Meredith Colton TCC Talon Executive Editor
From birth Meredith was always a crazy, impulsive child. Rather than playing with Barbies and stuffed animals like a lot of the other kids her age, she resorted to forcing her brother Jack to pretend to go on wild adventures through their imaginations.
As Meredith grew older, the creativity and longing for an imaginative outlet also grew. To quench this thirst, she fell into writing as a way to get out all of her thoughts and extraordinary ideas. She has never stopped writing and has gotten pretty good at it.
Meredith decided after high school that she wanted to explore and see the world, her small hometown in New Jersey wasn’t cutting it anymore. She decided to take a leap of faith and move to Florida to attend college. She will be attending FSU in the upcoming fall in hopes of taking her writing a step forward and pursuing a career in journalism and broadcasting.
Some of Meredith’s favorite things to do are go to the beach, travel, hangout with friends, try new foods, binge watch her favorite shows, and spend time with her family. This will be Meredith’s second time as an editor for The Talon. She is very excited to see what new stories this semester brings.
Cristina Meyaart TCC Talon Executive Editor
Cristina Meyaart has never been one to keep her thoughts or opinions to herself. She was always a loud, dramatic child who loved to make people smile and laugh. It’s no surprise Cristina wants to pursue a career in communications, so she can continue connecting with others and expressing herself through different forms of media.
Cristina has always loved being a performer, but she is excited for the opportunity to work behind the scenes. She’s always wanted to be involved in film-making and digital content creation and is excited to begin her journey by working for Talon. Cristina plans to transfer to Florida State University in the Fall of 2024 so she can continue along her path in media and communications.
In her free time, Cristina makes music, watches movies, takes photos, and spends time with friends. She is constantly looking for ways to be involved in the arts and her community.
JaMalachi Willis TCC Talon Visuals Editor
As someone who grew up around cameras, JaMalachi Willis has always had a passion for capturing the right moments. He would never stay in one place for too long, as he liked to explore what Tallahassee had to offer him. He would start with his phone, taking pictures of the little things that he came across by. He would then move on to capturing touchdowns and celebrations with his own camera.
His talent for photography began to shine in his second year of high school, where he decided to take part in his school’s yearbook class. There, he helped his teachers and fellow classmates by capturing memories to publish in the book. He would later become one of the class’s photography editors.
Whenever JaMalachi is not taking photos, he likes to spend his free time in his school’s theatre program. He loves helping with building sets and learning new technical things like lighting and sound.
Rose Kitchell TCC Talon Visuals Editor
Ever since she was young, Rose Kitchell has always had a passion for creating content. Whether it was recording videos with her sisters or cousins at her childhood home in Tampa, writing poems and music, drawing, or playing the drums, she has always taken interest in making art.
Today, Rose’s passion for creating things lives on in the form of video editing, with over 6 years of experience working in Adobe Premiere Pro and Photoshop. She has also done camerawork and audio mixing for countless music videos and even a few concerts, also helping dispute any technical difficulties.
As a sophomore at TCC, she is pursuing an associate’s degree in digital media production and is planning to transfer to UCF to pursue her bachelor’s degree in the same field. Her hope is to one day help produce, write or film on a big TV show, movie or podcast, and hopes that her work for the Talon can show her ability to write and record captivating stories.
Jahnez Chung TCC Talon Staff Member
Jahnez has always loved being in front of cameras and capturing the world through his own lens. He enjoys making memories and being the one to speak out when others won’t.
Jahnez has always been open to trying new things and going through new experiences. Moving to Tallahassee was something new for Jahnez considering he grew up in Orlando, Fla. for all of his life.
Working with The Talon would help Jahnez partake in something new and strengthen himself as a writer. He is majoring in Broadcast journalism and plans to transfer to FAMU for the fall 2024 semester to pursue his bachelor’s degree.
William Dickey TCC Talon Staff Member
William Dickey is a first-time college student. As well as an author of a self-published book, “PackLife”, a small business owner, and a distinguished Toastmaster of America. His early teen years were spent writing music and performing for some of the top entertainers in the rap industry.
As a competent communicator, Dickey enjoys public speaking, reading books, and hosting community events that help empower our youth to become prominent members of society.
Neci Easter TCC Talon Staff Member
As someone who was once hesitant about writing, Venecia Easter decided to face her fears in her quest to become the best writer she could be. Writing was always something she constantly ran away from while growing up.
Today, she realizes that writing can be like therapy. Whenever she feels like she needs to get something off her chest, good or bad, she writes about it and lets her thoughts flow. It is a gift that no one can take away.
Venecia enjoys laughing and hanging out with her friends. She is creative and loves to be herself, allowing her light to shine. She plans to transfer to FAMU where she will continue to use her gift with a Public Relations degree.
Tanner Egan TCC Talon Staff Member
Tanner Egan was a young girl from a small town who was always searching for what she was good at. She knew she would make it out of the town that seemed so good at trapping people in, she just wasn’t sure how. So, she started searching for her talents. Tanner was never good at sports or math, however, she started to notice her love for writing.
Always having the highest grade on papers, English always being the best grade on report cards, and realizing how much she enjoyed writing, Tanner realized this could be her talent. Writing could be the thing that takes her out of this town. From that moment on, she kept working towards improving her love for writing and decided to study English at Tallahassee Community College and transfer to Florida State University after two years to further her studies.
Jordan Fitzpatrick TCC Talon Staff Member
Jordan Fitzpatrick, an avid explorer of the intersections between technology and creativity, once found himself lost in the labyrinth of artificial intelligence algorithms, only to emerge with a newfound appreciation for the limitless possibilities they hold. In the realm of language and innovation, Jordan navigates the digital landscape with a passion for shaping the future of communication.
