By Jake Strickler, Editor-in-Chief
After losing much of last year’s staff to graduation đ we at Das Tor have had to embark on a hiring spree over the last month. With our roster locked in for the semester, we’d like to take the opportunity to introduce the paper’s new voices. We could not be more thrilled about them and the wide range of fresh perspectives they bring to the team. We’re looking forward to a semester of energetic, creative, and vital work from them. Without further adieu, we present Das Tor’s new Fall 2016 Staff Writers:
AARON ROCKWELL (MGM â17)
Ex-rockstar turned Army captain turned global mastermind. Fitness zealot; he chews sugarless flavorless gum imported from Turkey. Took way too long to learn to tie his shoes and how to not wet the bed, but once he got on a roll, heâs been learning and growing at hyper-speed. His writing style is a constant battle between âis this funâ versus âwill this crush my odds if a future employer reads this.â Reprimanded by all for tearing out pages from books, but he is interested in reading and writing only the âgood parts.â Contact: aaron.rockwell@tbird.asu.edu.
JANHAVI HUNNUR (MGM â17)
Digital storyteller attempting to live life outside the comfort zone. Bitten by the wanderlust bug, voracious reader and budding wildlife photographer. Learning to give data a convincing voice through analytics. Firm believer that we all are universe in ecstatic motion. Contact: jhunnur@asu.edu.
CHRIS BARTON (MAGAM â18)
Chris was born in the mountains of Colorado, and then proceeded to commit himself to doing what he can to make positive change in the world. He loves art museums, obscure theory, and the smell of creosote. If he was a jelly bean, he would be pear flavored. Contact: cjbarton@asu.edu.
LAURA AVILES SEGURA (MGM â17)
Laura also serves as Alumni Relations Rep for Thunderbird Student Government, and a Campus Ambassador Leader. Her last job was as Coordinator of International Relations in a business school in Peru. Â She also has more than four years of experience in the departments of marketing and sales as a business development executive. Upon graduation, Laura would like to pursue a consulting role in the business/international relations field. Laura was born and raised in Lima, Peru and is fluent in Spanish and English. Contact: llaviles@asu.edu.
JULIO ESPINOZA (MGM â17)
Progressive, non-partisan, political scientist and economic developer; expert and advocate of the US-Mexico relationship. Senior associate to the Mexican Council on Foreign Relations. Representative in Arizona for the Municipalities of the National Action Party in Sonora 2015-2018. Specialties: International Affairs, Diplomacy, International Security, National Security, US-Mexico relations, US-Mexico trade and investment. Contact: julio.espinoza@tbird.asu.edu.
MARY RICHARDSON (MAGAM â18)
With her father a professor and her mother a teacher, Mary was raised by readers, writers, and storytellers who never said no to buying a book. After graduating with degrees in English Literature and Art History, Mary traveled in Turkey on a research and teaching grant before returning to the U.S. to pursue political and campaign work â first in Texas and then the East Coast. This afforded her the opportunity to learn to pack everything she owns into two suitcases in under an hour. Born in San Francisco, Mary is rooted in the music, culture, and history of the West though her curiosity extends well beyond that. Contact: mgrichar@asu.edu.
These writers are joining the returning Das Tor writers and leadership:
Lauren Herber (MAGAM â17), Editor-in-Chief
Lauren is a full-time student at Thunderbird pursuing her Master of the Arts of Global Affairs and Management. She developed an interest in literature and language at an early age, a passion that led her to pursue an education in world literature and the Spanish language. While specializing in immigration services at a nonprofit organization, she discovered her love for grammar and translation. She enjoys writing for Das Tor as it gives her an opportunity to get to know new people and to research important topics. Contact: lauren.herber@tbird.asu.edu
JAKE STRICKLER (MAGAM â17), Editor-in-Chief
Jake was born in Boulder, Colorado, and â as the son of a T-Bird â grew up in such exotic locales as Adelaide, Australia; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; and Las Vegas, Nevada. He settled back in Boulder for college and obtained degrees in Journalism and Film History from the University of Colorado. After graduating, he spent four years running a chain of Cuban restaurants before deciding that he wanted to pursue a career in international business. His interests include cooking, rock-and-roll, 1950s crime movies, history, and collecting stacks of books that he totally intends to read some day. Contact: jake.strickler@tbird.asu.edu
NASH WILLS (MAGAM â17), Co-Editor
Nash Wills is a current MA student from Augusta, Georgia. After recently returning from Argentina where he lived and worked as a teacher, he now joins the larger Thunderbird family along with the Das Tor team. Nashâs affinity for reading and writing can be attributed to both his motherâa voracious reader herselfâalong with the time that he spent studying history at the University of Georgia. His writing style is reflective of not only his taste in literature, which mainly revolves around fiction, history, and biographical works, but also of his southern heritage and style. Contact: ndwills@tbird.asu.edu
ALEX MARINO (MAGAM â17), Staff Writer
Alex Marino is a student of Masterâs in Global Affairs and Management at Thunderbird. Born in New Orleans, Louisiana he has a deep passion for blues juke joints, Cajun/Creole cuisines, and diverse street culture. Family, culture and relationships inspire me. Contact:Â alex.marino@tbird.asu.edu.