Spring 2019 GBSJ Editorial Board:
Izaki Metropoulos, Editor-in-Chief
Izaki Metropoulos grew up in Chicago, Illinois. His areas of interest include Medieval Literature, Romanticism, Class Politics, Psychoanalysis, and Occultism. He is a member of the All-Illinois Academic Team and the recipient of multiple literary awards at Wright College– including the Styne Award and the Matthew Arnold Award. After graduation, he will attend Williams College to pursue a major in English Literature. Outside of school, Izaki plays traditional Greek and Balkan music professionally and frequently travels across the United States as a multi-instrumentalist. In his spare time, he loves to learn new languages, strike up conversations about controversial topics, and endlessly surf YouTube.
Lileana Cavillo, Associate Editor
Lileana Calvillo grew up in Chicago, Illinois. After graduating from the City Colleges of Chicago, she will pursue a double major in Literature and Political Science at Smith College in the fall of 2019. After finishing her bachelor’s degree, she plans on pursuing a Masters in Public Policy with a focus on health care policy. Lileana enjoys studying Shakespeare and Women’s literature, as well as International Relations. In her spare time, she enjoys watching Netflix and reading. Lileana also is very fond of her two dogs Melo and Maya.
Michel Girata, Associate Editor
Michel Girata grew up in Chicago, Illinois. She is majoring in mechanical engineering and will be attending the University of Illinois at Chicago in the fall of 2019. She has always loved literature, especially science-fiction novels. Currently, Michel serves as the vice president of the Wright College Student Government Association, where she spends most of her time helping with various student engagement events on campus.
Louis Kahn, Associate Editor
Louis Kahn was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1990. He graduated high school from the Chicago Academy for the Arts with a focus in poetry. After working in New York for three years as a journalist, Louis returned to Chicago to finish his undergraduate degree. He will attend the Moody Bible Institute to pursue a degree in Theology and Christian counseling.
Trevor Knepp, Associate Editor
Trevor Knepp is a student at Wright College.
Maria Nguyen, Associate Editor
Maria Nguyen grew up in Chicago, Illinois and currently attends Truman College. She became the first in her family to pursue a college education. Her academic interests include Biology, Mathematics, and Foreign Languages. Throughout her academic life, she has enjoyed volunteering for non-profit organizations (e.g., Hana Center and Alliances with the Great Lakes). Along with her studies, she is active in Student Government as Head of Marketing & Communications, Phi Theta Kappa as VP of Fellowship, and the Environmental Club as Secretary. She will transfer to Loyola University Chicago in the fall of 2019 to study Biostatistics.
Roberto Pacheco, Associate Editor
A returning student to Wright College, Roberto is the vice-president of the Great Books Student Society and the Vice-President of Fellowship at Phi Theta Kappa. A former promoter and tour manager of the local metal and punk scenes, Roberto is now focused on obtaining an undergraduate degree in Business and Philosophy with aspirations to attend law school in the future.
Michalle Penaherrera, Associate Editor
Michalle grew up in Chicago, Illinois. She aspires to become a criminal defense attorney. Her interests are in criminal justice reform, economics, and photography. Some of her accomplishments include her selection as a One Million Degrees scholar and as an Ambassador of PODER: a program for low-income Latinos that prepares young adults for jobs in banking. Michalle will be transferring to Loyola University in Fall 2019 where she will pursue a degree in criminology/criminal justice.
José Rivera, Associate Editor
José was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. During his time at Wright College, José was President of Phi Theta Kappa, Secretary of the Great Books Student Society, and a member of Stage Wright. Graduating in December 2018 with his associate degree, José now attends DePaul University where he pursues a double major in Finance and Theater Performance.
Alisa Scott, Associate Editor
Alisa Scott is a Wright College college pursuing journalism. In late 2018, she participated in her first collaborative mural projects in Humboldt Park. As of now, Scott is exploring other art forms as she approaches the completion of her degree; she hopes to transfer, explore photojournalism, and continue creating art. Her ideas and opinions on literature are shaped by a protagonist’s internal conflict or external struggles which force them to overcome their flaws.
Gabby Sotelo, Associate Editor
Gabby was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. The daughter of a single immigrant parent, Gabby is the youngest of four kids and a first-generation college student. She aims to pursue a degree in the interdisciplinary fields of psychology, political science, literature, and law. Gabby enjoys participating in elections, serving her community, and being an avid activist. She also loves spending quality time with her family, as they are everything to her. Despite being shy, she loves getting to know people and exploring other cultures through food, music, entertainment, and religion.
Victor Colomé, Assistant Editor
Victor Colomé was born in the Dominican Republic but grew up in the West Side of Chicago. After graduating from Wright College, Victor will pursue a major in mechanical engineering with a minor in biomedical engineering. He aspires to invent prosthetics and other products with the hope of revolutionizing the way all people live, regardless of one’s financial background. Through the Chicago Summer Business Institute, Victor has worked as an intern in Chicago’s City Hall, and he is currently a Chicago Scholar. In addition to his work with the Great Books Student Society, he is also a member of Phi Theta Kappa. Apart from his passion for technology, he is also enthusiastic about literature and poetry, with a specific interest in the works of William Shakespeare. In his spare time, Victor often tries to pick up new skills, like learning a different language or playing an instrument, in his attempt to become a modern-day renaissance man.
Sophia Metropoulos, Assistant Editor
Sophia Metropoulos, a student at Wright College, grew up in the Northwest Side of Chicago. She has worked as a student ambassador in the Advising and Transfer Center, was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa honors society, and serves as the secretary of the Great Books Student Society. Sophia is also in the process of creating a neuroscience club at Wright College. After graduation, she plans to pursue a double major in literature and psychology to work as a professor and researcher. Outside of school, Sophia is passionate about her culture, performing traditional Greek and Balkan music professionally. In her leisure, she loves photography, researching cognitive development, and creating art.
Michael Petersen, Faculty Advisor and Editor
Michael Petersen has been a professor at Wright College since 1999. He teaches literature and composition and is interested in Shakespeare studies, medieval and early modern literature, nineteenth- and twentieth-century British and American literature, and film. He received his Ph.D. from Northern Illinois University, and his dissertation discussed couplets and sententia in Shakespeare’s Sonnets.
Spring 2019 Faculty Editorial Panel:
Aleisha Balestri, English Department
Elizabeth Bobo, University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Helen Doss, English Department
Justin Holt, Humanities Department
Kelly Kristof, English Department
Michael R. Mauritzen, English Department, Oakton Community College (IL)
Jean Lauer, Humanities Department, Austin Community College (TX)
Anna Proffit, Humanities Department
Suzanne Sanders, Analytical Writing Program, University of California, San Diego
Natasha Todorovich, English Department
Brendon Zatirka, English Department
Spring 2019 Graphic Design Board
Hedaya Askar, Lead Designer
Sophia Metropoulos, Associate Designer
Victor Colomé, Associate Designer
Lileana Cavillo, Associate Designer
Izaki Metropoulos, Consultant
Spring 2019 GBSJ Web Development:
Anthony Gamboa, Director of IT
Izaki Metropoulos, Web Design
Roberto Pacheco, Web Design
Amanda Jiang, Web Design
Allen Loomis, Web Developer
Previous Editorial Boards:
Symposium Editorial Board 2021
Symposium Editorial Board 2020
Symposium Editorial Board 2018
Symposium Editorial Board 2017