art major from San Gabriel. I am obsessed with music, crazy about art, and I love cooking, fishing, and hiking. I have five younger siblings who mean the world to me, and who have given me the gift of feeling comfortable within chaos. My favorite movies are tied between La La Land and Fantastic Mr. Fox. You can usually find me at the beach, around town, or anywhere outside just enjoying being in nature. Over the years, nature has been one of the major forces of inspiration in my artwork, and I have a deep love for California and all its pockets and corners of wild beauty. I am also very interested in learning about different viewpoints, philosophies, and cultural backgrounds, and I try to keep an open mind in all things. I am so excited to be working on the Phoenix this year and get the chance to see all your wonderful creations!

Kailea Najera – Design Editor

Hi! My name is Kailea Najera, and I am a Sophomore, Graphic Arts Major. I am this year’s Graphic Design Editor of The Phoenix. I have been interested in the art realm for as long as I can remember. As a kid, I especially loved seeing the different worlds that art could transport a person into. Whether it be from the words or illustrations of a book, the animations of a movie, the melody of a song, or the appearance of an article of clothing; I constantly wanted to discover and immerse myself into these new worlds. I’ve also admired the incredible people who have the ability to pull in someone with their art, and I strive to be such a person myself. As this year’s Graphic Design Editor, it is my goal to be the guiding hand that can help artists bring to life the worlds that they wish to take us through with their art.

Micah Howard – Web Editor

Hello, I’m the Web Editor for this years edition. I’m a Music and Computer Science double major. I play the piano and violin, and I sing in the Westmont College Choir and Chamber Singers. When I’m not playing with sound and code, I’m often out exploring, reading, climbing, and luxuriating in the outdoors. I look forward to seeing what the artists of Westmont are create this year.