Aditi Chanda

Aditi Chandra, Editor-in-Chief (EIC) of The Hawk Talk, prioritizes giving back to her community and will continue to do so at the University of Michigan this fall. Pursuing a major in communication in media, Aditi has been committed to The Hawk Talk for the past three years, a commitment that has significantly enhanced her writing skills. Throughout her time at The Hawk Talk, Aditi showed support for her peers, assisting them during every class and Late Night. Alongside the rest of the EICs, Aditi worked to improve the Hawk Talk management approach, oversaw the flow of cycles, gave constructive feedback, and assisted with any writing blocks. 

 

Aditi is very involved at Madison, being a Lead Mentor for the Madison Mentor program. During her time as a mentor, she helped connect with the freshman class and ensure they felt valued as part of the Warhawk nation. Her dedication to service is clear. In her free time, she coaches a primary-level girls’ lacrosse team, in which she thoroughly enjoys seeing the girls grow, as not only players, but young women. She also carries the pillar of service to her work as the National English Honor Society president, where she plans monthly meetings and connect activities.

 

There are not enough words to describe the level that Aditi shows up for her community; she brings so much passion, support,  laughter and creativity to everything she does.

 

Arjun Hans

 

Born in Manhattan, New York, Arjun Hans has spent his high school years building a reputation as a dedicated student leader and journalist. After beginning his career in The Hawk Talk as a staff writer, Arjun worked his way up through the program and became the newspaper’s Editor-in-Chief by his senior year.

 

Over the past year, Arjun has helped guide the direction and production of the student newspaper, overseeing publication cycles and managing the overall vision of the paper. His leadership role requires balancing organization, communication, and creativity while working closely with writers and editors to ensure each issue is completed successfully.

 

Through his time on staff, he developed strong leadership skills and gained experience managing deadlines and coordinating with everyone in the cycles of the magazine.

 

Outside of journalism, Arjun enjoys swimming, rock climbing and spending time with his family and friends. He is best known among friends for his deeply expressed love of Taco Bell and refreshing sweet iced tea.

 

Following graduation, Arjun will move to Pennsylvania to attend the Carnegie Mellon University School of Computer Science. He plans to double major in computer science and robotics, fields that reflect his longtime interest in technology and innovation.

 

Eva Santos

 

Eva Santos, Editor-in-Chief (EIC) of The Hawk Talk, has been an integral part of the Madison community for the last four years. She will be attending William & Mary in the fall, where she is undecided on a major, but has plans to take courses in Hispanic Studies. Before becoming EIC, Eva was a designer, and she has continued to work as one, even as EIC. During her time in journalism, Eva has poured endless love and effort into The Hawk Talk, and has undeniably shaped what it will be for years to come. She has juggled designing, editing and leading the class with grace. Few, if any, have worked as hard as she has this year on behalf of the paper.

 

Notwithstanding all the time Eva invested in the Hawk Talk, she still managed to participate in, and excel in, countless other activities. She is president of Creative Writing Club, which she has attended for all four years of high school. There, like at The Hawk Talk, she has fostered an environment of warmth and creativity for Madison’s writers. Eva also shines in her Spanish classes and even attended the Spanish Governor’s School last summer.

 

However, Eva isn’t only involved in academics. Eva has spent four years on MadLuv, Madison’s girls’ ultimate frisbee team and even won States in 2025. Outside of Madison, Eva has been dancing Bollywood since she was five years old and has been teaching classes since the eighth grade. 

 

Eva has made an incredible impact on Madison and has been the greatest role model throughout her time here. We are incredibly sad to see her go and incredibly excited to see what she will do. Whatever she pursues, we know that she will bring the same infectious joy, passion and intelligence that she has brought to us in her time here.

 

Monica Wong

 

Monica Wong has been a beloved member of the Madison journalism community for three years of her high school career. Monica, our Online Managing Editor, has been a member of The Hawk Talk for two years and a member of the yearbook for three, where she’s been their Editor in Chief for a year. 

 

Aside from journalism, Monica has also been a treasured member of the Color Guard team for all four years, starting as a member before climbing her way up to equipment manager and then captain for two years. As a junior, Monica joined National Honor Society (NHS), displaying her leadership skills and leading to her selection as NHS president. Monica has also been a part of the performing arts community as a Co-Crew Chief, with Mark Uchitel, from T shirts and programming and a board member of the International Thespian Society (ITS) as the Clerk. Monica has had a huge influence in the Madison community from sports to journalism to performing arts, she has been a member of countless clubs and is beloved by many. 

 

We are devastated to see her go, however Towson University is ready to welcome her with open arms, as she goes on to major in Art and design at the Honors College.

 

Genevieve Wilson

 

Genevieve Wilson, the Art and Layout Editor, has been a crucial member of The Hawk Talk team. She joined the staff in her sophomore year and quickly discovered her love for design, leading her to become a designer her junior year. As the Art and Layout Editor, she has been an essential leader in planning each issue and teaching new designers how to conquer InDesign. She’s designed many eye-catching spreads, though her favorites were her article ranking bagel places and the political party in-depth.

