The Junto
Influencer Edition 2021
I had form’d most of my ingenious acquaintances into a club of mutual improvement, which we called The Junto. -Benjamin Franklin
People
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Colette Potter // Copy Editor
I remember watching Lady Bird one winter night a couple of years ago. Though I did not especially love the movie, I could appre-ciate the artistry and thought that went into it. Fast forward two
years, I was watching Little Women for the second time in the movie theaters. As the pandemic continues on, I have been watching more movies and TV shows. I have started to appreciate the movies I got to see on the “big screen” much more, and often think of Lady Bird and Little Women. Both are critically ac-claimed and were mas-terly pieced together. Greta Gerwig directed both of the movies, and also wrote Lady Bird. Lady Bird was even roughly based on her
childhood in Sacramento, CA, and had some strong elements of the reality of grow-ing up, as well as makgrow-ing hard decisions. The Lady Bird protagonist struggles with the decision of going to a cheaper, in-state
school, or a New York City school for the arts, which she was more interested in. The same storyline is present in Gerwig’s own life, as she moved from Sacramento to New
York City to pursue the arts. Gerwig was originally an actress, and was even nominat-ed for a Golden Globe for her role in
Frances Ha, which she also co-wrote. She later shifted to directing.
It is absolutely wonder-ful when there are fe-male directors and oth-er women in leadoth-ership positions for these films. The movies Gerwig di-rected also had strong female protagonists.
Greta Gerwig is a great example of the triple threat. She has written, acted, and directed no-table works, including both indie and main-stream films. Greta Gerwig was the fifth woman in motion pic-ture history to receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Di-rector. She is an influ-encer in a world, as shown by the lack of female director nominations, dominated by men. Her work is thoughtful. It seems like every movie that Gerwig writes or directs is with intent for every line. Gerwig’s movies are likely to keep improving, and I would not be surprised if the next time Gerwig is dom-inated for Best Director she wins.
Greta Gerwig
The Junto
Sarah Hyland
Kellie Painter // Off Leash Editor
As a child and even now I have always been skinny. People praise me all the time for hav-ing a body type like a model and wishhav-ing that they were small like me. While on the flip side, I have people telling
me that I am too small and that I look like a twig. Being called skinny is just as offensive as call-ing someone fat. One person that has really helped me feel confident through all the criticism is Sarah Hyland.
I first heard about Sarah Hyland through the
ABC show “Modern Family.” Hyland played the role of Haley Dun-phry, the rebellious teen in her average American Family. I did not watch the show, but whenever I was bored I would go back and watch it. As I
grew older, I began to follow Sarah Hyland more closely. In 2012, Hyland spoke out
about having her first kidney transplant given to her by her dad. What most people did not know is that she rejected the kidney four years later. When Hyland’s body rejected the kid-ney she went through a stage of depression because she felt guilty that her body did not take it. Her brother ended up being a match and Sarah was nervous because she did not want to fail him. Hyland dealt with dialysis, endometriosis, and abdominal hernias all
As she got sicker, people started to realize that she was losing weight. Many fans started
commenting things, saying that she looks pho-toshopped or that she is promoting anorexia.
Those things could not be further from the truth. She proceeded to write out a message to her fans explaining her situation which she defi-nitely did not have to do. In the message she ex-plained that she was sick and did not want to ex-plain further on it at that given time. Sarah Hy-land also wrote out that she does in fact eat say-ing, “And you’re right! I should eat a burger! Cause they’re f***ing de-licious!” I can relate to this so much because I always have people telling me to eat more and that I need to “put more meat on my bones” it becomes insulting over time.
Sarah Hyland cannot help being skinny and neither can I, it’s just the way our bodies are built. I have learned to embrace it over time and become more confident in myself. I can now ignore the negative comments because I know that there are people out there that struggle with the same things as me, such as Sarah Hyland.
