The student news site of Sacramento State University

The State Hornet

Student news without fear or favor
The student news site of Sacramento State University

The State Hornet

The student news site of Sacramento State University

The State Hornet

Student news without fear or favor

2023-2024 2nd semester Staff

Mercy Sosa
Editor-in-Chief

Mercy Sosa

(she/her) San Diego native Mercy Sosa returns in spring 2024 as the editor-in-chief at The State Hornet. She joined The Hornet in spring 2020 as a politics beat writer; she later served as news, digital and Spanish language editor. Sosa has freelanced for Sacramento Business Journal, Solving Sacramento and Univision.

Chris Woodard
Managing Editor

Chris Woodard

(he/him) Chris Woodard joined The State Hornet in 2022 as a third-year transfer student. He previously worked as the editor-in-chief of Cosumnes River College’s publication, The Connection. He is a Sacramento native and hopes to cover arts & entertainment after graduating in the spring of 2024.  

Jack Freeman
Managing Editor

Jack Freeman

(he/him) Jack Freeman joined The State Hornet in spring 2022 as a staff writer and is currently a junior majoring in journalism. He returns as a Managing editor, resident Indoor football aficionado, and Kellen Moore fan.

Katelyn Marano
Copy Editor

Katelyn Marano

(she/her) Katelyn Marano is a graduating senior with a major in journalism and a minor in English. She is currently in her second semester here at The State Hornet and is the copy editor for the spring 2024 semester. Katelyn enjoys reading and writing, and hope to take her degree into book publishing.

Angelica Vera-Franco
Bilingual Copy Editor

Angelica Vera-Franco

(she/her) Angelica Vera-Franco is a fourth-year journalism & political science major with a minor in Spanish. She joined The State Hornet as a Spanish staffer and is returning as the bilingual copy editor. She hopes to continue working towards a career as a journalist.  

Analah Wallace
News Editor

Analah Wallace

(they/them) Analah is in their second semester at The State Hornet and their first semester as the news editor. Their passion lies in news reporting and they hope to use their time on the publication to bring back an appreciation for general news writing. Their overall goal is to make the public trust in journalists again, and they hope to one day be a journalist in a big city....

Nancy Rodriguez Bonilla
Spanish Editor

Nancy Rodriguez Bonilla

(she/her) Nancy Rodriguez-Bonilla is a third-year journalism student from Santa Ana. She is starting her fourth semester at The State Hornet and is excited to continue shining a light on the stories of Hispanic/Latinx communities.

Alesha Blaauw
Social Media Editor

Alesha Blaauw

(she/her) Alesha Blaauw is a senior majoring in political science and journalism. She joined The State Hornet in spring 2023 as a social media staffer and is now in her second semester of being a social media editor. She is always striving to find new ways to keep college students and the local audience connected to the news through social media strategies, designing engaging graphics and involvin...

Siany Harts
Social Media Editor

Siany Harts

(she/her) Siany Harts is a third-year student majoring in public relations with a minor in journalism. She is a returning social media editor, sideline reporter and host of the Anything But Sports podcast. This is her third semester with The State Hornet.  

Julianna Rodriguez
DEI Editor

Julianna Rodriguez

(she/her) Julianna Rodriguez joined The State Hornet in fall 2023 as a DEI staffer and is now the editor for DEI. She is a senior public relations major, and hopes to become a publicist or work for a PR firm after graduating this spring.

Joey Aguirre
Sports Editor

Joey Aguirre

(he/him) Joey Aguirre is in his second semester at The State Hornet. He is a passionate sports fan and wants to pursue a career in sports media.

Tobi Fakunle
PRMA Editor

Tobi Fakunle

(she/her) Tobi Fakunle joined The State Hornet in spring 2023, She is the public relations and marketing editor this semester. She is a graduating senior and plans on being a publicist or working in a PR firm. She enjoys baking and going on runs in her free time

Alyssa Branum
Visuals Editor

Alyssa Branum

(she/her) Alyssa Branum, serving as visuals editor, is in her fourth semester working for The State Hornet and last semester at Sac State. Branum has won awards from the Associated Collegiate Press along with work published in the Sac Observer and SN&R. As a senior journalism major, Branum looks forward to utilizing creative outlets, working towards her photojournalism career and connecting with oth...

