Royal Courier Sports Editor and iNklings literary magazine writer, Hannah Brewster had an idea for her Creative Writing class.

“Why not take a class period to go around the school, shadow someone, interview him or her, take a photo, and write a story?”

With that, the Journalism Interview assignment was born. Below you will find the different people Creative Writing students encountered in one day during A Block.

Marina La Mendola Manages Both School and Sports By Dali Alonso

Marina La Mendola was born February 7, 2008, in Miami, Florida. She grew up in a multicultural household, her mom being Brazilian-Colombian and her dad Argentinian. She has a 22-year-old brother named Luca, and a 9-year-old sister named Rio. ILS was her first choice of high school, and she loves going to school here. She is passionate about spending time with her friends, going to the beach, and playing volleyball.

“Studying and working while also doing volleyball is hard,” said Marina.

She explains how living in Coral Gables and playing volleyball in Doral Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays is a challenge. Performing well academically and athletically simultaneously is difficult.

“Finding a balance between the two takes time. You kind of have to get used to it. You have to have an equal amount of time and put in an equal amount of effort for both school and sports,” elaborated Marina.

Both her grades and her performance in volleyball should be equally as important in her life.

“You just have to lock in and do your best every week; leave the fun for the weekend,” she said.

Mr. Dougherty Went from Stock Broker to Teacher By Daniel Barragan De Oliveira

Mr. Charles Dougherty is a science and math teacher at ILS. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, his family moved to Florida when he was a teenager where he attended a Catholic high school in West Palm Beach.

After high school, he graduated from Florida Atlantic University with a degree in chemistry. He then went to work in the stock market for most of his life before becoming a teacher.

Mr Dougherty’s favorite place to visit is in Italy.

“I very much liked Venice because of its uniqueness and its architecture,”  he said.

Mr Dougherty also shared that he had visited 62 different countries.

“One of the only places I have not gone in Europe is Portugal,” he said.

I recommended he visit Portugal because I liked it very much. I asked him what was his favorite type of food was as well.

“I really like American food like hot dogs, burgers, and barbecue,” he said.

I then asked him why he became a teacher and Mr. Dougherty explained that when he turned 50, he was reading the newspaper and he saw that there was a shortage of math and science teachers. He thought to himself, “I have a degree in chemistry so I should become a teacher.”

When he was younger ,his favorite sport was baseball, but now it’s football.

I asked him if he owned any pets and he said, “I have two cats named Coco and Loco.”

He also told me that he’s never owned a dog.

I asked him what aspect of ILS does he like most.

“I really like the location and atmosphere. It also reminds me of my high school,” he said.

Thinking back to when he was a student, he recalled that his favorite subjects were math and history.

“I was never particularly good at math before senior year. I don’t know but it was like a light bulb turned on. I went from being average to being one of the smartest in the class,”  he explained.

The final question I asked him was what was his favorite memory during his many trips.

“Probably when I would be on a cruise and I was getting ready to go dancing.”

Mr. Paul Dean Teaches Forensic Science By Hannah Brewster

Mr. Paul Dean was born in Maryland where he attended the University of Maryland studying physics and math.

He began as a psychology major, but quickly realized it was not for him.

“I found physics and math to be more in my control and easier. It was more stimulating,” he said.

He then pursued forensic science after getting his masters. This was an interesting career for him because during college he took a job in construction and could work with explosives. Bringing the Forensic class to ILS for the first time was a tricky decision and process.

As a former Forensic science teacher, he knew it would be worth it.

The current class consists of 15 students; 14 seniors and one is a junior.

I have had the privilege to be part of this class where we have learned a number of criminology-based topics such as blood spatter, ballistics, tool marks, and much more.

Mr. Dean is able to create an interactive environment for his students using many of his own materials. He hopes to keep the class open next year.

“I have to make the class dual enrollment and go through a process to get college credit for it. If you know anyone who is considering taking a science class next year, tell them to try Forensics,” he said.

