Every year, the seniors on The Panther’s leadership team choose a new group of leaders, consisting of the most dedicated staffers from the school year. These new leadership members will maintain the work standard of The Panther and carry on its legacy to the next school year. Each new member of leadership has unique qualities to elevate The Panther to a new level, beginning on May 1, when new leadership takes over their positions. They have spent the past month shadowing old leadership and learning the ins and outs of their jobs and responsibilities.
Editor-in-Chief: Gabriella Alvarez
Alvarez will be The Panther’s Editor-in-Chief next year, meaning she will take on all responsibilities of leading the staff and the new leadership team on all fronts. As the “face” of the newspaper, this role involves keeping a watchful eye on all writing, social media, deadlines and more.
“After being on The Panther since freshman year, I’m most excited to take the knowledge that I have gained and help lead the team next year,” Alvarez said.
Having been on staff for almost four years, Alvarez’s experience as Business Manager, Life Editor and a Copy Editor has helped her rise to the highest position on staff. This strong foundation has helped her learn the tricks of the trade for all things newspaper.
“I’m qualified to be Editor-in-Chief because I have taken the time to learn both the skills and mindset needed for the position. My dedication to The Panther has never wavered and I know that the skills I have strengthened over the years will help me lead next year’s group,” Alvarez said. “I look forward to working with the rest of leadership to improve The Panther’s quality and engagement. We have so many new ideas we want to implement.”
As the next leader to adopt the legacy of The Panther, Alvarez has hopes of expanding the publication further into the digital world and maintaining traditions.
“My biggest goals for next year are to have no late stories and establish an ongoing podcast led by The Panther staff,” Alvarez said. “My favorite part of The Panther is our new tradition of Thanksgiving kickball. It was really fun to let loose and bond with the rest of the staff this year, and I cannot wait to see this tradition evolve.”
Print Editor-in-Chief: Edie Carneiro
When it comes to all things print-oriented, Carneiro will be at the helm for the 2025-26 school year. Her responsibilities will focus on compiling stories, multimedia, design and ensuring the quality of writing for all print issues.
“In my new position, I’m most excited to improve our print magazine and make it more geared toward students. I think a lot of the changes I plan to make will help us get the word out about our issues and make them more popular,” Carneiro said.
Coming up on her fourth year on staff, she looks forward to collaborating with a dynamic leadership team and improving all fronts of the publication, and continuing to pursue her favorite parts of the paper.
“My biggest goal for next year is to make our print issues more widely read among students. With stories that are more interesting to teens, more cohesive designs and other elements like monthly columns and game pages, I can really see my dream of seeing students reading The Panther in the hallways coming true next year,” Carneiro said. “By far [my favorite part of the newspaper] is interviewing people. I feel like writing has connected me with so many interesting people that I’ve learned so much from, and I’m so excited to see who else I get to talk to next year.”
Carneiro looks forward to making print issues more widely read and catering to the interests of Generation Z.
Online Editor-in-Chief: Eleanor Harris
For all aspects of the online publications of The Panther, incoming junior Harris will have the final say on all things digital. Compared to the print publication, where the physical aspects of an issue are key, the online publication focuses on the intricate aspects of a website. Keeping the newsfeed up-to-date, maintaining news for the student body and finding new ways of reaching out are all parts of the job, one Harris looks forward to taking on.
“[I look forward to] something for everyone in our online section, whether it be a blog they enjoy reading every month, or a podcast that they can listen to when going for a run or getting work done. That way, the Panther is not only reaching those who love to read and stay in the know, but also those who love all kinds of aspects of journalistic media,” Harris said. “Building relationships with both new and old staffers, as well as being a mentor to new staffers like old leadership was to me when I first joined the Panther.”
As a three-year staffer, Harris will come into her role with a background in Feature writing and copy editing, a solid foundation for leadership and making a smooth transition to the leadership team.
“Through my time as a Feature section editor, I worked closely with the former online EIC, Ava Stuzin, in making sure that my section’s cycle ran smoothly. This helped me gain an understanding of the complexities and strengths needed to work in the position, which I will now apply as the current Online EIC,” Harris said.
Juliet Isom: Managing Editor
As the coordinator for all social media and general class management, the Managing Editor takes on the digital face of the publication and all in-class issues, a task Isom is ready to take on.
“I look forward to expanding our posting by adding more Instagram reels. For these reels, I have a couple ideas that I am really excited to follow through with. One of them is a mini series on our Instagram that collaborates with other students at our school who correlate to our print issues,” Isom said.
