Meet Our Team

Founder & Editor in Chief

Renee Chen is a high student from Taipei, Taiwan. She has been published in The Bookends Review, Cosmic Double, and others. She is also a lover of detective novels and can be found reading mystery stories when she is not writing!

Co-Editor in Chief

Kaelin David is a high school student from Southern California. Her interests lie in writing, public policy, and the life sciences. Aside from The Trailblazer, she currently serves as the Newsletter Editor-in-Chief for the Institute for Youth in Policy and the editorial team lead at Our National Conversation.

Training Editor-in-Chief

Brianna Cross is an incoming freshman and a homeschooler from Texas. She enjoys writing poetry, listening to music, and spending time with her family. Her poems are published in several literary competitions such as Poetic Power and The Scholastic Art and Writing awards. She has also recently received the highest merit in her state in NCTE'S Promising Young Writer's Contest. She is currently writing a book and plans to publish it by the end of 2023.

Training Editor-in-Chief

Grace Wang is a high school student in British Columbia, Canada. From a young age, she has been immersed in the world of literary fiction and poetry. Here at Trailblazer, she strives to connect diverse young writers from across the globe. You can find her work published on Polar Expressions, Heyyoungwriter, and Write the World.

Sumedha is an undergrad biotechnology student and an aspiring writer from India. She's heavily influenced and inspired by Sylvia Plath's writings and her life. She's discovering herself through writing. She's passionate about writing and reading Confessional poetry. She aspires to establish herself as an influential writer.

Varshini is a junior in high school and loves to write creatively in her free time. She hopes to write a book some day and be an author as a side job.

Sulakshana Guha is a sixteen year old writer from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. She has had her poetry published in Topical Poetry and Plum Tree Tavern. When not buckling under academic pressure, she can be found reading, writing or sketching increasingly deranged faces. She likes murder mysteries, existentialism and a good historical retelling.

Parker Gray Emrich, is a 13-year-old high school student at the Lakeland Institute For Learning, He enjoys writing, playing chess, and watching scary movies.

Dahlia Peeters is a high schooler attending Head-Royce School in the Bay Area. Her Chinese heritage is celebrated through her writing, where she specializes in poetry and memoir. She has acquired a Gold Key for the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards and won 1st place in the poetry category of Trailblazer's Cultural Heritage competition. She firmly maintains that writing is a privilege, and it would be an injustice to her ancestors not to grant them a voice. When she isn't writing, her free time is comprised of playing piano, watching Wes Anderson films, learning K-pop dances, singing karaoke, and curating English curriculums for youth in underserved communities. She is thrilled to be included among Trailblazer's promising team of young writers. She is incredibly proud of what the community has accomplished in such a short period of time. Her experience at Trailblazer has been a blessing, and she looks forward to the future of the magazine.

Ethan Liaw is a Taiwanese-American high school student from Texas. He is an avid writer and photographer and enjoys using the arts to explore and better himself. He is very passionate about literature and can often be found with his head in a book.

Mercy is a seventeen year old girl that loves reading and writing and takes great pride in it. She likes to spend time with her friends, listening to music and spending time in nature.

Harvey Lam is currently a final-year high school student from Melbourne, Australia with a vehement passion for creative writing, and then again, for all forms of it. Harvey's portfolio has seen both award-winning and highly-commended entries and others that will never again see the light of day.

Nasvin is a grade 11 student at Port Credit Secondary School in Mississauga, Canada. He write poems on his free time and had a poem published in the Third Anthology of Voices/Voix.

Ana-Stefania Dita has a rich repertoire, formed once from participation in various European projects, such as the School-Ambassador Program of the European Parliament, Girls go Circular or eTwinning.

Her name is Krisha Shah, from Mumbai, India, She is in 12th grade. She is a Poet and author of the book The Suspects Are Missing. She knows Photoshop and Coral Draw, is a tech-savvy person who believes in loyalty and hard work, and is truly in love with writing and Reading Crime Novels.

This is Fariha, currently reading in MC College, Sylhet, Bangladesh. She looks forward to practicing writing poems and novels.

Millie Wu is a sophomore in high school and has a variety of interests, particularly involved with sociology and political science.

Shereen Rana is a high school student from India, and is fond of literature and art. She writes poetry and stories, and has also written articles for Morpho Magazine and Humankind Zine, where she had been and is (respectively) working as a blog writer.