The Amazingly Talented Mrs. Lianne Rodriguez By Maria Ignacia Cadenas

“Five to places everyone!” calls Mrs. Rodriquez, the ILS Theater teacher and director.

Having directed many successful productions such as, Hello Dolly!, The Sound of Music, Little Women, and more, one might think she has been involved in theater since childhood but actually she discovered it as a student at ILS.

When asked what musical is her all-time favorite, she said:

“Hello Dolly! It’s literally the happiest musical to ever exist…I even walked down the aisle with a song from Hello Dolly!”

Interestingly, she was a professional actor and Irish step-dancer for eight years.

Maybe we as a school can convince her to perform a dance for St. Patrick’s Day?

Most people have a movie, TV show, book, or any piece of media that completely changed their life. For Mrs. Rodi, it was a Pampers commercial. When she first became a mom, her entire life completely changed; she was stressed and frustrated.

One day a Pampers commercial appeared telling viewers, “Thank you for being patient. Thank you for loving me.”

“That commercial changed me as a person,” she further recalled.

All in all, Mrs. Rodriguez is a beacon of light and talent at ILS. She brings in this sense of calmness and her students feel that they can trust her. Students who have since graduated don’t just leave with a mentor but also a friend.

Freshman Philip Jones, Jr. Seeks Good Influences By Wendell Copeland

Philip Jones, Jr. is a student-athlete who attends ILS.

He’s been playing football his whole life and plans on playing throughout his high school and college career.

Philip Jones, Jr., otherwise known as PJ, has two favorite ILS features— the open campus and the all-you-can- eat buffet.

An interesting thing I learned about PJ is that he is a three -port athlete. PJ plays football, basketball, and runs track.

“I just want to be successful in whatever life throws at me,” he said.

PJ grew up in Liberty City and always had a good group of people around him. He doesn’t like hanging around people who can influence him to do bad things. Since elementary, PJ had a big personality and a huge heart which caused him to be regarded as one of the more popular kids around school, but he never let that get to his head. He kept his circle small and always surrounded himself with the right people.

“I gotta keep the right people in my circle success is the only goal,” he said.

Marcella Guerra: Behind the Camera By Sofia Cortes

Have you ever thought who is behind the camera in LTV?

Marcella Guerra, known as Marce, is a sophomore in ILS who hasn’t always lived in Miami.

She lived in Venezuela until she moved here in third grade. She went to middle school at St. Hugh.

Marce has two older brothers, one of whom also attends ILS and is a senior.

She is in her second year of LTV, and really enjoys it.

Every morning during her A block she videos by the bay and is behind the camera.

“The smaller the group, the better the people,” she said.

Marce explains that having a small group of friends is better then having a big group of friends. I asked her to explain why.

“It’s better to have a small group of true friends than a big group of people you don’t know you can really count on,” she said.

Gamer Gus Emilio Ortiz-Penzol Leaves His Mark Senior Year By Julian Hudelson

Gus Emilio Ortiz-Penzol is an enthusiastic student at ILS.

Known for his unique and charismatic personality, his interests include gaming and the arts.

He is a president of the ILS Gaming Club, alongside me. In the ILS Gaming Club, students can join in to play and discuss video games after school every Friday from 2:30-4:00 PM.

Gus wants to create a fun environment in the Gaming Club and allow students to have a good time after school.

“Yes, you should join the Gaming Club. It is very welcoming, and we provide a fun, casual, gaming experience that can help relieve the stress of school work,” he said.

Not only is he a president of the Gaming Club, but he also participates in other clubs as well, such as the National Art Honor Society, and the ADMA Youth Club.

Gus mentions his service in the ADMA club, detailing how the club helps young children in Little Haiti.

“We visit Little Haiti and volunteers at events with the kids to help spread our faith. We also do other service projects. For example, in the past, we cleaned up the Mary statue behind the youth center,” he said.

