LEADERSHIP
Our idea and administrative team makes the project run on a day-to-day basis.
Proof Schubert Reed
Co-founder, Editor-in-Chief
Proof Schubert Reed is a senior from Brooklyn. Proof loves to write, and co-founded the Highly Indy Project because she wanted to create a platform for NYC teens of all walks of life to share their voices and connect with other writers, artists, and creators. In addition to journalism, Proof is passionate about social justice causes, acting, music, film, photography, and consuming copious amounts of chocolate and
Netflix TV shows!
Betty Kubovy-Weiss
Director of Communications & Development
Betty Kubovy-Weiss is a senior and lives in Greenwich Village. She loves performing, playing guitar, telling bad jokes, social justice, and working on Highly Indy! Betty strives to make Highly Indy a place where all NYC high schoolers can share their voices free of judgement or limitation. She hopes you love our site and that you'll check out the social media pages she and the rest of our team have worked so hard on linked down below.
Carmen Lopez Villamil
Financial Director
Carmen Lopez Villamil is a junior at Beacon. She has lived in the same house in Brooklyn for her entire life, and loves it more than anything. Everything, except perhaps her family. She also loves math, reading, debate, soccer, and funky plants – though in admittedly lesser amounts. She has a healthy dose of teen angst that complements her passions quite well. These passions include racial and educational equity, as well as the environment. Carmen is excited to learn from and contribute to Highly Indy to make our slice of the world a better place!!
Rachel Yang
Social Media Co-Director
Rachel Yang is a sophomore at Hunter College High School in Manhattan. Rachel loves writing (whether it be poetry, articles for her school paper, or quiz bowl questions!) She’s especially passionate about issues surrounding women, Asian-Americans and other people of color, and mental health. Rachel can usually be found reading, acting, playing quiz bowl, or hoping to get out of high school alive. She is excited to learn from her peers at Highly Indy and grow during the process!
Reema Demopoulos
Editor
Francie Brewster
Editor
Reema Demopoulos is a junior living in Brooklyn. She’s an activist namely for women's, LGBTQ+, and Muslim rights, as they're all groups in which she's included, and enjoys sports (such as running, fencing, working as a kids' ski instructor, and rock climbing) and most creative art forms (writing, drawing, and photography!) in her free time. Some of her less productive passions include playing with her dog and trying every single flavor at Emack&Bolio’s.
Francie Brewster is a junior from Morningside Heights in Manhattan. Francie likes theater, sports, reading, and, of course, writing! Francie has been involved in activism and community service for her whole life (Girl Scouts to Highly Indy!) and is excited to learn from her experienced co-editors and superiors on this project (and maybe even contribute)!
Ava Andrews
Editor
Ava Andrews is a current Sophomore and is very passionate about reading, writing, and health as she is training for her first triathlon. You can find her searching Downtown Manhattan for a cozy library, hosting her school's podcast (which she founded), or working on her blog, Unsheepish.
Chris Chen
Editor
Chris Chen is a junior from Queens attending school in Manhattan. He's enjoyed writing ever since he was in elementary school and is excited to start working and contributing to the Highly Indy as an Editor and Writer. In his free time, he enjoys experimenting in the kitchen with new recipes, watching short movies and shows, and really anything related to art like writing, photography, drawing and listening to music.
Maria Milekhina
Co-Founder
Maria Milekhina is a high school graduate and the co-founder of the Highly Indy Project. In addition to writing features articles and managing graphics for her school's newspapers, she is an avid babysitter and spends a lot of time doing kid things. Her passions lie in journalism, foreign languages (she speaks Ukrainian, Russian and French and is currently learning Spanish), political science, social justice and civil rights causes and maybe even technology.