Md Yeamin Alam Rohan is a talented and multifaceted individual from Dhaka, Bangladesh. At the young age of 17, he has already had two books published and has developed a range of diverse hobbies including cycling, astronomy, photography, traveling, and coin collecting. In addition to his passion for poetry and writing, Rohan also has skills in graphics design, promotional video ads design, and social media marketing. In his free time, he enjoys engaging in activities such as writing and creating memes. Rohan is a driven and passionate individual with a strong commitment to learning and personal growth. He is excited to see where his journey takes him next and is determined to make a positive impact in the world.

Jordan Guerrero, as of 2023, is a junior in high school and searches for new stories to write about. She’s interested in having long conversations about pure nonsense, and likes to listen to the world when it’s asleep. She’s gotten her work published in Cathartic Youth Literary Magazine, and hopes to one day publish her own book of poetry.

Riddhi Saxena is a 10th grader from India who has a keen interest in classic literature. She enjoys writing and is passionate about literature. She wishes to learn more and have fun reviewing and writing with other editors.

Katie is a junior in high school with a great passion for writing. She believes that creative outlets and expressing oneself in a positive way is an essential part of life. She wrote and self published a poetry book available on Amazon titled “Words Unsaid.” Additionally, she created a TikTok account specifically to share her poetry , which gained a great deal of recognition from users (TikTok: @ilikeventingwithwriting.) Writing burns a flame of passion in Katie’s heart and she wants to share, impact, and inspire others with her words.

Tanya Sun is a high school junior from California who loves to write poems and short stories! They are especially a fan of literature relating to activism and culture. They are passionate about environmentalism and social issues, and they are excited to work with others to review literature!

April Yu is a fourteen-year-old from New Jersey with a passion for writing, running, playing the flute, and learning about the human body. Although she was indeed born in April, her favorite season is winter. Her literary fiction is published in or forthcoming from Peach Mag, The Lumiere Review, Milk Candy Review, The Aurora Journal, FEED, and more. She also works in grant and article writing.

Citlali La Croix is currently a high school student at Chico High, California. She enjoys writing about nature, history, as well as being a voice for the environment and animals. She was invited to give a speech at her 8th grade graduation, sharing one of her poems, and fueling her to create more pieces of writing. Citlali loves to dance, and cook, as well as play with her dogs in her free time:)

Donna Zlochistaya is a young poet from the San Fernando Valley. In addition to being a general editor for The Trailblazer, she is also the editor-in-chief of her high school art and literary magazine, The Writer’s Block. When she isn't writing or studying, Donna can be found wheel throwing or daydreaming about being a museum curator.

Cove Johnson Rabidoux is a writer whose work can be found on Teen Ink, The Teen Magazine, and on her blog titled Blue Pencil Writing. She is the food managing editor at The Teen Magazine and she also edits for the Trailblazer Literary Magazine and the Cathartic Youth Magazine. She is also a member of the Teen Ink Student Advisory Board. When she is not writing her novel, Cove enjoys reading, traveling, and baking.

Kia Ayesha Sinan is a teenage Maldivian writer who recently released Ambition, the first book of a duology. When she's not frantically typing away, writing out her notes, listening to music, or re-watching Criminal Minds, you can find her buried in a good book with a cup of tea. You can follow her on Instagram at @kia.ayesha.sinan for more updates about her books and personal life.

Ainesh is a purpose driven individual, inclined towards delving deep into a nuanced understanding of international affairs spanning broader areas of diplomacy, foreign policy, advocacy and regulatory affairs.

Mariam Bukia is a 15 years old student from Georgia. She is active and open to challenges because she thinks the world is a playground of unlimited possibilities. She works as a general manager, project manager, PR manager, young teacher, head of personnel department, book club leader, speaker, in educational organizations. She writes poems, stories, sketches, because in this way she feeds the garden of her thoughts and ideas with sunlight. She thinks that writing is the harmony of her life and loves the time when she can stay with the pen. She is inspired by traveling by bus and observing people and events. She loves reading, playing on guitar, literature, the old, magical spirit of the library, herbarium and originality.

Cirilla Elizabeth Wielgosz is a 15 year old high school student, who loves to write stories and poems. She was born in London, and now she lives in Poland. She is writing a book, which she hopes to publish one day.

