Good afternoon, Bearcats! We are officially returning to your lives as McKendree Media next week! This article will be the last one posted in the way you are used to. Our site layout will be changed, we will be posting more specific and consistent content, and we will have a much larger staff!
McKendree Media will be posting every week from now on, with Radio content on Tuesdays and Review content on Thursdays! You can find our Radio podcasts on our SoundCloud, https://m.soundcloud.com/mckradio. Our Review articles will still be posted on this site, but it will look a little different. We will be taking all existing articles and placing them in an “Archives” tab, and we will post new content in a new way. Come back here next Thursday at noon to check it out!
McKendree Radio and McKendree Review will have content regarding McKendree Culture, Sports, and Academia. That said, let us introduce our new head staff members!
Larry Davis: Head Podcast Producer
Hey you, reading this! I’m Larry Davis III, Head Podcast Producer of McK Radio! I’m not sure how long you have been here, but I am a senior here on campus (I’m proud to say I am a pre-COVID student—good times), but also I am a member of a few different organizations here on campus. I am the President of Alpha Phi Omega, the Vice President of Phi Beta Sigma, a member of Lambda Pi Eta, and (of course) I play football. Outside of that, I try to spend time sleeping because we all know that as a college student (athlete), we don’t get enough sleep. Well, that’s all that I have for you folks!
Jamari Johnson: Head Sports Producer
My name is Jamari Johnson, and I’m a senior from Chicago, IL. I play defensive end for McKendree’s football team. I am excited to work with McKendree Media because when I finish school, I want to work in Sports PR. With that position, they handle a lot of media for sport teams and having this opportunity to be the head producer for sports will help me know what to expect and how to handle sports media. I am also a huge sports person and talking about sports is just one of the things I love to do a lot so I am blessed with this position.
Zane Phillips: Head Academic Producer
My name is Zane Phillips and I am an International Relations major from Perry, Illinois. I am currently a member of the McKendree Men’s Wrestling Team and Model United Nations. I was recently an exchange student in Brazil from January to November of 2020 with the organization Rotary Youth Exchange. I enjoy playing guitar, listening to music, and studying different languages. I am excited to produce content for McKendree because I have always enjoyed NPR and local radio stations. They seemed, to me, an essential aspect of communication in smaller communities. I also think I could bring some interesting perspectives to the students of McKendree. I am super excited to produce content for you guys!
Mikalle Montgomery: Head McK Culture Co-Producer
Mikalle is a sophomore majoring in Sociology. They will be sharing the McKendree Culture Head Producer position with Courtney Smith!
Courtney Smith: Head McK Culture Co-Producer
Hi, I’m Courtney Smith! I go by CC. My major is business-marketing, I am a junior, and this is my second semester at McKendree. I am on the Women’s Water Polo Team and some of my hobbies include cooking, working out, making new friends, and hanging out with my dog. I am excited to be a part of the McKendree Media Team because I want to get involved on campus, put my thoughts and ideas on a bigger scale, and get feedback from the student body about different topics.
Marisa Ortega: Editor
Hi guys! My name is Marisa Ortega and I am overjoyed to be a new editor for McKendree Media. I am a Marketing major and I plan to go into sports marketing upon graduation. I come from a military family, so I have traveled my whole life, but I like to consider Ohio my home since I lived there the longest before moving to Illinois. Along with being a member of McKendree Media, I am a member of the McKendree Dance Team, I am a student worker with the Financial Aid office, and I enjoy teaching young children how to play soccer with Elite Fitness Training. I am excited to work for McKendree Media because it gives me an opportunity to help my peers by providing feedback so they can improve in every way possible. I am also looking forward to making life-long connections and friendships along the way.
Lauren Wilk: Editor
My name is Lauren Wilk (she/they)! I am pursuing a double major in English (Literature/Writing, Professional and Creative Writing), and I am from McHenry, Illinois. I used to be on the track and field team at McKendree as a hurdler. I love to read, watch Twitch and anime, and play video games! I’m excited to read and edit the variety of content submitted to McKendree Media, and eager to continue improving my editing skills.