Isom values the relationships she has developed with staff and prioritizes managing her time as well as putting The Panther first.
“My favorite part about The Panther is that I get to be around very kind, smart and hardworking students. Being around these people truly makes being a part of The Panther so special. Everyone learns something new every day, [both] newspaper and non-newspaper-related,” Isom said.
Gabriela Laventman: Business Manager
Laventman will take on the role of managing the financial aspects of The Panther. The role involves innovative fundraising and outreach skills, handling all of The Panther’s purchases and equipment and communicating with local sponsors and businesses.
“I’m most excited to help grow the business side of The Panther by connecting with local sponsors, creating new fundraisers and helping ensure the paper has everything it needs to thrive. I can’t wait to contribute to the paper and support our work and our staffers,” Laventman said.
As a first-year staffer, Laventman’s commitment to collaboration and effective communication skills has set her apart and given her a foundation to take on her position. She expresses appreciation for the community and collaborative nature of the staff.
“The community [is my favorite part]. Everyone on the staff is so passionate and supportive, and it’s inspiring to be part of something that gives students a voice and keeps our school informed and connected,” Laventman said.
Savanah Freedman: Senior Copy Editor
The role of the Senior Copy Editor is to adopt The Panther’s commitment to writing quality and ensuring consistency with the Associated Press Style. Freedman will edit stories, train copy editors and preserve the writing quality of the publication.
“I am most excited to teach what I learned to my new copy team. I want to ensure they are staying on task but also enjoying what they are doing. I want to create a community within copy, while also maintaining the quality of our writing,” Freedman said. “As Senior Copy Editor, I look forward to sitting at the leadership table and embracing the responsibilities that come with it. It’s an opportunity to not only lead by example but to actively shape The Panther in various ways. I look forward to seeing leadership’s new ideas come to life, while also helping preserve the legacy of The Panther.”
For Freedman, the position welcomes a commitment to helping staffers with adopting the journalistic writing style and training copy editors to be the best editors they can be.
“My biggest goal for next year is to have no late stories. I know this is a stretch, but I truly believe we can make it happen. It will require all copy editors to edit in a timely manner, and I will do all I can to emphasize that,” Freedman said.
As a first-year staffer, her current skill as a copy editor and promising leadership skills helped bring her to the position.
“I feel qualified to be a part of leadership because I embody the qualities of a leader. I am approachable, accountable and flexible. As The Panther is a student-led publication, it is pivotal to be able to communicate well with fellow leadership members as well as the whole staff. I have exemplary communication skills that I have demonstrated during my time as a copy editor. I have not been late on a story, and I am a copy editor that staff and current leadership can depend on. As a Senior Copy Editor, I will always take time to assist any copy editors or staff members who are confused about AP Style or have any questions. Remaining a credible news source is essential, and I will ensure that our paper produces its best quality writing,” Freedman said.
Mia Carneiro: Senior Design Editor
Taking on one of the most crucial roles of the publication, the Senior Design Editor is tasked with all design and graphic visual aspects of The Panther. Tasked with assembling the print issue and all graphics on the online platforms, Carneiro is making history as the first underclassman to undertake the position.
“I’m really looking forward to mentoring the new designers on our staff and building a strong team that is passionate about design. With a completely new team, I think that we can really push the boundaries of design next year and make it completely our own,” Carneiro said.
Her time on staff has set her design skills apart, earning her the position and motivating her commitment to the leadership team.
“I really look forward to working with the rest of leadership next year. This really is a great group with so many ideas and I can’t wait to see how everyone works to put them into motion,” Carneiro said. “My biggest goal for next year is to make our print issues a lot more design-focused. Whether we start including more infographics or just up our spreads all around, I really want to make sure that the design on the Panther shines next year in print.”
Seth Clarin: Senior Multimedia Editor
With two years of multimedia experience with The Panther, Clarin’s commitment to the publication, further improving his skills and training a team of fellow multimedia editors gives him the opportunity to ensure the quality of the paper’s visual aspects.
“I’m excited to share my vision for photography with the paper, and I’m excited to teach more people about the amazing art of photography,” Clarin said.
As a photography enthusiast outside of The Panther, Clarin has made it a priority to extend his talents to the broader Miami community, especially in the athletic field.
“I believe I am qualified for senior multimedia as I am building a photography business as well as a social media, @sethclarinphotos on Instagram, and I am also actively interning for a publication by providing photography at college sports events,” Clarin said. “My biggest personal goal next year is to have photographed both college football and basketball. It would be a dream to do both, and I think it’s a tough goal, but also attainable.”