Hailey Valdivia
A&E Editor

Hailey Valdivia

(she/her) Hailey Valdivia serves as the Arts and Entertainment Editor for The State Hornet. She is currently a graduating senior and has been a part of The State Hornet for four semesters. Additionally, this fall, Hailey was elected as the Vice President of the Society of Professional Journalists chapter at Sacramento State. Hailey aspires to be a journalist serving the community around her....

Rosienelly Salguero
Digital/Newsletter Editor

Rosienelly Salguero

(she/her) Rosienelly Salguero is a senior graduating in May majoring in public relations. This is her second semester with The State Hornet. She hopes to work with digital media in public relations.

Jonathan Santiago
Multimedia Editor

Jonathan Santiago

(he/him) Jonathan Santiago is in his second semester at The State Hornet. He is very excited to work for The State Hornet again. He is an Economics major and hopes to work as a financial analyst.

James Fife
Podcast Editor

James Fife

(he/him) James Fife joined The State Hornet in the Spring of 2021. He is a Film major graduating in Spring 2024.

Fernando Gallo
Adviser

Fernando Gallo

Faculty Adviser Fernando Gallo is a versatile multimedia journalist with 15 years of experience across multiple platforms and a proud alumnus of both Sacramento State and The State Hornet (Class of 2008). Fernando has filed stories for San Francisco Chronicle, The Sacramento Bee, Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, Associated Press and Capital Public Radio, and worked as a daily crime reporter for the Lo...

Angelica Brito
Spanish Staffer

Angelica Brito

(she/her) Angelica Brito is a third-year student from Los Angeles majoring in journalism with a minor in communications and marketing at Sac State. This is her second semester working for the Spanish section at The State Hornet. She hopes to pursue a career in Spanish-speaking journalism.

Alejandro Barron
Spanish Staffer

Alejandro Barron

(he/him) Alejandro Barron joined The State Hornet in fall 2023 and this is his second semester as a staffer for El Avispón del Estado. He is a fifth-year student majoring in journalism and hopes to work in sports or Spanish language journalism.

Arely Duran
Spanish Staffer

Arely Duran

(she/her) Arely Duran is a second-year journalism major and in her fourth semester of The State Hornet. Arely hopes to go into sports journalism or crime investigative journalism.

Malcolm Curry
Social Media Staffer

Malcolm Curry

(he/him) Malcolm Curry is a fourth-year journalism major who is interested in being a sports reporter. He is excited to get a closer look at the sports teams while working in social media.

Daisy Martinez
Social Media Staffer

Daisy Martinez

(she/her) Daisy Martinez is a third-year transfer student from Porterville College. She is majoring in journalism with a minor in film. This is her first semester at The State Hornet. In her free time, she enjoys watching movies, reading and cooking.

Sarah Graves
Social Media Staffer

Sarah Graves

(she/her) Sarah Graves is a third-year transfer student from Maryville University. She is majoring in journalism. This is her first semester at The State Hornet. She is a San Diego native and hopes to purse sports and the entertainment industry.

Leah Stewart
Social Media Staffer

Leah Stewart

(she/her) Leah Stewart is a third-year student majoring in journalism and minoring in theater. This is her first semester at The State Hornet. She hopes to grow her knowledge in public relations, journalism and social media.

Michael Cabida
Social Media Staffer

Michael Cabida

(he/him) Michael Cabida is in his fourth year here at Sacramento State and is majoring in journalism. This is his first semester with the State Hornet and is part of the Social Media team. He hopes to become a journalist that specializes in Arts and Entertainment, and wants to work on the red carpet.

Isabella Nyiri
Social Media Staffer

Isabella Nyiri

(she/her) Isabella Nyiri is a third-year journalism major with hopes of working in the music industry. She joined The State Hornet in fall 2023, working in the PR section and now in social media. In her free time, she loves music, dance and is president of her sorority.

Devyn Savitch
Social Media Staffer

Devyn Savitch

(she/her) Devyn Savitch was born and raised in Los Angeles and transferred to Sacramento State in the fall of 2022. She is studying political science and journalism and is set to graduate in spring of 2024. Devyn hopes to one day work in political commentary/ broadcasting.

Elena Burgé
Social Media Staffer

Elena Burgé

(she/they) Elena Burgé is a fourth-year communications student from San Diego. This is their fifth semester at the State Hornet, formerly working as the public relations and social media editor. They have a passion for creating engaging social media content that connects students to the publication. Outside of The State Hornet, they have professional experience in marketing, sales and outdoor recreation l...