January 2021 People
Alexandria 0casio-Cortez
The first time I heard about New York’s 14th congressional district U.S. representative,
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, or better known as AOC, I was watching a
video of her calling out a fellow male representative. She called out this repre-sentative for his poor be-havior toward women and for specifically calling AOC names I cannot write in this article. Her fierce con-frontation, that never fails to bring me chills, inspired me as a young woman. The more I learned about
AOC, the more inspired I became.
AOC was born into a Puer-to Rican family in the
Bronx and went to school at Boston University. After college, she returned home and worked as a bartender,
as well as a waitress. AOC worked countless hours to provide her widowed mother, who worked as a school bus driver and house clean-er, help to fight the threatened foreclosure on their home.
AOC began her work in politics by joining a firm and the nonprofit National Hispanic Insti-tute. She later worked as an organizer for
Bernie Sanders’s presidential campaign in 2016. AOC traveled hours across the country
in her own car to speak to citizens that were af-fected by the Flint water crisis and the Dakota Access Pipeline.
It was not until AOC visited standing rock when she real-ized she could make some-thing of herself in the polit-ical world. In a past inter-view, AOC stated that she believed the only way to run for office effectively was to have access to wealth, social influence, and power. How-ever, when she visited North Dakota, she saw people
“putting their whole lives and everything that they had on the line for the pro-tection of their community.” Since then, she has wanted to do the same for her
community.
AOC not only became the youngest woman to be elect-ed into congress at age 29, but she has also made an impact on young women like me. Holding a position like hers brings me joy to know that I can be anything if I work hard enough, even with the barrier of being a fe-male. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the defini-tion of an idol to me and hope to become a hardworking, driven, strong woman like her someday.
The Junto
Alania Mariano // Editor-in-Chief
January 2021 People
Miley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus is a singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. She was born on November 23, 1992 in Franklin, Tennessee. Her parents are actress and producer, Tish Cryus, and country legend, Billy Ray Cyrus. Many found Miley Cyrus from her lead role in Disney Channels’ TV show “Hannah Montana” from 2006 to 2011. The American Sitcom is about a teenager named Miley Stewart who lives a double life, transforming into a famous pop singer that goes by Hannah Montana. Her friends and family are the only people who know about her secret identity.
After the show ended, Cyrus changed her image from a child entertainer to an adult pop star im-age. She chopped off her long brown hair got a platinum pixie haircut. In 2013, Miley Cyrus re-leased a song called “Wrecking Ball” which is in her fourth studio album, Bangerz. When the mu-sic video came out it caused a lot of attention because of how different it was from her other mumu-sic videos when she was younger.
Miley Cyrus changed her image again with a more tone down than it was during her “Bangerz” era. She felt that phase of her life has come to the end. Cyrus found a balance between maintain-ing a seductive appeal but keeps thmaintain-ings more natural like her makeup for her photo shoots.
In an interview with ‘Insider’ she stated that “You should be able to change and be who you are at any time. Like, you should not be glued to gender, to age, to race; those things should not define you.” In 2015, Cyrus launched Happy Hippie Foundation, which supports LGBTQ+ and home-less youth. Miley Cyrus clarifies that she does not label herself as gay, bisexual or straight in a con-versation with ‘TIME’.
Miley Cyrus is the epitome of a carefree person. She promotes the idea to not care what others think and to do what you want to make yourself happy. It does not matter how many changes you made in your life, it matters how you grow more as a person, a better you.
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Nailah Lockhart // Photography Editor
January 2021 People
Margaret Atwood
Julianna LoPiccolo // Off Leash Editor
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When you think of the biggest influences of Gen Z, an 81 year old Canadian poet is not usually the first person who comes to mind. Al-though ever since 2017, I cannot go far without hearing the name Margaret Atwood.
The first time I heard of Mar-garet Atwood was during the 2017 Emmys, during which The Handmaid’s Tale was nominated for seemingly end-less awards. Of course I had heard of the show, but had not watched it--I did not have a Hulu subscription. When November 2019 rolled
around, I finally got a Hulu account and watched the first season, then the second sea-son, and eventually, the third.