 

Outside of school, she is almost always at the pool. Passionate about swimming from a young age, Genevieve wakes up early each morning to swim on her club team for Machine Aquatics. After school, she participates on the Madison Swim and Dive team, where she has been a captain for one year. In between her summer practices, she is a swim instructor and lifeguard at the Lee Graham Pool. 

 

Genevieve also loves going on side quests with her friends, including Wawa runs and visiting her favorite teacher, Mr.Shipman, just to name a few. She is a movie and TV aficionado, often binging shows while she’s designing.

 

This fall, Genevieve is going to Ithaca College in New York, and she plans to major in marketing while continuing to swim on the college team.

 

Gretchen Schmitt

 

Gretchen Schmitt, News Editor, has been a beloved part of the Hawk Talk since her Junior year, blending humor with hard work. Aside from journalism, she has been an active and engaged member in the Madison community. This year she served as president of Rho Kappa, coordinating community service and guest speakers to enrich members’ social studies education. In addition, she was a lead mentor who helped train other mentors to welcome the Freshman class to the Madison community.

 

Gretchen continued her civic duty in Girls State, where she took an active role in simulating Virginia politics. She ran for office and was elected as the mayor of her city. In this role, she coordinated city activities, passed laws and even gave a speech at the end of the program to the entire “state.” While there, she explored topics in feminism, civic engagement, service and honoring veterans.

 

Above all, though, she is a passionate and hard-working ultimate frisbee player. She joined Madison’s team in November of her Freshman year and quickly worked her way to captain. She also captains Vanguard, Virginia’s mixed ultimate frisbee team, to a fourth place finish at nationals. Most recently, she was selected for Team USA’s under-20 mixed team after a competitive tryout and application process. She will play at the World Junior Ultimate Championships with Team USA in Spain this summer. 

 

Gretchen will continue her education at Middlebury, a liberal arts college in Vermont, where she plans to study economics.

 

Caroline Berry

 

Caroline Berry is currently the Opinion Editor for The Hawk Talk and has been on staff for three years total. During her time on staff, Caroline has written several articles in each section but especially loves to write opinion pieces. As an editor, she has guided many of her fellow writers in conveying their voices and opinions in their writing.

 

Caroline’s favorite class at Madison was AP Lang with Mr. Lebendig, as it changed her life and deepened her love of writing. Caroline has published a few essays on the impact art can have on someone experiencing grief.

 

In her time at Madison, Caroline has been on the field hockey team for all four years as a varsity player. For the past two years, she has been the captain of the team and will truly miss the friends and community she found on the team.

 

Next year, Caroline will be taking a gap year to study theology in England. She will be attending the Capernwray Bible College in the Lake District where she will take classes and learn about the Bible as well as exploring the United Kingdom. 

 

Caroline will likely attend Virginia Tech following her gap year and plans to major in English or criminal justice. She plans to continue writing and editing as she plans to pursue journalism or criminal justice.

 

Maddy Lehman

 

Maddy Lehman has been a dedicated part of the Madison journalism program for all four years of high school and has spent the last three on the Hawk Talk staff. She started as a staff writer, before stepping into the role of a features editor for two years, helping to share stories and opinions on student lives, events and the school community. Outside of journalism, Maddy has been highly involved in Madison athletics and has competed in cross country, indoor track and outdoor track throughout high school. She also enjoys babysitting and volunteer work, especially opportunities that involve working with children. In the fall, Maddy will attend James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, where she will study elementary education and aim to turn her passion for helping others into a career.

 

Emily McKinley

Emily McKinley, Arts and Entertainment Editor, has been a member of the Hawk Talk for two years. Over the past year as the Arts and Entertainment editor she has breathed new life into the section. She fostered a welcoming environment to passion projects like “The decline of men’s fashion,” reminding us all of the importance of art in our lives.

 

An Eagle Scout, she highly values the ability to inspire others with her words. For her Eagle project, held in October of 2023, she installed a whiteboard at the Inova Fairfax NICU (Neonatal Intensive Care Unit), allowing parents to comfort each other during some of their darkest times through inspirational messages and shared experiences. Emily pursues a myriad of interests, from Scouting and frisbee to orchestra and writing. She has played violin since fourth grade and has been a part of the Philharmonic and Chamber Orchestras at Madison. She is a member of Creative Writing Club and enjoys writing fiction pieces, such as mysteries and science fiction.She is also the spirit captain for Madison’s frisbee team. Emily is dedicated to making the world a little brighter for those around. She will be attending Virginia Tech, studying English, in the fall.

 

Will Feutcher

Soon to be studying Marketing Management at Virginia Tech, Will Feutcher has been a proud member of the Hawk Talk for three years, and part of the overall journalism program for four years. Will has contributed to many articles throughout his time in the class, especially articles relating to sports. As part of his role as a sports editor, he would oversee, edit and give productive feedback on all of the sport articles. 

