Mia Borja is a sophomore and a journalist for The Lariat at Shadow Ridge High School. She has been here for one year. She first became interested in journalism because Mrs. Smith came into her class talking about food, but then she  joined after Mrs. Smith mentioned potlucks. Mia soon discovered she loved writing just as much as the food. Mia is a very talkative person. She loves hanging out with her friends and family, the beach, all types of foods, and exploring different places and cultures. She also loves baking and her specialties is brownies. Her family boasts about how good her brownies are. She is very in touch with what’s going on. She tries her hardest in school and finds math to be the most challenging subject. She plays flag football and she has a very fun time playing, even if she isn’t the best. Mia loves what she does and tries to find the best in everything.

Sophia Alvarez is a sophomore at SRHS who transferred from Northeast CTA studying Human & Social Services. This is her first year in the journalism program. She is excited to begin her journey as a student journalist and looks forward to learning new skills, building her writing voice, and sharing meaningful stories with the school community. Outside of journalism, Alvarez is a dedicated athlete who runs track. She especially enjoys long-distance running, which she finds both relaxing and rewarding. Academically, Alvarez is outgoing, hardworking, and always striving to be the best she can be. In the future, she hopes to pursue a career as either a social worker or an attorney, as both paths reflect her passion for helping others. Relationships are especially important to her, and she deeply values the strong bonds she shares with her family and friends. In her free time, she enjoys gardening, baking, cooking, and volunteering in her community.