Sonia Chajet Wides
Teens Resist Liasion
Sonia Chajet Wides is a freshman from Brooklyn. She has been a staff writer for Highly Indy since its inception. She is the founder and head writer of the youth action advocacy website Teens Resist, which is linked to Highly Indy. (Learn more about about Teens Resist here.) Sonia is a published writer (In NYMag, for example) and she received the Alexander Bodini Prize from the ADL for her work with the No Place for Hate initiative. She loves music, tea, mountains, theater and swimming, amongst many other things.
STAFF WRITERS
Our core writing team contributes work regularly on social justice, new music, and more.
Natalie Peña
Natalie Peña is a current sophomore living in Brooklyn who loves puppies, drawing on her shoes, baking and listening to music. She is a proud Latina who hopes to be able to use her voice and writing to help young girls, people of color, and everyone struggling with their mental health, but right now she’s probably eating too much mac and cheese, re-watching S5E14 of The Office for the millionth time, and writing for anyone who'll read.
Lily Seltz
Lily is a sophomore from the Upper West Side in Manhattan. She is passionate about feminism, immigration, and other social justice causes. She loves to read, think, and write about how national and international events, trends and ideas like these can affect the lives of high-schoolers - and how we as high schoolers can change what's going on in the world, too! Other things she cares about (but that probably won't feature too much in her writing) include flute, good music, running (sometimes), theater, being outside, and speaking as much Spanish as possible.
Madison Loughlin
Madison Loughlin is a sophomore from Brooklyn. She is passionate about reading, writing, singing, and photography. She also loves spending time with her mischievous but adorable dog, Luna. Madison joined The Highly Indy Project because she yearned for an opportunity to enhance her capabilities as a writer in a more expressive environment.
Ava Andrews
Darya Foroohar
Darya is a junior at Bard High School Early College Manhattan who is interested in creative writing, journalism, music, theatre, and political activism. She has written poems, journalistic articles, and plays, and is excited to continue pursuing her passion for writing through Highly Indy in the hopes that her work can make a positive change in the world. She is also a staff writer for Third Eye Media, an online media magazine created to display youth writing and art. When not writing, you can find her at school doing homework or running to one of the many clubs and sports teams she is a part of.
Tigerlily Theo Hopson
Tigerlily Theo Hopson is a student at East Side Community High School. She loves reading (Stephen King specifically), 80s music, tap dancing, as well as fighting injustices by picking up a pen and paper. She is the co-founder of the Social Justice Babysitting Club, which you can follow @socialjusticebabysitting on Instagram!
Kushal Sahabir
A rising junior at the Bronx High School of Science, Kushal Sahabir comes from the West-Indian community in Jamaica, Queens and is a cricketer, tabla player, and of course, writer. He is someone who feels like his words can have an impact on people and attempts to do so through writing. Even though he is often very busy, his past times can range from watching sports games sporadically to trying to learn how to cook in the kitchen. The emphasis is on 'trying'. He's very excited to work with The Highly Indy Project and work with everyone to contribute something worth reading
Ava Andrews
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Writers and artists who have recently contributed work to The Highly Indy Project.
Asha Sandler
Mary Catherine FitzGerald
Michael Becker
Kate Griem
Itajah B.
Jordana Barnett
India Yeoh
Amelia Cogan
Stella Tannen
Ruby Goodman
Jesse Goodman
Lila Schisgal
Stevie G.
Russell Leung
Kushal Sahabir
Venus J. Champagne
Ginger Mullen
Teens Resist Writers
Lily Zufall
Matthias Schupp
Maria Milekhina
Adrianna Beno
Pearl Skelton
Raiana Khan
Minna Bachman
Rohan Luthra
Luke Delaney
Sonia Chajet Wides
Flora Lange
Petra Popper-Freedman
Ava Barham
Christopher Lall
Raifa Chowdhury
Akassa Bian
Rachel Rui
Sabina Topol
Josephine O’Brien
Claire Shang
Lucia Barrera
Rachel Rui
Claire Tempelman
Sandhya Sethuraman
Sophie Cooper
Vanessa Liang
Teens Resist Staff
Aisha Baiocchi
AnnaBelle Medina
Jayna Rohslau