Madelaine Church
Social Media Staffer

Madelaine Church

(she/her) Madelaine Church is in her last semester attending Sacramento State and is expecting to graduate in May. This is her fourth semester at The State Hornet and will be a social media reporter. Madelaine has experience with photography, news writing, press releases, videography, social media marketing and other forms of content creation. This summer, Madelaine had the opportunity to work a...

Madison Lopez
PRMA Staffer

Madison Lopez

(she/her) Madison Lopez is a third year studies Public Relations with a minor in Chicanx studies.  

Froilan Panay
PRMA Staffer

Froilan Panay

Froilan Panay is in his third semester as a public relations major. He is a transfer student from Solano Community College with an associate degree in communication. Froilan joined The State Hornet in spring 2024 as a PRMA staffer, in hopes of gaining more experience in the industry.

Zachary White
PRMA Staffer

Zachary White

Zachary White is a communication major senior at Sacramento State in his first semester with The State Hornet. Zach hope is that the experience with The State Hornet will aid in the enrichment of his education.

Jade Ross
PRMA Staffer

Jade Ross

(she/her) Jade Ross is a graduating fourth-year student majoring in journalism. This is her first semester on The State Hornet in the PRMA section where she strives to connect The State Hornet to the Sacramento region.

Amelia Biscardi
PRMA Staffer

Amelia Biscardi

(she/her) Amelia Biscardi is on her first semester at The State Hornet. She works four jobs including for a small newspaper in Winters.

Liam Gravvat
PRMA Staffer

Liam Gravvat

(he/him) Liam Gravvat is a graduating senior in his first semester at The State Hornet in the public relations and marketing department. He aims to work in human resources or public relations out of college. He also enjoys concerts and spending time in nature.

Asyah Zamani
PRMA Staffer

Asyah Zamani

(she/her/hers) Asyah Zamani is a transfer student from Cosumnes River College, majoring in journalism. This is her second semester at The State Hornet and she is excited to be a part of the public relations section.

Andrew Edwards
Sports Staffer

Andrew Edwards

(he/him) Andrew Edwards is a fourth-year student at Sacramento State in his first semester at The State Hornet. He is a lifelong sports fanatic and has plans to pursue a career in sports journalism after graduating.

Adam Camarena
Sports Staffer

Adam Camarena

(he/him) Adam Camarena is a fourth-year transfer student majoring in journalism and in his first semester at The State Hornet. He was previously an editor for Cosumnes River College's publication, The Connection, and a broadcast journalist at Long Beach State. His career goal is to become a sports media member.

Kai Arellano
Sports Staffer

Kai Arellano

(he/him) Kai Arellano is a junior transfer from Los Medanos College, majoring in journalism. He has won fourth place in the 2023 State Publication Awards for Illustration presented by the Journalism Association of Community Colleges. This is also his first semester on The State Hornet. In his spare time he enjoys watching baseball and competing in mixed martial arts.

Rinn Lee
Sports Staffer

Rinn Lee

(she/her) Rinn Lee is in her second semester as a sports staffer at The State Hornet. She loves baseball, soccer and covered Sac State women's soccer in fall 2023. She is a second year journalism major and hopes to go into sports journalism.

Jahson Nahal
Sports Staffer

Jahson Nahal

(he/him) Jahson Nahal is a graduating journalism major who is in his second semester as a sports staffer for The State Hornet. Previously, he was the sports editor for The American River College Current. He hopes to work in the sports media industry one day.

Ryan Lorenz
Sports Staffer

Ryan Lorenz

(he/him) Ryan Lorenz is in his second semester at The State Hornet. He is a former Sports Editor for Cosumnes River College's publication, The Connection. He has a strong passion for sports and plans on having a career in sports media.

Orlando Fuller
Sports Staffer

Orlando Fuller

(he/him) Orlando Fuller is in his senior year, graduating in May. As well as majoring in journalism he hopes to become a sports reporter or investigative journalist.

Sharmarke Holif
News Staffer

Sharmarke Holif

(he/him) Sharmarke Holif joined The State Hornet in spring 2024 as a staff writer and is currently majoring in journalism. In his free time he enjoys watching fantasy movies or tv shows and is a huge Dungeons and Dragons fan.

Micah Yip
News Staffer

Micah Yip

(he/him) Micah Yip is a DEI staffer for The State Hornet. He is a political science/journalism major and is working towards a career in political journalism. Micah is passionate about advocating for positive change through his work and is driven by his firm belief in journalism’s power to uncover truth, expose injustices and shed light on issues that demand attention. Micah has previously writ...

