Masthead

Lily Galapon ’26

galapon26l@ncssm.edu

Lily Galapon is a senior from Charlotte and a 1C2C1D Reynolds warrior braving the Modulars. With a childhood love for weaving and sharing stories, she especially loves to write poetry and write creative fiction. Outside of the Stentorian’s journalistic sphere, Lily loves to dance ballet in any studio she finds, stitch videos of her day into cinematic film-vlogs, daydream on FaceTime with her family, and happens to be an avid matcha drinker. She is delighted to serve as Editor-in-Chief and is looking forward to bridging together stories of the human experience with a positive platform of student journalism. 

Sneha Khetan ’26

Khetan26s@Ncssm.edu

Sneha Khetan is a senior from Charlotte, a proud resident of Fourth Bryan, and a storyteller for as long as she can remember. When she’s not writing (or editing what others have written), Sneha is a self-proclaimed cinephile who loves swimming, baking vegan desserts with her sister, exploring Durham’s restaurants with friends, and keeping her 1,000-day Duolingo streak alive. She’s honored to serve as Editor-in-Chief this year and is committed to making The Stentorian a space where students can be heard, seen, and remembered.

Tejasvi Shirolkar ‘26

Shirolkar26t@ncssm.edu

Tejasvi Shirolkar is a senior from Cary, where she attended Green Hope High School. While she serves as a journalist at NCSSM, Tejasvi’s first true love of writing began with poetry. Fun Fact: she used to have an anonymous TikTok account where she wrote poetry about nature! Apart from The Stentorian, Tejasvi is often found curling up in the Fourth Bryan lounge couch, on the tennis court to play late night pickleball, and on nature walks with friends all around Durham. She is honored to serve as Editor-in-Chief of The Stentorian and is looking forward to a thrilling year!

Trinity Tunby ‘26

Tunby26t@ncssm.edu

Trinity Tunby is a senior from New Bern, NC, and a resident of Third Beall. Where her love for writing first began with short diary entries and her D.A.R.E essay, she also enjoys writing and researching poetry (with particular intrigue in the confessional mode), playing trombone, and experimenting with new coffees. As such, you will often find Trinity browsing the shelves at the Regulator, studying in Monuts, or adding to her collection of records at Hunky Dory. She is excited to engage with her role as Editor-in-Chief to shed light on unsung happenings around campus!

Lily Frank ’25

frank25l@ncssm.edu

Lily Frank is a senior from Hillsborough, NC, and a current resident of Second Beall. She enjoys spending time creating music on her harp, playing Stardew Valley, or spending time on Ninth Street with her friends. She hopes to go into animal biology, whether that be ecology, genetics, or veterinary sciences. Her love for journalism started at her home high school, Eno River Academy, with her first piece on animals in her local community.

Viviana Gardner ’25

gardner25v@ncssm.edu

Viviana is a senior at NCSSM from Greenville, North Carolina where she attended PCS Early College and was a founding member of the Newspaper there! She is interested in Psychology and plans to major in that after NCSSM. She absolutely loves exploring new places and is always listening to music. You can often catch her in the cafeteria or the library writing or talking to her friends.

Noah Fine ’25

fine25n@ncssm.edu

Noah Fine is a senior originally from Durham, NC. When he’s not doing Chemistry homework, he’s probably thinking about math, literature, public policy, music, and the way they interact with each other. You can often find him at Quickly’s, battling his financially crippling boba addiction (and losing). Journalism is a new interest of his since he arrived at NCSSM, and he is always looking to improve his writing abilities. Feel free to help him in his search for new and interesting art by sending him song, book, or movie recommendations!

Marcellus Day ’25

day25z@ncssm.edu

Marcellus Day is a current senior from Princeville, Edgecombe County. He loves complicated problems with even more complex answers, and everything puzzles. When not investigating odd activity around campus, he can be found watching The Muppets, putting together an outfit, or lounging in an egg chair. He hopes to utilize his passion to help theorize the very nature of problem-solving using mathematics and computer science. 

Caroline Downs ’25

downs25c@ncssm.edu

Caroline Downs is a senior from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, originally from Atkins High School. Her main academic interests include art and engineering. She can often be found doing the New York Times games, especially Strands, which is what inspired her to create her own puzzles.

Preston Mullins ’25

mullins25p@ncssm.edu

Preston Mullins is a senior from Moyock, North Carolina, where he attended J.P. Knapp Early College High School. He is a resident of Hill. He is planning on majoring in Communications after graduation from NCSSM and pursuing a career in Sports Broadcasting/Journalism. In his free time, he enjoys playing and watching sports, spending time outdoors, hanging out with friends and family, and playing the alto saxophone and piano.

Louisa Weinard ’25

weinard25l@ncssm.edu

Louisa Weinard is a senior from right here in Durham, NC. She is an avid lover of the fine arts, and can frequently be found snapping pictures of pretty flowers, performing on stage, crafting with her hallmates, and engaging in photojournalism. She is also passionate about exploring the connection between the STEM fields and the arts and seeks to further bridge the gap between these two subjects in her academic pursuits going forward.

Gyani Patel ’25

patel25g@ncssm.edu

Gyani Patel is a senior at NCSSM, originally from Asheville, NC, where she attended IC Imagine High School. She is interested in physics, but also loves music, reading, and sleeping. Stemming from her love for books, Gyani enjoys writing, and pursues journalism as a hobby. She also likes being outside in nature, and you can often find her writing/doing homework outdoors.

Vincent Shen ’25

shen25v@ncssm.edu

Vincent Shen is a senior at NCSSM and is originally from Cary, North Carolina, and he lives on 3rd East. In his free time, you can find him taking photos with his camera, jogging at a local trail, or trying on new clothing. He is interested in harnessing the power of photojournalism, and he currently serves as an Editor for Humans of Science and Math.

Hima Manne ’25

manne25h@ncssm.edu

Hima is a senior from Morrisville, NC where she attended Green Hope High School. She loves painting, reading, soccer, and animals; specifically horse riding. When she’s not running or playing soccer, she’s writing about sports for the Stentorian, with interests in investigative and creative journalism. She hopes to pursue neuroscience and radiology after graduation.

Mabel Kennedy ’25

kennedy25m@ncssm.edu

Mabel is a senior at NCSSM originally from Baltimore but was raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the mountains of NC. She is passionate about music, specifically experimental, North African, and indie music, as well as art (you should submit to Blue Mirror), and snowboarding. She is interested in all things humanities and will probably end up pursuing
political science. She is new to journalism but is very excited to learn more!

John Kirk

Engineering Instructor

kirkj@ncssm.edu