I was captivated by the world that was so much like mine, but not (which makes it even more horrifying). And when I find things I like, I make them my life. I wanted to know
everything about everyone who had anything to do with the show, and eventually I watched
Margaret Atwood: A Word After a Word After a Word Is Power, the documentary on Atwood’s life. She was intriguing, brilliant, creative in a way I wish I could be, and unbelievably empa-thetic. Ever since discovering her and her work, it has been hard for me to go a day without thinking about themes she planted in my mind.
Although she never stopped writing, Margaret Atwood’s work has gone through a renaissance in recent years, making her mark on Gen Z.
Through The Handmaid’s Tale, her most prom-inent work for modern generations, Margaret Atwood has warned of the possibility of dangers when, ultimately, man reaps the consequences of destroying the world. She may be known as a writer, but Atwood also made it her life mission
to speak up about the beauty of the environment and na-ture, and what we stand to lose when our indulgences be-come too much.
She lyrically holds a mirror to women in the eternal grasp of male fantasies in a haunting excerpt from The Robber Bride. Atwood also paints a vivid picture of sex in society and what it means to be a woman in almost all of her work--notably again, The Handmaid’s Tale. As a result of its prominence in pop cul-ture, women began wearing red gowns and white wings, like the handmaids in the novel, to protest reproductive rights and gender equality. All of this thoroughly establishes her as a feminist icon, and these are only the novels I am familiar with.
If you have not, I highly suggest watching, if not reading, The Handmaid’s Tale and see for your-self Margaret Atwood’s genius in the mark she has left on many generations, including my own.
Nolite te bastardes carborundorum.
January 2021 People
Michelle Obama
Compassionate, independent, and powerful are few words to describe one of my biggest role models, Michelle Obama. She is known for being one of the most passionate First Ladies in history due to keeping a balance between her warm heartedness and powerful speeches. In Obama’s 8 years in the White House, she addressed women’s rights, public health, and racism.
Michelle Obama attended Princeton University and Harvard Law School. Early in her career she worked at the law firm Sidley Austin where she met Barack Obama. She worked in nonprofits, as the associate dean of Student Services at the University of Chicago, and as the Vice President at the University of Chicago Medical Center. She served in the White House on the cusp of Gen Z’s shift into young adult independence. We began to form our own opinions and gain perspective on human rights and politics while she was in office. Having a strong, nonwhite, female representative who is one of the leaders of the U.S. to look up to has pushed me to become the strong young woman I am today.
I have many goals for myself, but the one I kept closest to my heart as I grew up was to be coura-geous and ambitious in everything I do. As I have become older, it has become less of a goal and more of a mindset, thanks to Michelle Obama. Her influence remains high even after Barack Oba-ma’s presidency has ended, and I will always keep her on a high pedestal in my head.
People
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Mallika Pal // Places Editor
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John Mulaney
Julia Vinci // Copy Editor
In order to be a comedian, you’ve got to be slightly chaotic, as well as have stories to tell, and one man in particular certainly fills those requirements. With material about everything from airport mishaps to playing “What’s New Pussycat?” 21 times in a row on a jukebox in a diner, if there is an awkward experience to ac-cidentally have, John Mulaney will have had it. In just 38 years of life, this stand up comedian has gathered a ridiculous
amount of hilarious stories, which he has utilized to be-come one of the most success-ful comedians in the world.
John Mulaney was born on August 26th, 1982 in
Chicago, Illinois. From a very young age, he knew he want-ed to go into show business. He actually had the opportu-nity to audition for the role of Kevin in the film “Home
Alone,” but his parents de-clined. His career took off years later, when he met Nick Kroll and Mike Burbiglia, and joined the latter on his stand up tour, where he quickly gained stage presence and fame. In 2008, he gained a
spot on the writing team for SNL, where he stayed for six seasons. Mulaney was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstand-ing WritOutstand-ing for a Variety Series, and won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics at the 63rd Prime-time Emmy Awards with Justin Timberlake. He has achieved many more awards since. He is also a voice actor on the hit show Big Mouth.