Chloe Gamber: Head Academic Writer
My name is Chloe Gamber and I am from Anna, IL. I am double majoring in Computational Science and Cyber Defense. Currently, I am working for World Wide Technology as a full-time lab technician along with helping manage the Mckendree Cyber Security team. I am very excited to join the staff for Mckendree Media because in the past, I really liked writing articles for the Mckendree Review. I enjoy writing in a manner that is personal to me and building my writing skills. Communicating and sharing ideas with others involved in Mckendree Media will definitely be exciting! I would like to learn about events and occurrences and write about them in order to be more involved in the environment at Mckendree. I can’t wait to continue my journey through writing!
Abigail Kishimoto: Head McK Culture Co-Writer
My name is Abigail Kishimoto, and I am a Psychology major from a small town in Southern California called Yucaipa. I grew up focused on athletics and initially came to McKendree to play water polo. Unfortunately, I do not play anymore, but I am thankful that I ended up here with so many opportunities. Currently, I am a member of the Psi Chi Honor Society, a preschool teacher, and now a part of McKendree Media! I am very excited to have an opportunity to begin this new experience and write about all of the things that make McKendree so unique.
Kenneth Glidden: Head McK Culture Co-Writer
My name is Kenneth Glidden, and I am from the Cayman Islands. I am a computational science major and I’m entering my senior year here at McKendree University. I have been a competitive swimmer since I was 14 years old and, thanks to this, I was able to compete at the elite level that Bearcat Swimming and Diving achieves here at our university. As I enter my senior year, though, I find myself looking for new challenges to push myself. This is why I decided to change my sport in my last year of college to diving. Not only am I challenging myself physically with a new sport this year, but I’m also challenging myself creatively, which is why I am very excited to work for McKendree Media! I have always loved music, writing, and other various creative outlets, but I have never been able to experience them in a professional environment. That being said, I look forward to writing pieces for the McKendree Review, meeting new faces, and helping McKendree Media grow and develop into the greatest it can be!
Dylan Powell: Head Sports Writer
My name is Dylan Powell! I am a Junior at McKendree as a Sport Management major from Galesburg, Illinois. I am the President of the Inter-Greek Council, and a member of the Alpha Delta Gamma national fraternity. I also participate in Concert Band, Concert Choir, and Spirit Band on campus. While not on campus, I coach football at a local high school. This semester, I will be assisting the McKendree Review with writing sports articles for our newsletter, and one of the things I am most excited about is the coverage we will post about the sports McKendree has to offer. I’d love to put the spotlight on as many teams as possible, and write passionate articles about the athletes and programs.
Phoebe McCutcheon: Photography and Design
My name is Phoebe McCutcheon. This is my second year at McKendree and I’m an art major from Indiana. I love drawing, listening to music, making playlists, coffee and animals. I joined this team to broaden my horizons and grow more as an artist! I’m excited to work for McKendree Media!
Viola Cipriani: Media and Promo
My name is Viola and I’m a Sport Management and Marketing major from Italy. I am a Junior at McKendree and I am the Captain of the Women Tennis Team. I love travelling and I speak four languages. I am excited to work for McKendree Media because I am passionate about social media platforms and I love posting and organizing content. I am also, in fact, the admin of the tennis team Instagram page, and I make the graphics and contents for each game day.
Haley Rey: Editor-in-Chief
Hello, everyone! I will be the Editor-in-Chief this year for the Review. I’m from Columbia, IL, I’m a senior, and I graduate this December. I am majoring in Professional Writing and Communication with a minor in Theatre. I am a member of the McKendree Women’s Swimming Team, and I am involved in the Theatre department. I am a member of five honors societies: Phi Eta Sigma, Phi Kappa Phi, Lambda Pi Eta, Sigma Tau Delta, and Alpha Psi Omega. I work at the Writing Center, the Hett, and for the Review. I am also a peer mentor for NSO and UNI 101. I’m happy to have made McKendree my home in so many ways, and I plan to leave the Review in good hands!
Thank you for your patience as we’ve gathered our staff! We are very excited to be back. Aside from our head staff, McK Media will also be posting content from our regular content-creating teams. Keep an eye out for their pieces and podcasts! We look forward to entertaining and informing you soon.
