The Student News Site of Mercer Island High School

The MIHS Islander

The Student News Site of Mercer Island High School

The MIHS Islander

The Student News Site of Mercer Island High School

The MIHS Islander

2023-2024 Staff

Asha Woerner
Editor in Chief

Asha Woerner

Asha is a senior and this is her fourth year working for the newspaper. She previously was a sports editor and is currently an Editor in Chief. She is excited for her senior year! Outside of school, she enjoys playing soccer, rea...

Taylor Holshouser
Editor in Chief

Taylor Holshouser

Taylor Holshouser (she/her) is a senior this year and has been in the journalism class for all of her high school years. In her free time, Taylor loves to cook, watch reality TV shows and spend time with her friends. Last year,...

Jordan Balousek
Managing Editor

Jordan Balousek

Jordan Balousek (she/her) is the Managing Editor for the MIHS Islander, and she is in her third year of journalism. Outside of school, she enjoys playing soccer, watching baseball and hockey, working at Arena Sports, re...

Ashwin Krishnaswamy
Features Editor & Website Manager

Ashwin Krishnaswamy

Ashwin Krishnaswamy is a junior and in his third year in Journalism. He is excited to be features editor and website manager this year. Outside of school, Ashwin enjoys playing jazz piano and saxophone, running, and reading science...

Kyle Gerstel
Head of Content

Kyle Gerstel

Kyle Gerstel (he/him) is a junior at MIHS and this is his third year as part of The Islander. Outside of school, Kyle is the Producing Artistic Director of Penguin Productions, an intergenerational theater dedicated to produci...

Elsa Zepeda Juárez
Features & Copy Editing Teams

Elsa Zepeda Juárez

Elsa Zepeda Juárez is a sophomore at MIHS and in her second year of journalism. This year, she is part of the features and copy editing teams. Outside of school, she enjoys creative writing, music, and learning new crafts.

Julia Weisfield
A&E Editor

Julia Weisfield

Julia Weisfield (she/her) is a sophomore at MIHS and is the Arts and Entertainment Editor. Outside of school hours, she enjoys reading, skiing and traveling to new places. Julia is a 2nd year member of the MIHS Drill team and...

Kira Lancaster
Graphics Manager

Kira Lancaster

Kira Lancaster (she/her) is a sophomore at MIHS and the Graphics Manager for The Islander. She enjoys music and dance and is part of the Mercer Island Drill Team at MIHS. Outside of school, her hobbies include drawing, writing...

Jackson Chang
Opinions Editor

Jackson Chang

Jackson Chang is a senior at MIHS and a second-year staff member. Outside of school he likes to participate in after-school activities such as ECAAR and loves to go on hikes with friends.

Betty Butler
Social Media Manager

Betty Butler

Betty Butler (she/her) is a junior and in her third year at The Islander as the social media manager. Last year, she was a member of the features team and is super excited to be back again. In her free time, she enjoys spendi...

Maddie Gaspers
Photography Editor

Maddie Gaspers

Maddie Gaspers (she/her) is a junior at MIHS and is the photography editor for The Islander. She enjoys reading, listening to music and taking photos in her free time. Outside of school, she plays tennis and loves hanging out...

Katie Friedman
Co-Business Manager

Katie Friedman

Katie Friedman is a senior at MIHS and in her third year with the Islander. She is a co-business manager for the paper and spends her free time getting outdoors, cooking & baking, and spending time with friends and family....

Emily Fain
Co-Business Manager

Emily Fain

Emily Fain (she/her) is a senior at MIHS. This is her third year writing for the MIHS Islander and she will serve as the co-head of business this year. In her free time, she enjoys going to farmers markets, reading, and cookin...

Juliette Robadey
Features Team

Juliette Robadey

Juliette is in her sophomore year and second year of journalism. Last year, she was a staff writer and now is a member of the Features Team. She is a rock climber and enjoys hiking, doing yoga and reading.

Tulin Alrouk
Photography Team

Tulin Alrouk

Tulin Alrouk (she/her) is a sophomore at MIHS and in her second year of journalism! Last year she was a staff writer and this year she is on the photography team. In her free time, she likes to swim and play badminton. Outside...