Though he is a well-known student at ILS, there are still some less-known facts about him.

Did you know that Gus’ favorite food was udon noodles and his favorite beverage was strawberries and cream Dr. Pepper? I bet you didn’t! He also has a favorite video game, Xenoblade Chronicles 2, and he highly recommends it to every gamer out there.

“Xenoblade Chronicles 2 has a fantastic story, great gameplay, and lovable characters. I recommend it to all video game enthusiasts, giving it a 10/10,” he said.

Isabella Dazzo has a Dream School By Andrea Camacho Fontes

You have probably seen Isabella Dazzo around school, but do you really know her?

If you have seen her, you notice her long brown hair and her dark brown eyes.

Isa was born in Boca Ráton on September 13, 2007. Her mom is from Venezuela and her dad is from New York. Isa favorite thing about ILS is the food. She also looks forward to Hoco week.

“Hoco week has good vibes because it unites the ILS community,” she explained.

Isa feels like she has a strong bond with Ms. Maria Molina her TV production teacher.

I asked Isa what made her interested in coming to ILS. She said that she her heard it was a good school.

Isa is grateful to attend ILS because it has brought her good friends. Moreover, she can’t wait for all the activities in senior year especially skipping the lunch line, leaving early, and senior skip days. Lastly, Isa’s dream school is the University of Miami where she hopes to study psychology.

Daniela Lecuna to compete for DECA By Oriana Lander

Born in Miami, Florida, Daniela Isabel Lecuna grew up in Doral as an only child.

From attending Conchita Espinosa Academy to now attending ILS as a 10th grader, Daniela is an honors student who also takes AP Seminar.

Her favorite subject is math and her favorite teacher is Mrs. Barbara Tomasoni, who is an Italian teacher.

When asked what her favorite thing about ILS is, she responded with:

“Definitely the campus, Having the ocean so close really makes me eager to walk from class to class.”

Daniela also said that her least favorite thing was the lack of dress downs students get throughout the year.

One thing she is looking forward to here at ILS is her upcoming states competition for DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) in Orlando, Florida, where she will present a business aptitude test and presentation to see if she can qualify for nationals. She intends on finishing her high school career here at ILS and eventually attend colleges like UMiami or UPenn.

Maria Alonso Adapts to ILS By Vero Mederos

Maria is a freshman at ILS and she is very nice. She is still getting used to the school because she does not know how to use the printers in the SLC. I asked her what her favorite quote was, but her response was :

“I don’t know. I don’t think I have one.”

Her general advice to anyone is:

“Be confident and don’t think about things too much.”

This advice in general is so wonderful for everyone because we could all use a confidence boost once in a while.

Her favorite hobby is playing soccer and tennis with her friends. She also likes eating mac n cheese. Lastly, her favorite vacation would be either Spain or Portugal. She’s so friendly and a nice freshman to be around. This is the first time I have ever met her, but it seems like she’s very friendly toward others.

Junior Emilio Herrera Faces His Biggest Challenge By Marcos Ortega Morales

Emilio Herrera, a proud junior at ILS, is an incredibly diverse young man.

During his free time, he develops his musical composition skills on his personalized DJ set, spending hours in a rigorous and intense routine that keeps his skills sharp.

More importantly, he applies this intensity to what truly matters to him: soccer. Emilio, born and raised in Seville, Spain, has been surrounded by soccer his entire life. It is one of the things he most adores. He’s incredibly determined to extract the best possible athletic performance from deep within him, and stops at nothing to achieve that goal. This often leads him to push himself beyond his limits. In June of 2023, during an intense match, he pushed himself further than he had ever before, stretching his muscles to the extreme to the point where it seemed like he had run all out of sweat. Although this method of playing usually worked for him, he would soon regret not listening to what his body was telling him. Suddenly, in the middle of a play, Emilio heard a loud POP in his leg, and immediately fell to the field.