Past all of his many comedic and perfor-mance achievements, perhaps one of the most powerful things John Mulaney has done is checked himself back into rehab after continu-ous struggle with substance abuse. The strength to get the help one needs to overcome a very serious addiction is fantastic, and Mulaney has demonstrated that he has that power. Even while he was struggling, he would always
ap-pear on stage with a glowing smile on his face, and pep in his step. For the sake of his fans and viewers, Mulaney pushed through.
Stand up comedy is very near and dear to my heart. When I was younger, I was given the two audiobooks by Jim Gaffigan; “Dad is fat” and “Food, A Love Story.” I lis-tened to them every single night, to the point where I had every single word memo-rized. Then, my interest pool expanded. I loved John
Pinette, Kathleen Madigan, Mike Burbiglia, and more.
Eventually, I stumbled upon John Mulaney, and my sense of humor has never been the same. To tell stories that make other people erupt in laughter and delight is so special, and is a wonderful skill, and is one that John Mu-laney has mastered. To me, he represents smil-ing through your struggles, findsmil-ing light in
darkness, and having the power to get what you need.
January 2021 People
Chris Evans
Actor Chris Evans, best known for his portrayal of Captain America in the wildly successful Marvel franchise, has shed his superhero per-sona and stepped into the world of American politics.
In July 2020, the lifelong Demo-crat launched a new website, A Starting Point. The website’s purpose is to create a more in-formed electorate by presenting both democratic and republican views on policy and social issues. Evans has interviewed dozens of bipartisan contributors for his website, including Senators Ted Cruz, Cory Booker, and Mitt Romney. The website regularly features debates between Demo-cratic and Republican politicians in a series called
“Counter-points” to show thoughtful dis-cussion on complicated issues. For example, in one debate,
Congressman Adam Schiff, a Democrat repre-senting California, and Congressman Jodey Ar-rington, a Republican representing Texas, en-gage in a spirited and insightful discussion on whether there should be a federal mask man-date. “The more people involved in politics, the better,” said Evans in a video posted to promote the new website. “Hopefully the people who have no experience in this arena will find this site to be an intuitive and friendly access point.” Followers of the online channel will also find answers to commonly asked questions about
health. Though some questions are fairly
straightforward -- What is impeachment? What is a carbon footprint? -- others are more com-plex. For example, Should abortion be legal in the United States and, if so, under what
cir-cumstances? These are called “Starting Points.” For every question, visitors can select a po-litical leader from each party to hear their answers in short, two minute clips.
Before beginning A Starting Point, Evans said he has always been passionate about politics. In 2012, the actor confirmed his support for same-sex marriage, saying, “In 10 years, we’ll be ashamed that this was an issue.” Evans reaffirmed his pro-choice beliefs when he publicly criti-cized the Human Life Protection Act in 2019, which placed a
near-total ban on all abortions in the state of Alabama. In 2016, he endorsed
Hillary Clinton for president and has also been an outspoken critic of former President Donald Trump. (An interesting note, Trump declined to meet with Evans to have his views included on A Starting Point.) In October 2020, Evans and several of his Marvel co-stars participated in a virtual fundraising event for President Joe
Biden’s campaign.
Though Chris Evans may only play Captain America on screen, there is no denying that he holds the title in real life as well with his
politi-The Junto
Sienna Walenciak // People Editor
January 2021 People
Billie Eilish
It is mind-boggling to think one of the world’s top musicians, arguably ever, is practically my age. Her very first song, titled Ocean Eyes, was released back in 2015. At that time, I was mere-ly in the 7th grade, 13-years-old. I could baremere-ly deal with the coming-of-age lifestyle, let alone having an innovative artist compose and pro-duce her first song that went viral across all platforms. Grammy’s, Billboard Music Awards, Teen-Choice, MTV awards, etc. were stacking up year-after-year, albums
that paved the way for a new generation of music, and fashion choices that shook the Earth to its core was only the beginning. Now at the age of 19, she has be-come a landmark for almost every Gen-Z kid’s way of life. Her name, of course, is Billie Eilish.