Usamah Hammour
News Staffer

Usamah Hammour

(he/him) Usamah Hammour has a master's in mechanical engineering and dedicated over 40 years to the field. Due to human rights advocacy in Syria, he immigrated to the United States. He graduated from American River College in journalism and is currently in his fourth-year passionately pursuing human rights work.

Alexander Musa
News Staffer

Alexander Musa

  Alexander Musa is a senior journalism major who transferred into Sacramento State from American River College back in 2023. Previously a staff writer, editor, and designer for the American River Current, he joined The State Hornet this semester as he seeks to graduate with a bachelor's degree by spring of next year.

Jenn Galinato
News Staffer

Jenn Galinato

(she/her) Jenn Galinato is a fourth-year political science/journalism and international relations double major. She returns to The State Hornet for a second semester as a News staffer for the 2023-2024 term.

Michael Pepper
News Staffer

Michael Pepper

(he/him/they/them) Michael Pepper is a senior transfer student majoring in journalism. He previously attended Cosumnes River College where he was a staff writer and sports editor for The Connection. This is his second semester with The State Hornet.

Christa Ison
News Staffer

Christa Ison

(she/her) Christa Ison is a senior transfer student from American River College, majoring in journalism. Returning to The State Hornet, her goal is to advocate and become a voice for the disabled community.

Jocelyn Hill
A&E Staffer

Jocelyn Hill

(she/her) Jocelyn Hill is a third-year transfer student from Orange County majoring in political science and journalism. This is her first semester at The State Hornet, where she is excited to be joining the Arts and Entertainment team. She is passionate about politics and social justice. In her free time, she enjoys running, drawing or binge-watching a new tv show.

Jada Portillo
A&E Staffer

Jada Portillo

(she/her) Jada Portillo is a transfer student from Delta College where she wrote for the Collegian as an opinion editor. Portillo is currently on her first year of writing for The State Hornet and currently is a fellow for CalMatters. Portillo hopes to find new experiences and opportunities with The State Hornet.

Ismael Martinez Castillo
A&E Staffer

Ismael Martinez Castillo

(he/him) Ismael is a transfer student from Sacramento City College and currently majoring in English. This is his first semester at The State Hornet. He has no prior experience in journalism, but is eager to learn and grow on his journey here. In his free time, Ismael enjoys watching anime, working out, and playing sports.

Mia Huss
A&E Staffer

Mia Huss

(she/her) Mia is a graduating senior majoring in political science and journalism. She has worked as a freelance journalist covering local government in her hometown. This is her first semester with The State Hornet.

Karina Torres
A&E Staffer

Karina Torres

(she/her) Karina Torres is a transfer student from Sierra College and will be graduating in the fall of 2024. Her major is journalism and this is her first semester at The State Hornet. She loves beauty and fashion and would love to pursue a career in that field.

Delaney Joyce
A&E Staffer

Delaney Joyce

(she/they) Delaney Joyce is a second-year communication and public relations student returning to The State Hornet for her second semester. As a staffer for the Arts and Entertainment section, she's excited to continue gaining journalism experience while helping cultivate a strong sense of Sacramento pride within the community.

Maddie Thielke
A&E Staffer

Maddie Thielke

(she/her) Maddie is a fourth-year student who joined The State Hornet in fall 2023. During her second semester on the Hornet, she hopes to continue her fashion column, Stinger Style.

Rodrigo Martinez
Visuals Staffer

Rodrigo Martinez

(he/him) Rodrigo Martinez is a third-year transfer student majoring in psychology. This is his first semester at Sac State and he is very passionate about photo editing.

Jose Diaz
Visuals Staffer

Jose Diaz

(he/him) Jose Diaz is a third-year transfer student. This is his first semester at The State Hornet. He is a big sports enthusiast and hopes to pursue a career in sports media. He is majoring in journalism and looking forward to working with the visuals team.

Desiree McFarland
Visuals Staffer

Desiree McFarland

(she/her) Desiree McFarland is in her last semester at Sacramento State University. Holding a bachelor's in communication studies from CSU Sacramento, Spring 2023, she joined the Hornet after declaring a minor in journalism in Fall 2023. McFarland has also worked for an outside journalism non-profit organization that helps the black community thrive in the field of media. McFarland's uses her expe...