“I didn’t feel pain, I just felt a crack. A slight shudder ran through my whole body and I suddenly found myself unable to move. My leg locked in place. I knew something was wrong,” he recalled.

Emilio would later find out the true severity of the situation; he had broken his ACL. Due to the extremity of the injury, he was brought into surgery a few days following the incident. What followed was one of the most difficult experiences of Emilio’s life.

Student-athlete Camila Herrmann at ILS By Luciano Rebolledo

Camila Herrmann was born in Miami, but her dad was born in Brazil and her mom was born in Panama.

She is a junior at ILS. Camila is a track and cross country athlete. She is also a part of three different clubs; ADMA, SALTT, and Key Club.

Camila has straight A’s in all her honors and AP classes. She is a well rounded who is fun to be around. When I first interviewed her, I asked her what her favorite thing at ILS was and she replied:

“My favorite thing about ILS are all of the fun events such as Don Bosco Day and the encounters.”

The next question I asked was, Why do you like these fun activities such as Don Bosco Day?

“I like them because I like to have fun spending time with my friends and jumping on bouncy houses,” she said.

Then, I asked her: What do you like to do outside of school?

“Outside of school I like to sleep and hang out with my friends.”

Mr. Andres Saladrigas Discusses the Mental Health of this Generation By Veronica Salazar

“It is easy to quit, because I’m from our generation and known we always have something else to pick up,”  said Mr. Andres Saladrigas.

Today, I had the pleasure to interview a former ILS alum who has come back with expertise in the mental health department. His name is Andres Saladrigas, and his story is an example for any ILS student. Graduating in 2015, Mr. Saladrigas ventured into the field of sport psychology before returning to ILS to share his knowledge.

Ever since he graduated, he remembered feeling so much love for our school, and with one of his family members being already on staff, Sister Kim, the principal, saw an opportunity for a great addition.

Little by little, Mr. Saladrigas began moving from being a volleyball coach and assisting his dad to leading the sport psychology division. While chatting on the topic of mental health and challenges that our generation go through, many topics came up. One of the biggest challenges he can see within our generation is the “quick rewards” mentality we seem to struggle with. Our generation has lost the excitement or appreciation for hard work, and we tend to give up at the slightest mishaps. He believes that it is important for younger generations to be more educated about the topic of mental health since our minds are easily molded.

“You’re your own individual and you have bad habit, But you can change it if you really want to!”

Ms. Irene Cocinas is Open to New Experiences By Alejandro Pasos

Ms. Irene Cocina is a guidance counselor ILS who has been my counselor since

sophomore year. Ever since, we’ve had a tight bond. Ms. Cocina has a talent for connecting

with her students thanks to her deep understanding of situations, welcoming demeanor, and

kindness.

With this assignment,I took the opportunity to ask her about her own life. My first

question was what was a lesson she learned in college.

“I think the first lesson that I learned real quick was that you definitely have to go to class,” she said.

Before college, she attended a small school, ILS, where attendance was monitored and you had people making

sure you get to class. In college this is not the case, and a lot of students who have never

experienced this type of freedom take it too far and end up acting against their own best interest.

I then asked her to think of a piece of advice she would like to give her younger self.

“Be easier on yourself; you’re going to make mistakes, and that’s okay. Simply learn from them,” she said.

Although this might sound like simple advice, it is actually very valuable. Lots of teenagers are extremely

hard on themselves when it comes to their body, their skin, their grades etc. You are supposed to be your own

friend, not your own bully.

Ms. Cocina also didn’t have a good time in high school, which is part of the reason that inspired her to work as

a guidance counselor. She wants to make sure she can make it as easy as possible for her students do they don’t

have to deal with the same difficulties she did.

Finally, I asked her what piece of advice she would give to high school seniors. This was her response:

“Welcome all experiences; be open to what college brings

because it will bring you so much compared to what you’ve seen until now. Don’t be so

restrictive on yourself; just go out there and it will happen.”