Born on December 18th, 2001, Billie was born and still resides in Los Angeles, California. In fact, she still
lives with her brother who is also a notable mu-sic artist, Finneas. One thing that has remained constant in Billie’s life is music. She and Finneas would play piano together, write songs, utilize different instruments, computer programs for recording and producing music, etc. It is the au-thenticity that gives her a massive glow in the spotlight. She started out small and all she needed was one big hit, and boom, she was on the rise.
Billie changed the way we look at fashion too. Aside from her impeccable singing, her fashion choices are unique to her. Oversized androgy-nous pieces, blinged-out jewelry such as rings and bracelets, and ever-changing hair color are what she does. The reason she does this is be-cause of the body-shaming and targeting that is
experienced within young-women around the world. She doesn’t show much skin or much of her body because she does not want to be
picked out in a crowd based on how she looks, and typically by men. Covering-up her body shows that she can be known for more than just a body type or how many curves she’s got. It is inspiring, and the message she puts across is a massive flip-off to Hollywood and the misogy-nistic music industry.
Her voice, however, can be picked out by almost any-one. It is a blended-mix of alternative, indie,
“chillaxed,” rock-esque mu-sic with a dash of pop. This brand of music is on the rise and she is the catalyst for this genre of music. Billie currently has only two-al-bums out, “Don’t Smile At Me” and her most recent al-bum “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” With only two albums out released over the course of 5 years, she already has jaw-dropping amounts of awards, record-breaking Grammy wins, and sold-out tours like no other. To think she is only 19 and has ac-complished this much already is awe-inspiring. She connects with our generation. She is one of us. Her personality is raw and she, according to many people that have met her, is one of the most genuine people on the planet. When peo-ple go back to her meet and greet, Billie re-members them by name! It is hard and an ex-treme rarity to find someone in the modern-day music industry that resembles her. Billie Eilish, at the age of 19, will forever be one of the greatest influences in not only the music indus-try but in the world as a whole.
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Branden Cunard // P.O.V Editor
January 2021 People
Malala Yousafzai
Malala Yousafzai was born on July 12, 1997 in Mingora, Pakistan. She was named after Pa-kistan’s own Joan of Arc-Malalai of Maiwand. Malala grew up loving school and learning-her father ran a girls’ school in their village. How-ever, in 2008 the Taliban extremists took control of their town in
2008, banning things such as own-ing a television and listening to music, and enforcing harsh rules and punish-ments for those who disobeyed them. They even barred girls from attending school. She was only eleven when she could no longer go to school.
Malala soon began to advocate for girls and their education, gaining a reputation for her work. In October 2012, at 15 years old, she was shot by a masked gunman in the side of her head. She was rushed to a hospital in Birming-ham, England, where she woke up 10 days later after being shot. The world was praying for her recovery. In 2014, she made the decision to not stay quiet and to use the platform given to her to continue to advocate for girls and their edu-cation. She founded the Malala Fund, an orga-nization that works to provide an education to every girl so she can choose her future. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in Decemeber 2014 at 17, becoming its youngest recipient. In
2018 she began studying philosophy, politics, an economics at the University of Oxford, and she graduated in 2020.
Malala continues to fight to ensure all girls 12 full years of free, safe, and quality education, as there are still 130 million girls worldwide who
are not in school due to poverty, conflict, and gender bias and struggles. She wrote a book about her life and her movement at age 15 called “I am Malala.” It de-tails her experiences, early life and
ac-tivism, and how she became the young woman she is today. Malala is truly an in-spiration to all peo-ple, but especially to young girls. Her life and work show how her perseverance and passion, and how she not only got through the difficul-ties life presented her with, but also used them to further her work and impact. The bullet meant to kill her did not silence her voice, but amplified it. She is a self-proclaimed feminist and she says that her life’s work is advocating for opportunity, equality, and moderate Islam. She is humble, kind, and incredibly intelligent-and she is actively working to help educate girls to allow them to have a future that they can choose.
