Editors
Kristin Merrilees: Arts & Pop Culture
Kristin Merrilees is from Chicago, Illinois and uses she/her pronouns. She is an editor for the Arts & Pop Culture section of the website. She enjoys writing about the environment, social media, and pop culture.
Lauren Zakari: Arts & Pop Culture & Environment
Lauren Zakari is a freshman at Barnard College, originally from Los Angeles, California. She is an editor for the Arts & Pop Culture and Environment sections. She's most passionate about the environment and politics, hoping to major in environmental policy (although, she's not sure what route she wants to take after graduating). When she isn't writing or editing, Lauren can be found watching crime TV shows, listening to artists like Dayglow, Conan Gray, and Okey Dokey, and impulse buying crazy earrings.
Aisha Mahal: Health & Lifestyle
Aisha Mahal (she/her) is a student from the UK, currently studying in Barcelona for a year. She studies Politics and International Relations, with a focus on feminism and conflict studies. She is passionate about anti-racism and intersectionality, both of which influence anything she writes. As one of the Health and Lifestyle editors, she believes in empowering other Gen-Zs to speak openly and proudly about the issues that impact their everyday lives, from mental health to social media. Aside of VofZ, her interests lie in travelling and activism. Her plan for the future is to keep studying and researching. She hopes to pursue a master's in War Studies.
Isabel Petricka: Health & Lifestyle
Isabel Petricka is a sophomore in high school from Hudson, Wisconsin and uses she/her pronouns. She is an article editor for the Health/Wellness and Lifestyle section at VofZ, and loves working with the diverse collection of writers we have on the team. In her free time she likes to play volleyball and work at her job. She is an aspiring business management major and hopes to work in management someday.
Zoe Kass: LGBTQ & Feminism
Zoe Kass (she/her) is a junior in high school from Houston, Texas. She strongly believes in the power of writing and its ability to create a more open-minded and accepting world. In her free time Zoe works with other high schoolers to fight period poverty through education and political advocacy.
Safa Ahmad: Politics & Activism
Safa Ahmad is a Junior in high school from Cincinnati, Ohio and uses she/her pronouns. She enjoys editing articles and is passionate about politics and activism. Apart from VofZ, she enjoys getting involved with her local county politics and is very interested in minority representation. In her spare time, she enjoys doing the daily NYT Wordle, spending time with friends, and reading.
Jodhi James: Politics & Activism
Jodhi James is a student at the University of Washington and uses she/her pronouns. Jodhi is currently majoring in English literature and is an editor for the politics and activism section. Outside of writing, she is a coffee enthusiast and loves to try local coffee shops during her free time.
Nkemdi Obiamalu: Politics & Activism
Nkemdi Obiamalu is a senior in high school from Southern California that uses she/her pronouns. With Voices of Gen Z, she is one of the editors for the Politics & Activism section and enjoys hearing the opinions of each of the writers in her section. She is an aspiring business major, and devotes her time to developing interests such as volunteering and forms of advocacy.
Layla Hussein: Race
Layla Hussein (she/her) is a current junior in high school from The Bronx, New York. As an article editor for the Race section of the VofZ publication, Layla enjoys writing articles on her own time that pertain to revealing the Black experience in America. She also enjoys creative writing and leads the first teen-based literary magazine in the Bronx titled "Journals of Color". Outside of work, Layla is obsessed with Glee and listening to all of its covers, as well as Harry Styles, BTS, Lorde, and much, much more. To stay in touch with Layla, feel free to connect with her on her Instagram (@foreva.hulay)!
Liliana Dass: Race
Liliana Dass is a senior who attends high school in Queens, New York and she uses she/her pronouns. She enjoys painting and cooking and also likes to play the violin. Apart from being an editor, she manages her school’s cheerleading team and writes articles for her school newspaper.