Selome Hailu
Co-founder, Co-Editor-in-Chief (2018-2020), Print Editor-in-Chief (2020-2021)
Selome Hailu graduated with an English degree in 2021 and now works for Variety, where she writes about TV and film. She credits her career to everything she and her friends taught each other during her time leading Afterglow alongside Annie Lyons — whom she first met at age 11 and remains close with to this day. Selome's favorite story she wrote for Afterglow dissected J. Cole's strange 2020 diss track about Noname. Her favorite story to edit — besides everything in Afterglow's first-ever print issue, which she launched — was Best Music My Ex Gave Me, a vulnerable but cheeky Valentine’s piece from 2019. These days, Selome is proudest of her profiles of people like Angus Cloud, Judy Blume and Lily Gladstone, but every time she comes across an interesting new musician, she thinks about how her Afterglow teammates might have covered it, and roots for everyone still holding down the fort.
Zoë Judilla
Digital Editor-in-Chief (2019-2021)
Zoë Judilla is a creative entertainment professional from Austin, Texas who is currently based in Los Angeles, California. She works in studio television at NBCUniversal, with additional credits at A24, NBC, Late Night with Seth Meyers and Texas Monthly. She was a part of Afterglow's founding Editorial Staff before serving as the Digital Editor-in-Chief for two years. Under her leadership, Afterglow saw a record increase in staff applications and 150% boost in readership engagement and awareness. Some of her favorite pieces written for Afterglow include retrospectives on Sufjan Stevens' Illinois(e) and Kate Bush's Hounds of Love -- however, she believes Afterglow is best defined by its collaborative nature, as seen in the Best Albums of the 2010s piece that closed out the last decade. When she's not listening to Mitski or Fiona Apple, you can find her rewatching Studio Ghibli films or collecting Smiskis (among other tiny trinkets).
Delaney Davis
Digital Editor-in-Chief (2019-2020)
Delaney Davis graduated from The University of Texas with a Bachelor’s Degree in Government and Spanish in 2021. Originally from the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, she loved calling Austin home during her college years. She served as one of the Digital Editors-in-Chief from the fall of 2019 to the spring of 2020. A true lover of pop music, Delaney’s favorite artists are what she calls her “big three:” Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, and Mariah Carey. Her favorite articles on the site are her plea for a Telephone sequel and Samantha Paradiso’s profile on Selena Quintanilla’s musical and stylistic flair. Delaney graduated from law school in 2024 and will begin her legal career at a law firm in Dallas. Afterglow was one the best aspects of her time at The University of Texas and she has loved seeing the publication continue to thrive.
Kriss Conklin
Digital Editor-in-Chief (2021-2022)
Kriss Conklin is a My Chemical Romance-adoring optician who served as Digital Editor-In-Chief when Afterglow ATX made its transition from Zoom University to IRL operations in 2021. She completed her Bachelor of Journalism in 2023 and frames it sideways in her suburban-Houston childhood home, which she currently haunts. The aspiring gay English teacher is most proud of their retrospective on MCR's divisive Danger Days album, and frequently reminisces about “What Ever Happened to “rAw TiMe?” Before leaving Austin, Kriss hosted their final KVRX radio show CINNAMON TOAST PUNK, and penned dozens of articles and two cover stories for the Austin Chronicle. Keep up with Kriss’ work on their website, or stalk her professionally and offer her a writing job on LinkedIn.