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Rachel Arzoumanian // Copy Editor
January 2021 People
David Goggins
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“Only you can master your mind, which is what it takes to live a bold life filled with accomplish-ments most people consider beyond their capa-bility.” -David Goggins
Without a doubt, David Goggins is the toughest man alive. He has
over-come racism, abuse, obesi-ty, and poverty. He is the only serviceman to ever complete training in the Navy, Army, and Air Force, becoming a Navy SEAL, Army Ranger, and an Air Force Tactical Air Con-troller. After his service in the military, he would go on to run 100 mile races and set a record for pull ups. Goggins's life experi-ences were all compacted into one book--his biogra-phy--titled “Can’t Hurt Me.” Although this book
records his tremendous physical feats and chal-lenges, it is his mental determination and
strength that is so inspirational.
When you look at the accomplishments listed, David Goggins is clearly an amazing man. But when you start to understand what went into those challenges you then realize how truly im-possible his accomplishments were. For instance, in his journey to becoming a Navy SEAL, he was tasked to lose 106lbs in less than three months in order to be submitted into the train-ing program. That is impossible. Or at least, that is what everyone told him. Although, by
some miracle he did it. In his book he outlined how this feat was accomplished and to say the least it was insane. He worked out and ate as lit-tle as possible all day everyday for those three months. He explained how mentally challenging it was but also explained that that’s all it came
down to--a mental chal-lenge. From 100 mile races to BUDS (Navy SEAL training program) it was not about the physical as-pect, but it was all mental. What is so inspiring is that all the odds were stacked against David Goggins from youth and yet he still overcame his challenges and became the man he wanted to be. All because he was mentally tough. In the face of adversity, he never gave up and he real-ized that through the suf-fering he endured he came out stronger.
That is the exact message he preaches everyday. Face adversity, challenge yourself and push
through your mental barriers and you will suc-ceed. He has over 2 million followers on Insta-gram, 240 thousand on Twitter and 400 thou-sand on Facebook. It is his no nonsense, tough, motivational prowess, and inspirational stories that truly draw people in. He has and will con-tinue to motivate me and all of the people with-in his followwith-ing to become greater and push the boundaries of life from now and for years to come.
Isaak Torres // Copy Editor
January 2021 People
Tom Scott
Tom Scott is one of the originators of internet influencers. For the past 15 years he has created websites and videos for fun, and has amassed a following of 3.5 million people. The way he has influenced people is via these same creations, as he shares his spoofs, and
travels with others,
showing what others can make and research
themselves.
Tom’s videos are about many different subjects, most of them being informative trivia videos, introducing any of the over 200 things he has reported on. However, he also show-cases his own projects, including an emoji key-board, multiple cases of satirizing governments and organizations that then come back to bite him, or a program that
regularly changes a YouTube videos title. He shows off all of these fascinating projects, but what really makes him down to earth is his video where he makes breakfast with a clothes iron, not because of the content, but due to his own words years later: “I kept making stuff.”
It is hard for me to say that anything he has done is something no else could do, but what makes Tom so influential is that he goes
along with ideas that he wants, writes about them, and then shares them with others. Tom is fully capable of working on large projects, and has worked on plenty, but he also has many small projects to show and creates those out of
an honest interest in what he works on. He travels to places with wild stories, and his viewers get to find out about themas if they are reading of a plaque
near where he films these same stories.
Often starting a
project of our own, or even just finding out about and exploring re-gions near to us seems daunting, but starting small and going out there can always be a satisfying feeling. Tom Scott is a great example of someone who is im-pressive due to how much effort and time he puts into what he finds interesting.