 

Inspired by his father, who used to be a basketball coach, Will gained love for the sport at a young age and played throughout his childhood. While he may have not been on the varsity team for his years as an underclassman, by his upperclass man years, he earned a prominent role as the captain of the team. During his time as captain, Will instilled the importance of camaraderie, which he believes is the most important component to a team’s success. He also tried to be vocal to instill motivation before games. In addition to Will’s speeches, other teammates would start off a speech with a quote relating to their team goals. While his team didn’t quite have the season he desired for his final year, he had a memorable season bonding with teammates and having fun during his tournaments and games. Will’s favorite memory with the team was going to Florida for a tournament. Above all the energy and passion that Will brought to the game has not only instilled inspiration within his teammates, but also among his classmates within the Madison community.

 

Megan Hutchison

Megan Hutchison, a beloved designer of The Hawk Talk, plans to continue sharing her spirit at Virginia Tech in the fall, where she hopes to study food science fueled by her interests in chemistry and food.

 

Over the last three years, Megan has developed many incredible design skills, particularly with her creative visions and ability to use Photoshop. She catches readers’ eyes with bright colors and sharp photos. Along with her digital art, viewers can see her skills in her mixed media art as her pieces are displayed in art shows throughout the Vienna community. 

 

Aside from her artwork, Megan has been a vital part of Madison’s track team for the last four years. Some of her favorite memories happen at the fun practices where they play games and have collaborative team moments. In her free time, she enjoys attending concerts with friends. Some of her favorite artists include Temper Trap, Alex G, Blood orange and Fiona Apple. Anything where she can hang out with friends and get food!

 

She enjoys working with kids and currently works at Green Hedges. For her senior WINGS project, she is giving back to her community as a teaching assistant at her elementary school, Louise Archer. As an essential member of The Hawk Talk staff, Megan will be greatly missed as she continues her education at Virginia Tech.

 

Elizabeth Rose

Elizabeth Rose, a designer for the Hawk Talk, executes her determined mindset in both her work and her relationships. She’s truly somebody who can be relied on when it comes to completing her work on time while also helping others do the same. Elizabeth has committed to the University of South Carolina to further study art education.

 

Elizabeth has been a part of the Hawk Talk since sophomore year, and she has been an extremely helpful member, during her time on the paper; her designs have always stood out in the same ways that she has, through creativity and strong-standing innovation. Elizabeth has also been a part of JMHS Color Guard team for eight seasons, performing in many different shows, including championship-winning “I Remember” and “Gravity.” She’s not only an amazing and helpful teammate, but she’s also the equipment manager for color guard. Elizabeth gives back to everybody, including the Vienna community, such as volunteering for the Community Center during middle school. While she used to be a student, she now teaches gymnastics to children.

 

Anna Glassman

 

Anna Glassman has been a shining star in both the yearbook and newspaper communities during her four years at Madison. In yearbook, she served as both Editor and Staff Director, where she distinguished herself as a leader and supportive teammate. Though she has only taken journalism for one year, her bubbly personality and passionate writing have left a lasting impact on The Hawk Talk, and her work as teaching assistant for Journalism 1 helped students grow as writers and as people.

 

Anna has always been interested in teaching. Anna has worked as an SAT and math tutor throughout her high school career. For her senior WINGS project, she’s interning at The Village School, a small, project-based elementary and middle school. Outside of academics, she’s been teaching swimming for the past three years and leads Little Chompers (a swim program for 5-6 year olds). Her love for aquatic sports doesn’t stop there, though, Anna has been on Madison’s crew team for the last two years. She greatly enjoys the opportunity for exercise and time in nature granted by rowing.

 

Anna will be attending the College of William and Mary, where she plans to study philosophy, psychology or neuroscience. She also intends to join a plethora of clubs and study abroad during her time there. We have greatly enjoyed our time with Anna at The Hawk Talk, particularly her penchant for managing to connect every article to her favorite discussion topic: artificial intelligence. We look forward to seeing how she manages to tie it into her future pursuits.

 

Holly Lauer

Although staff writer Holly Lauer has been on the Hawk Talk for only one year, the impact she has had on the Madison community will not be forgotten. From competing on two of Madison’s sports teams to giving speeches for Morgan’s Message and leading Best Buddies, Holly has helped the Madison community thrive.

 

Holly has enjoyed the comradeship of both the Madison Lacrosse team for four years, two of which on varsity, and the Madison Swim team for three years. In addition to being a multi-sport athlete, Holly has also advocated for athletes’ mental health as an ambassador for Morgan’s Message and has promoted friendship between students with and without intellectual disabilities as Vice President of the Best Buddies club at Madison. 

 

One of Holly’s favorite Best Buddies events was a fundraiser called the Friendship Walk, where Best Buddies clubs from across Virginia met in D.C. and walked across the National Mall to raise money and awareness. As a Madison ambassador for Morgan’s Message, a non profit organization that focuses on athletes’ mental health, Holly has helped host meetings, dedicate sports games at Madison and deliver speeches, all of which have helped eliminate the stigma surrounding student-athletes’ mental health. 

 

Holly’s peers and teammates will miss her compassion and positivity when she leaves to attend Notre Dame in the fall to major in Marketing, but we know she will continue to make a difference and uplift others in her community at Notre Dame.