Amanda Huang (Co-Editor-in-Chief)

Amanda Huang (’17) epitomizes the word charismatic. She puts an immeasurable amount of effort into The Blue & Gold; she always prioritizes The Blue & Gold and is there for anyone who needs help. “At the beginning of the year, I didn’t really get all this ‘news’ format. However, Amanda was always there to help and gave us all really good comments on all of our articles,” says Anya Lai (’19). “Whenever I need help, she is the first person I look for.”
No matter how tired she is, Amanda maintains a positive vibe that makes everyone smile and laugh, although sometimes she is the target of the laughter. Not only that, her music playlists also get everyone energized and ready to layout every Saturday. “I really love her music taste; they are really cool just like her personality,” says Christine Lin (’19). Her easy-going personality and her leadership skills make her a great editor, making her someone the staff all trusts. Next fall, Amanda will be attending Claremont McKenna College in Claremont, California to study economics.

Christine Lin (Co-Editor-in-Chief)

In the past four years, journalism student Christine Lin (’17) has interviewed a criminal prosecutor, a Hollywood film insider, and a military programmer—all teachers at TAS. The diversity of people she has met through writing features articles is one aspect she most enjoys about The Blue & Gold. Christine says, “I get the chance to tell a story about a student or teacher that the rest of the school may not know about.” This year, her sister, Catherine Lin (’19), also had a chance to work with her in The Blue & Gold. “Whenever I impulsively critique a piece, my sister will remind me, ‘Finish first, then speak.’ I’ll always have her to thank for inspiring me with her love of language and of journalism.”
As a writer, editor, and layout designer, Christine gives advice to future journalists: be interested in what you are writing about, because “that’s what sets journalism class apart from any other class in school…you’re not doing something just because the teacher told you to, you’re doing it because you want to.” She will be attending Pomona College, she hopes to continue writing in Claremont, California.

Andrew Lin (Opinions Editor)

Andrew Lin (’17) realized his passion for sports journalism and is looking to study the art of networking and writing about various athletes. Andrew is a reliable person often helping those in need. Barron Tsai (’19) says, “When I first joined the class, he helped me a lot with layout. His mentorship was invaluable as I learned how to design on my own.”
An avid Dallas Mavericks fan, he has written many sports articles, appealing to many sports fans with his articles such as the NBA season preview. Andrew says, “I’m interested in sports journalism because you get to do things like analyze, predict, give previews, and give information about teams, players and games.” Andrew joined The Blue & Gold last year because he wanted to try out something new and soon realized that he enjoyed the writing process. Everyone in the staff is glad that he chose this path. He will apply his experience writing for The Blue & Gold as he studies to become a sports journalist next year at the University of Southern California.

Melissa Cho (Staff Writer)

Melissa Cho (12) is the joker of The Blue & Gold class. Her laid-back personality assuages the stress that members of this class go through during layout days, first draft edits, and final draft due dates. “Her quirkiness, down-to-earth, spirited personality inspires me to be who I am and not care about what others think,” says Carolyn Wang (10). As the resident theater girl, Melissa brought drama background to Arts and Culture articles on topics like the Oscars and drama previews.
The effort and time each student in The Blue & Gold puts into newspaper will often leave staff members stressed; however Melissa is always here to lighten up the atmosphere. The class all miss her when she leaves for college as she “is one of the most bubbly [people we’ve] ever met. It’s amazing to have someone so talented in our class,” says Christine Lin (10). Melissa will continue to pursue her passion for journalism and art by majoring in a Broadcast Journalism and Documentary at the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts at Chapman University in Orange County, California.

Cherice Tsai (Staff Writer)

Cherice Tsai (12), a first time member of The Blue & Gold, signed up for this class because of a deal she made with Melissa Cho (12). What initially started as a pact between friends led these two students to become crucial staff members. She is often described as philosophical, her friend, Melissa, says, “She’s a very critical thinker. The way she writes is not how people would usually write. It’s unusual, but captivating.” The class will definitely miss her positive spirit and humorous puns.
Cherice is a soft-spoken yet inspiring writer who portrays strong opinions in her articles. This year, she wrote “The post-truth phenomenon — Why It’s a Problem,” a piece that tackles how prevailing public opinions often become problematic in the political sphere. Cherice can write about any topic with rigor; her topics range from serious refugee articles to light hearted articles about memes. Cherice plans to travel and work in her free time until her studies in Australia starts in March of 2018.