Saumya Sawant (she/her) is a 17-year old from New York with interests in science, history, foreign languages and writing. In the past, she has been a writing teacher with the non-profit organization Pything. Currently, she is a Literary Apprentice for BreakBread Magazine, an Editor at The Trailblazer Review, Arts & Entertainment Editor at the White Plains High School Newspaper (The Orange), as well as a personal blogger and novelist. Besides writing and editing, she is also an aspiring polyglot, bubble-tea lover, and plushie enthusiast. If she's not working, she's probably off maladaptive daydreaming or sleeping.

A. L. Sarino is an emerging writer hailing from the Philippines. They study Creative Writing at the Philippine High School for the Arts, and serve as regular contributor for Words With Weight Magazine and as a general editor for Cathartic Youth Literary Magazine and The Trailblazer Literary Magazine. They can be found on Instagram at @a.l.sarino.

Minha Kyun is a 10th grader from South Korea, attending Magee Secondary School in Canada. Her writings are based on the things she experienced from living in five different countries. During her free time she enjoys taking short walks around her village. Her previous works have been published in Cathartic Magazine, The Borderline, and others.

Haley Hsu is a student who lived in China for 10 years. After transitioning to the U.S. and going to school here, she began having an interest in writing. Haley is a young writer and has a deep passion for reading historical fiction books and writing about the Asian countries she has visited, as well as doing creative writing. She hopes to write a novel in the future and grow as a budding writer.

Born and raised in the heart of the silicon valley, Javon has always been fascinated by the power of words and the stories they tell. From a young age, Javon spent countless hours reading fantasy books and writing stories, honing his skills and developing a love for histroy and politcs.

Hooriya loves to read and write, and really wants to pursue a career related to either. She does university level assignments related to these like writing essays, short stories, etc. She has a keen eye for catching mistakes in writings, and tries her best to give best constructive criticism.

Bibek Noor is a 16-year-old high school student from Punjab, India. As an avid reader from a young age, she casually started to write short stories, nonsensical lyrics, and her personal favourite poetry from a young age too.

Nikunj Gupta is a 15-year-old male high school student studying in Bengaluru, India. He has always had an interest in writing poetry since he first discovered it. He prefers writing poetry that has an arching theme of sadness and sorrow.

Seeing myself from another point of view I find myself simple minded and frank. My friends tell me I am too kind or put them before me. They see me as a free soul not afraid to say what I want to and quite funny as I crack jokes too much.

Meena Puram (she/her) is an Indian American high school student from Cleveland Ohio. She's passionate about environmental justice and considers herself a dedicated feminist. She's an officer of her school's creative writing club and in her free time you can find her reading books written by and about women or making jewelry.

Ona is a 15-year-old, who currently lives in Germany. She adores literary works.

Khushi Patel is a high schooler with a passion for writing. She enjoys various aspects of literature because she believes that the passion that writing conveys, along with its vast allowance of creative liberty, is particularly effective in the communication of thoughts and ideas. Aside from writing, she is an avid debater and enjoys playing her guitar.

Emmalee Payne-Pentel is a junior highschool student, studying in her school’s creative writing program. She loves to read and write, mostly in the fantasy-fiction or historical-fiction genres. She is passionate about women’s social movements and loves to incorporate that in her writing. Her dream is to one day publish her own book series!

Anshi Purohit is a fifteen-year-old high schooler who loves eating chocolate (and writing). She aspires to become a psychiatrist and is very passionate about mental health. When she's not reading upside down or writing, you can find her cuddling with her dogs, playing viola, or going on hikes and getting lost.

Sofia Xu is from University High School’s Class of 2025. She is an avid writer and reader who loves to explore creative works of any kind, listen to music, and daydream. In her free time, she enjoys playing golf, studying history, and developing her nonprofit organization.

Iman Abdu is an Australian born Egyptian-Palestinian in 10th grade, who loves taking people to new cities and worlds through her poetry and short stories. Recently, she has delved into poetry-writing centred around the paintings of 19th century French Impressionist Edgar Degas.

I am currently thirteen years old, and I live in Massachusetts. I do figure skating, along with playing the piano and flute. I really enjoy going camping and traveling.

Kelly is a Korean American student and storyteller hailing from Chicago. She finds joy in creating art, going for walks, and exploring how perception, language, and memory intertwine. An avid overthinker and daydreamer, she is intrigued by anything and everything that has to do with perspective.