meet the editors!

Janie Bickerton

Digital Editor-in-Chief Janie Bickerton is a third-year English and Classical Languages major with a minor in Media and Entertainment Industries. Originally from New Orleans, she loves any and all things music-related, with her favorite genres being the many branches of pop, ‘90s alternative rock, and jazz. Her first concert was One Direction supported by 5SOS in 2014, a fond memory that she sadly has no evidence of because her iPod Touch lost its memory. When not writing and editing for Afterglow, Janie can be found re-watching Succession, translating Latin, searching for the best coffee in Austin, or petting whichever cat comes her way. Her biggest flaw is that she treats her Spotify Liked Songs as her go-to playlist, but she embraces all 821 songs proudly.

Rachel Joy Thomas

Digital Editor-In-Chief Rachel Joy Thomas is a fourth-year Journalism major minoring in Media and Entertainment Industries. Hailing from San Antonio, Texas, she grew up listening to Duran Duran and The Police before disovering the rest of the music world. A notable characteristic about her is that when she says, "I like all genres of music," she genuinely means it! She could switch from JPEGMAFIA to Dolly Parton in seconds while still driving like an old lady, something her friends always tease her about. Besides constantly consuming music, Joy enjoys travel content and the outdoors. Although her life revolves around vinyl records and Spotify streams, she dallies in writing fiction and hopes to publish a book one day under a clever alias.

Sydney Meier

Sydney Meier, Afterglow’s Print Co-Editor in Chief, is a third-year Government as well as Rhetoric and Writing student from Austin, TX. Even though she is a Rhetoric student, she cannot pinpoint a definition of the term when someone asks her, “How is Rhetoric different from English?” If you ask her about Mitski or the Love Island panopticon, just expect her to ramble continuously for hours, taking different tangents along the way. If you can’t find her at any of your local coffee shops, she is probably rewatching her favorite insufferable, messy main characters on “GIRLS” or “Broad City” on her laptop when she could watch it on her TV.

Antonio Arizmendi

Content Editor Antonio Arizmendi is a second-year Art History major minoring in Cultural Anthropology and Core Texts and Ideas through the Jefferson Scholar program. Raised in Corpus Christi, Texas, he has a soft spot for all things Selena and reggaeton, but also enjoys mashing together genres like shoegaze, midwestern emo, brasileira, and classical in his many Spotify playlists. His first concert was a 100 Gecs show (yes, it was amazing), and his favorite artist has been, and will always be, Björk. He adores teaching at the Blanton Museum of Art and discovering new artists, but in his free time, you’ll probably find him rewatching a Gregg Araki film or perusing Austin for the best curries around.

KAILEEN ROOKS

Digital Managing Editor Kaileen Rooks is a third-year Rhetoric and Sociology double major with a minor in Classical Studies. She hails from a nondescript suburb outside of Dallas and attributes most of her love of music to her totally awesome parents. Her favorite genres range from rap, to long-form improvisational jazz, punk rock, and anything and everything psychedelic. But she often says there’s very little music she doesn’t enjoy (and yes, that includes country). She can often be found crying to Ethel Cain in her car or furiously air-guitaring to Big Mama Thornton. When she’s not glued to her headphones, Kai spends her time reading gothic novels, researching music history, or rewatching yet another Robert Eggers film.

Julianna Riccioli

Content Editor Julianna Riccioli is a fourth-year English Honors major with a minor in French Studies and a certificate in Creative Writing. She's often found discussing the lore of Dracula (see also: is very annoying about her Dracula thesis) and the intricacies of the Unfriended films. When she's not asking you what your current Spotify daylist title is (at the time of writing this, hers is: "Comforting Desiderium Sunday Afternoon") or making her way through all of the NYT games, you can find her listening to bands like Big Thief, The Velvet Underground, Mannequin Pussy, Snõõper, and Slow Pulp.

Claire Hookstra

Claire Hookstra is a junior corporate communications major minoring in media and entertainment industries and business. She absolutely loves the Austin music scene and going to as many concerts as she can! Some of her favorite artists right now are the Japanese House, Role Model, and Mt. Joy! Outside of music, she loves being outside and exploring the city.

Valeria Mota

Content Editor Valeria Mota is a second-year marketing student with a minor in journalism and media. Born and raised in Monterrey, Mexico, she grew up listening to anything her parents played on the radio until she fell in love with Hip-Hop after listening to Chance the Rapper's Coloring Book in 2016. Today, Vale genuinely listens to everything, with currently over 100 albums on her "To Be Listened" list. Her favorite artists include Kendrick Lamar, Fiona Apple, Phoebe Bridgers, and Tyler, the Creator, and she still holds the somewhat childish belief that Frank Ocean will release music soon. Besides writing for Afterglow, Vale enjoys reading classic novels, watching award-winning movies and shows, and constantly badgering her friends with album rants and movie recommendations.

Social Media Editor Danny Rojas is a third-year Marketing student from San Antonio, TX. He’s a music lover to his very core, which has turned into the ultimate music critic. If you ever need your taste analyzed, he’s the man to ask. When he’s not listening to music, he’s probably asleep. When he is listening to music, you might find him listening to hip hop or punk rock. He’s committed to finding a place and making a name for himself within the music business, whether it be on the label side, publishing or live music.

Social Media Editor Anna Catherine Gonzalez is a senior Psychology and Sociology double-major from Sugar Land, TX. She loves matcha, poetry, and yoga, as well as Shoal Creek and Barton Springs. In her free time, you can find her making music, drawing silly little pictures, or listening to songs on her Hello Kitty CD player from 2007. Her favorite artists are Deftones, Title Fight, Scarlet Rae, and Dayglow, but she likes all kinds of music. You can find Anna Catherine on Instagram at @annaiecatherine and on all music platforms as wonderedya!

Digital Design Editor Grace Xu is in her second year of studying Advertising. She loves creating and consuming stories, so in her free time, she is usually immersed in a comic book or scribbling on her tablet. Her music taste consistently features j-pop music, ranging from artists like Kikuo to takayan. Occasionally, she’s in the mood to listen to some boy pablo and PinkPanthress, but she usually just plays her 17 hour vocaloid playlist to avoid choice overload.

Photo Editor Elina, known to most as Lina, is a fourth-year sociology major with a minor in communicating social issues. She was born in Oahu, Hawaii but growing up she moved between Texas and Hawaii until she eventually landed in DFW. As a diehard fangirl and true Pisces, she's often found tearing up behind the camera at live shows. With over three years of experience in concert photography, Lina began her photography journey in Arlington, Texas, where she connected with talented local artists like Yasmeen*, Bubby, Sly Fungi, and Psychic Love Child. While she has a soft spot for DIY house shows, her portfolio also includes some of her all-time favorites, such as Wolf Alice, Arctic Monkeys, Greta Van Fleet, Wavves, and Cage the Elephant. Although she can’t choose just one favorite genre, she always appreciates a good guitar solo. Lina is also the co-editor in chief for Euphonic Magazine and photo editor for Crunge Magazine. You can view her photos on her Instagram and Twitter @rascomedia or view her full portfolio here https://rascoe.carrd.co/