Isis Alvarez
Visuals Staffer

Isis Alvarez

(she/her) Isis Alvarez is a journalism major and a graduating senior. She previously worked as a writer for the arts and entertainment section of The State Hornet where she strived to be a voice for the art community at Sacramento State. Now a part of the visuals section, Isis hopes to give readers a closer look at the events that bring the Sacramento community together.

Brionna Woody
Visuals Staffer

Brionna Woody

(she/her) Brionna Woody first joined The State Hornet in fall of 2023 and is entering her second semester as a visuals staffer. She is currently a fifth-year student majoring in public relations and hopes to work towards a career in sports media.

Malachi Parker
Visuals Staffer

Malachi Parker

(he/him) Malachi is a fourth-year student, majoring in journalism and is in his second semester at The State Hornet and will be a part of the visuals staff. He hopes to go into a job as a sports journalist or photographer.

Samin Vafaee
Multimedia Staffer

Samin Vafaee

(she/her) Samin Vafaee is a political science and journalism major in her last semester at Sac State. She is the former news editor for the Sac City Express and hopes to go into a newsroom environment after graduation.

Tyler Webb
Multimedia Staffer

Tyler Webb

(he/him) Tyler Webb is a third-year journalism major specializing in multimedia journalism and joined The State Hornet as a multimedia staffer in the spring semester of 2024. His interests include arts and entertainment, music, audio production and travel.

Donny Ghani
Multimedia Staffer

Donny Ghani

(he/him) Donny Ghani is a political science/journalism major. It's his first semester at The State Hornet, where he has joined as a multimedia staffer. In his free time he enjoys traveling and spending time with his nephews as much as he can. He graduates in the spring and hopes to find some work in journalism preferably somewhere in politics or sports.

Jessica Shona-Stewart
Multimedia Staffer

Jessica Shona-Stewart

(she/her) Jessica Shona-Stewart is a journalism major who transferred from Sierra College and will graduate in the fall of 2024. This is her first semester at The State Hornet. During her free time, you will find her reviewing local food establishments and attending local events.

Skylar Findlay
Multimedia Staffer

Skylar Findlay

(she/her) Skylar Findlay is a third-year at Sacramento State majoring in journalism. It is her first semester at The State Hornet as a multimedia staffer. In the future she hopes to pursue broadcast journalism. In her free time she enjoys discovering new coffee shops and traveling to see her friends and family.

Mahrukh Siddiqui
Multimedia Staffer

Mahrukh Siddiqui

(she/her) Mahrukh Siddiqui is a graduating senior from the Bay Area. This is her first semester at The State Hornet. As a first generation Pakistani-American, she is excited to work in DEI after covering politics and First Amendment Rights. She hopes to pursue stories of diasporas after graduating.

Anthony Golston
Multimedia Staffer

Anthony Golston

(he/him) Anthony Golston is a fourth-year Journalism major who's hungry to answer all the hard-hitting questions the people at Sacramento State want to hear.

Wan-Ling Yang
Podcast Staffer

Wan-Ling Yang

(she/her) Wan-Ling Yang is a third-year student majoring in communication studies. She is an exchange student from Taiwan. This is her first semester at The State Hornet. She is very interested in radio broadcasting and is excited to be joining the podcast team.

Zacariah Aguila
Podcast Staffer

Zacariah Aguila

(he/him) Zacariah Aguila is a second year student at Sac State and this is his first semester on The State Hornet. Aguila hopes to become a sports journalist for the NFL or NBA after getting his bachelor's degree in journalism.

Aaron Lofton
Podcast Staffer

Aaron Lofton

Aaron Lofton is in his first semester as a journalism major and is in his first semester with The State Hornet. Aaron transferred from Solano Community College with an Associate's degree in graphic arts. He would like to be a sports talk radio host or co-host. He looks forward to gaining experience by working with The State Hornet.

Daniel Gonzales
Podcast Staffer

Daniel Gonzales

Daniel Gonzales is a political science/journalism major. He is a transfer student working on his final semester at Sac State. Daniel works part-time as a file clerk at a law firm and plans to attend law school shortly after graduation.

Aliza Imran
Podcast Staffer

Aliza Imran

(she/her) Aliza Imran is a 2nd year journalism major. She is an exchange student from Oxford, England. This is her second semester at The State Hornet is and is excited to return to the podcast team.

Evan Patocka
Podcast Staffer

Evan Patocka

(he/him) Evan Patocka is a senior majoring in communication studies and minoring in journalism. A native of San Diego, he joined The State Hornet in fall 2023. He hopes to pursue a career in sports broadcasting.

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