Jordan always harbored a deep passion for photography from a young age. As a child, the fascination with capturing moments and telling stories through images ignited a dream within him. The desire to become a photographer has been a driving force in Jordan’s life, shaping interests and pursuits. Throughout the journey of growing up, Jordan consistently nurtured this aspiration, exploring various aspects of photography and honing the necessary skills. The future holds the promise of a fulfilling path as Jordan Fitzpatrick strives to turn the childhood dream into a reality, pursuing a career that allows for creative expression and a profound connection with the art of photography.
Nicole Frossard-Reis TCC Talon Staff Member
Nicole Frossard-Reis is the first daughter of a lovely Brazilian couple. She is a Pão de Queijo (cheese bread) and Formula 1 lover. TCC2FSU, class of 2027, majoring in Media/Communications Studies, her goal is to pursue a career in Formula 1 as a presenter, traveling all around the world and talking about cars going “vroom vroom” on tracks with weird circle shapes.
Nicole, or as her little brother calls her “Ni”, was born in Coral Springs in 2003. When she was 5 she moved to Brazil, where she was raised. During her middle school and early high school, she thought she would be a doctor. But after some time exploring new things and getting to know herself better, she fell in love with motorsport.
At the beginning of 2023, Nicole started her YouTube channel commenting about every Formula 1 race on the calendar. On her TikTok she created the “60 seconds behind F1” videos during the summer and winter breaks of the F1 season. Being as quick as the cars and making it as simple as possible, she talks about the rules, graphics, curiosities and how the sport works in 60 seconds.
Ariel Li TCC Talon Staff Member
Originally born in China, Ariel Li still remembers the date she became the famous mermaid’s namesake after one too many teachers had butchered her real name. However, this doesn’t mean she dislikes the name; on the contrary, she took it very well, much like how she integrated herself into American society. With the eye of an “outsider” and her understanding of the “insiders,” Ariel joined the Talon staff of 2024 to bring a fresh perspective to the stories of the school newspaper.
Long before Ariel moved to Gainesville, FL, she had been a bookworm. An active imagination always accompanied her stories, taking her to places she had never been. Reading taught Ariel about things outside her social circle, helping her solidify her dream of being a messenger who spreads messages, especially to those stripped of the opportunity to be informed. But every dream starts somewhere – and here at the Talon is where she intends to start. Ariel is looking to transfer to FSU in the upcoming summer and hopes to see a broader world while studying communications/media studies.
Olivia Lovely TCC Talon Staff Member
As the only girl growing up with two older brothers, she was always overshadowed. Now that Olivia Lovely has a chance to shine on her own in college, she is looking forward to making her mark as a future journalist.
Olivia has always had a love for writing and literature. From an early age she enjoyed the creativity and sense of freedom that writing brings. By being a part of the 2024 Talon staff, she hopes to learn writing techniques and gain experience that will help her in her future career. After graduation, Olivia plans to transfer to a four-year university where she will major in journalism and continue her journey to becoming a journalist.
Peyton Mears TCC Talon Staff Member
Peyton Mears spent much of her life yearning to leave her hometown in the dust behind her, but these days, the nature, people, and history of her hometown of Tallahassee, Florida are the driving force of her creative inspiration—the place whose story she hopes to tell.
Peyton’s love for storytelling began as a young child. She spent her youth indoors, reading fantasy books that took place in faraway lands. Nowadays, though she is often found outside—frequently swimming at a Florida spring or hiking through the nearest forest—her love for reading and writing has not wavered. She was active in written and video journalism in high school, discovering a passion for non-fiction writing and photojournalism. Peyton hopes to pursue a degree in Media/Communication Studies at FSU, where she will be transferring for the Fall 2024 semester.
John Noyles TCC Talon Staff Member
John Noyes was born a month later than he was supposed to and after hours of painful labor his mother had to have a Caesarian section because he was too big to birth naturally. He was nicknamed Jack and was a healthy baby, though later in life he would be diagnosed with type one diabetes and was prone to accidental injuries.
Jack always had a fascination with movies and from the time he was young whenever he was alone, he would watch and rewatch as many films as possible. This helped him through the periods of his life when he did not have any friends to hang out with. He never dwelled on whether or not he had many friends because he had many interests that did not involve friends.
Movies are his main passion, but he often listens to music and tries to learn as much history and trivia about the bands he enjoys to make up for not being able to play an instrument. He has always enjoyed books as well. He transferred from Chattahoochee Elementary School to Grand Ridge Middle School and then went to Sneads High School until junior year when he had to isolate for COVID and finished his high school years online at Florida Virtual School.
During the COVID pandemic because of worrisome and strict parents, he was unable to leave the apartment complex he lived in unless it was to travel to his father’s house back in Chattahoochee for an extended time and even there, he did not leave the house. He lost almost all his friends from school during this time, but he always had his interests to keep him company. After 2 years, he went to TCC and started working at Spencer’s and has been making connections ever since.
Caleb Schaefer TCC Talon Staff Member
Caleb Schaefer cannot escape the number 13. He was born at 13:13 hours, in school he was assigned the 13th seat in his class, the 13th locker in the hallway, and the 13th jersey number for his soccer team. He was even given the 13th gardening plot at his community garden. Coincidence or not, these events have helped shape Caleb into an individual interested in the strange and unusual.
The Schaefer parents were adamant in encouraging healthy reading habits in their children, thus Caleb was raised on a variety of classics, historical fiction, and fantasy. Somewhere along the way though Caleb developed a taste for science fiction, mystery, and thriller, all of which inspired him to begin writing his own stories. He has been gradually honing his skills through writing contest and personal creative work and is eager to get out into the world to capture the strange and unusual going-ons of our world. Caleb plans on transferring to FSU to pursue a degree in the Classics.
