As we’re getting to know you through your costumes, we thought you might want to get to know us through ours! Here’s the dream team behind each edition of The Universe
Lucy Schouten is the editor of The Universe. She dressed up as Snow White in an effort to promote casual cape-wearing. She is a senior studying journalism, Middle Eastern studies and Arabic.
Steven Potter is deputy editor of The Universe. He loves sports, and his wife even more. He, and his wife, are the frustrated parents of a male Beta fish named Harry Potter, who painfully, is on a hunger strike. His dreams include beat writing for the Seattle Mariners, and one day raising a little boy named after the famous, scarred, chosen one, Harry Potter. He has dressed up as two of his heroes: Abraham Lincoln and Batman
Brooke Weenig is the editorial assistant and senior reporter of The Universe. She is a professional beatboxer and loves cookie dough. Here she is, doing a fabulous Spider-Woman impression.
Marieka Lee is an editorial assistant for The Universe and loves helping out the editors in any way she can. An online shopping enthusiast, she has accumulated over sixty pairs of shoes and marvels at the miracle that is Amazon Prime. Marieka hopes to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the near future, but, until then, she is loving life as a freshman and is content with having an undeclared major.
Jenna Randle is a journalism major, and a life editor at The Universe. She and her husband Sterling, also a comms major, are just waiting to grant wishes as The Fairly Oddparents.
Kristina Smith is a Life desk editor for the Universe, majoring in Journalism and minoring in Visual Arts. She is a vegetarian who fosters a healthy obsession for Nirvana and Slab pizza. Kristina was a Valfre girl for Halloween; google it.
Erica Palmer is a junior from the quaint town of Mapleton studying print/multimedia journalism. She loves to travel; when she was 16 she made a goal to visit a new foreign country every year for the rest of her life. She speaks Spanish and Chinese (but she’s not Asian, despite common belief and her Mulan costume) and hopes to be a foreign correspondent for a major newspaper one day. She has a slight obsession with animal documentaries and Harry Potter.
Colin Holmes is a metro editor at The Universe . He is from Kansas City, KS and loves art, photography and music. He is currently building his second guitar and hopes to pursue a career in PR and communications with a major guitar manufacturer. While dressing up like a black sheep may seem a little woolly, he couldn’t resist.
“I ordered a ‘DON’T HASSLE ME I’M LOCAL’ shirt, so I could be Bill Murray, but it hasn’t arrived. So now I’m Landon Donovan for Halloween.”Donovan Baltich, one of two campus editors, is studying public relations and hopes to work in East Asia one day. He owns five movies on DVD — three of them are Bill Murray movies.
Jenna Koford is a senior journalism student who enjoys Netflix, the movie Elf, and that moment when the sheet drops at BYU basketball games. She is campus editor for The Universe and her hero is Michael Scott. Jenna is more excited for Christmas, but today she’s Miss Universe.
Katie Nielson is the Sports Desk Editor and lover of all things BYU sports. A journalism major, she hopes to pursue a career as a sports writer and eventually become an author. When she is not obsession over football you can find her shopping, reading or riding horses. Go Cougars!
Mallory Jesperson is a San Diego native who is currently the opinion editor for The Universe and web content manager for BYU’s channel 11 news. She is majoring in broadcast journalism and when she isn’t out on political assignments for The Salt Lake Tribune, you can find her playing with makeup, strumming a ukulele or changing her hair color.
Samantha Williams is a Universe Photographer and Editor. She is a senior studying print and digital journalism, with an editing minor. Outside of school she works as a professional dancer and choreographer. Follow her @samijowilliams.
Makenzie Jamias is a Layout Designer at The Universe. She doesn’t have a hometown, she loves to travel, and could listen to Taylor Swift and Drake all day long. Her little family includes her husband Josh and their fish named Bob.
Jessica Olsen is a page designer here at the Universe. She’s curious about everything and asks a lot of questions, which pretty much sums up why she aspires to be a journalist. She also loves photography and dreams of traveling and taking pictures for various magazines and newsstands. In her spare time she listens to Norah Jones on her record player and talks to friends late into the night. Her motto is “wherever you go, go with all your heart,” (Confucius).
George Gonzalez is the developer of The Universe, and created its Halloween Harry Potter website. He doesn’t say much (because he’s a mime) but he can animate like a pro.
David enjoys contemporary art, international cinema, and making Youtube videos about why Taylor Swift should date him. His biggest dream is to grow a beard. He picks out the comics for The Universe and run the @BYUdates twitter account. Check out the Boy Wonder on the back of the latest issue of TWO magazine