Tom Scott may not be as remembered as Hol-lywood stars, or politicians, but he is one of the billions of people on this world with a story to tell, and he simply does a fantastic job at it. I chose him as my influencer because he has af-fected the internet, and in so doing Humanities thoughts.
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Steven McDonald // Copy Editor
January 2021 People
The Junto
A History of
Influencers
Gabriella Feltmann // Copy Editor
There have always been influencers. Maybe not with that name, and not in the specific way we know now, but there have always been people with influence. People that set trends, people that others listened to. People that others followed and respected. The term “influencer” was first used in the 1600s, but not in the way we know it today. It wasn’t a job, there wasn’t an “influencer cul-ture” in the way there is now. Today, we know influencers as people who use their platform, most often social media, to share their opinions and connect with others. They have large fan bases that share and respect their opinions. But this isn’t a new concept. Marie Antionette was born in 1755, and is most famous for the phrase “let them eat cake” (which she probably didn’t actually say) and the loss of her head during the French Revolution. But she was also an incredibly popular fashion and design influencer. Upon her introduction into the French monarchy, she devoted her time and money to planning extravagant outfits and designing the interiors of her home. She was one of the first consumers of haute couture, and she helped to elevate fashion, and still today we see celebrities wearing styles that influence and are imitated by society. Vincent Van Gogh is one of the most fa-mous artists of all time. Not while he was alive, no, but his art style has influenced so many artists since his death. Van Gogh poured passion into his art that not many others did. In music, some more famous artists were Queen and the Beatles. Everyone has heard of them. They had incredible fan bases, and everyone knows their songs. I mean, if you don’t know at least some of the words to Bohemian Rhapsody, where have you been? Freddie Mercury was openly bisexual, and he was a champion to many. The Beatles worked with many different genres of music, and they were a cul-tural phenomenon for their time. These people were all influencers in their own right, long before the word took on the meaning it has today. They had no social media, but they connected with their followers in other ways. People listened to them, and they set trends and helped change the way people thought about their areas of influence. And that is what an influencer is.
January 2021 People
Staff-Ed
The Junto has a podcast! This month hosts, Kellie and Julianna, talk with senior Editor-in-Chief, Alania Mariano, to find out her plans after high school! They will also be
releas-ing a “Month in Review” episode where they will speak on all January events to wrap up the month. You can listen to new episodes now by clicking the link featured on the Easton
Area High School homepage, as well as Spotify, Anchor, Google Podcasts, and more.
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January 2021We often think of influencers as unattainable, picture-perfect people. Or, perhaps as people our age who are doing what we think of as unimaginable. But the staff of the Junto wanted to explore the idea of everyone being a possible influencer. Involvement seems to be at the very heart of influencers.
The way we, as high school students, can “influence” is through community involvement. This may be holding the door open, being a part of clubs and school activities, and overall small acts of
kind-ness. The main idea was to spread positivity through our own personal influence on others around us. Part of this positive personal influence was discussed as keeping an open mind, and lending ear to
a friend or classmate. Aside from personal influences through the “small things,” the Junto staff looked at activism through social media influence. Activism can be using our own individual plat-forms on social media to be outlets for the topics we are passionate about, as well as to be influenced
ourselves by a community of others. We can have influence over each other through the discussion and exchange of ideas, both online and in-person. To conclude, promoting our passions and
practic-ing positivity is the main way we can be influencers ourselves.
PA Covid-19 Total Case Count- 814K U.S. Covid-19 Total Case Count- 25.3M
The Staff of the Junto
Advisor - Jeannine N Capecci Editor-in-Chief - Alania Mariano Points of View - Branden Cunard
Places - Mallika Pal People - Sienna Walenciak Photography - Nailah Lockhart
Copy Editors Colette Potter Gabriella Feltmann Isaak Torres Rachel Arzoumanian Steven McDonald Julia Vinci Off Leash Editors
Kellie Painter Julianna LoPiccolo
