Meet The Fall 2019 ENN Staff

by Scott Carter

Taylor Bryant

Taylor Bryant

Hello. I’m Taylor Bryant. I’m from Checotah and a junior in high school. I plan to attend the University of Oklahoma and graduate with a degree in Journalism/Film and Video Production. 

I have many hobbies. Probably too many. The main ones include Bowling, Sport Stacking, Rubik’s Cubes, and Disc golf. I am a very sports-minded person. Any time there is talk about college football or NBA, I’m all over it. My strong Christian faith drives me and my family together. I keep the Lord as my top priority. I always live by Philippians 4:13, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Here are some more fun facts about me:

Fun fact No. 1: I am currently the fastest Sport Stacker in Oklahoma. I currently have all three individual state records, I’m the reigning Central Regional Champion, and I’m ranked top 850 in the world.

Fun fact No. 2: I’m an official Junior Gold bowler, which places me in the list of the top youth bowlers in America. I currently have a 160 average per game with a high series of 526 through three games.

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Makhi Callins

Makhi Callins

Hey, my name is Makhi Callins and this year I’m a Junior in high school. Journalism and photography are two of my favorite things. Photography is something that I have liked for quite some time now.

Politics is also something that I’m also very interested in. I think journalism ties into that. I live in Mangum, a small town in Southwest Oklahoma. The population is roughly 3,000.

When I was younger I played sports, but as I got older I started to grow away from them and became interested in things like art, government, design, writing, and photography. I guess you could say I started to find what I really enjoyed in life. 

Music and reading are my go-to things when I’m bored at home. My mom likes to say music is in my heart. I like to cook different types of foods, but I like to eat them even more than I like to cook them. I’m sort of a quiet person, but once you get to know me I’m pretty fun to hang around. Last but not least, I have about a 5 inch flat-top haircut that you will see in the picture. So that was some facts about me and my life, and hopefully it helped you learn something about me. 

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Sophia Chavez

Sophia Chavez

Hi my name is Sophia Chavez. I’m a junior in high school. I was born and raised in California but moved to Oklahoma before my teenage years. I’m hoping to be a journalist when I get older. 

I enjoy spending time with my family. I have a dog named Marcko, who’s almost 4 years old! I love the holidays and watching television with my younger sister. I’m a big Golden State Warriors fan. My dad and I would always watch their games. 

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Daviyon Daniels

Daviyon Daniels

My name is Daviyon Daniels. I am 17 years old and a senior in high school. I have grown to be very outspoken individual with the willingness to voice my opinion on all topics. I also love to write short stories and poems.

Over the course of my high school career, I have developed a deep love and appreciation for music.

I have taught myself how to play five instruments and plan on introducing more in the future.

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Rylie Eisenhauer

Rylie Eisenhauer

My name is Rylie Eisenhauer. I am a sophomore and this is my first year with Epic. I am a member of Epic Student Council and a member of the National Honor Society. In addition I am also a part of the group Epic Teens. I love anything that involves creativity.

I am a naturally very artistic person. In my free time I love singing and acting. I am a member of the theater KidsAlive. I’ve been in many musicals such as Beauty and the Beast. I played Mrs. Potts. I was also in Fiddler on the Roof. I played Yente and in Once Upon a Mattress, where I played Queen Aggravain. I am very excited to be a part of Epic News Network this year.

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Maycee Elerick

Maycee Elerick

Maycee is a 9th grade student. She has been an Epic student for years and plans to graduate. Her goal is to get the valedictorian award then go on to college to become a therapist. She is interested in science and psychology.    

Along with her academic goals she has athletic aspirations. Maycee is a green belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu at Lovato BJJ. She aims to one day get her blue belt. She also likes rock climbing and is on a rock climbing team at Threshold Climbing, Fitness and Yoga. She does rock climbing only for fun and does not plan on becoming a competitor.  

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Deborah Horn

Deborah Horn

Deborah Horn is 15 years old and is a Sophomore. She lives in Tulsa with her mom, her dog and her two cats. She was born in Arizona but lived in Oregon for the next 12 years, until relocating to Oklahoma in 2018.

She loves photography and keeps a camera in her purse. She enjoys music and singing loudly. She reads as often as possible and can most often be found with her nose in a book. She watches murder mysteries that keep her on the edge of her seat and in the winter enjoys documentaries while buried deep in blankets. She likes trying and learning new things as often as possible.

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Mira Hume

Mira Hume

My name is Mira Hume, I’m a Sophomore and I’m super excited to be a part of the ENN team for the 2019-2020 school year. I was born on November 7th in Oklahoma City. I have two older brothers. One is 18 years old and a Senior. My other brother is 22, he attends UCO and is finishing up his last semester of college this year. I live in Oklahoma City with my mom, dad and one of my brothers. 

I began my education at Crossing Christian School in preschool and continued throughout the fourth grade. I originally started Epic because I was a competitive gymnast and the hours were very demanding. I have recently quit gymnastics because of multiple injuries and decided to stay involved in the sport by coaching young, aspiring gymnasts. I am extremely excited to learn about journalism and to be a part of the ENN team this year.

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Rinn Kersh

Rinn Kersh

Rinn Kersh is a ninth-grade student at Epic, where she has attended for the last year. Rinn is excited to be joining the Epic News Network. She has always been passionate about current events, politics, and social activism.

She greatly enjoys watching televised debates and trying to see the points from all sides. She is particularly interested in the immigration debate and has offered personal support to the refugee community.

She also loves theater and music as she has been involved in many community productions. She is deeply invested in her local church and community. Rinn also loves the field medicine and aspires to become a physician. 

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Brianna Monk

Brianna Monk

My name is Brianna Monk, I’m 17 years old and I’m about to start my senior year of high school. I live in Oklahoma City, but I’m from Norman. My passion in life is writing, I just didn’t realize that until I was in 8th grade. I always thought I would be a hair stylist or a makeup artist but writing is my gateway to a happy and satisfying life.

Anyone who knows me knows that I have a hard time opening up to people about who I am. When people ask who I am I say I don’t know, because I’m still trying to find that out.

I want writing to be apart of who I am because it gives me strength and courage that I don’t have in person. So, who am I? I am a writer. 

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Ariana Reece

Ariana Reece

Reading, writing, music, and food — some of the things that describe me. I love to write books and short stories about people going through difficult times that others, in real life, can relate to. Writing brings me to my own world where I can imagine whatever I want and do anything my mind can think up. Music has always been a big part of my life.

More often than not you can find me with headphones on or a speaker nearby playing a playlist of my favorite songs as loud as I can. Last, but not least, food. I love anything to do with food.

One of my favorite hobbies is baking, which is somewhat of a stress reliever for me. I enjoy taking ingredients and mixing them together to become something delicious that I can share with my family and friends.

I am very passionate about equal rights and I strongly believe that everyone has a purpose in this world and that every single person is special in their own way. I am a major nerd. I love Anime and reading books of all different genres and I laugh at the cheesiest, dumbest jokes.

My best friends are all members of my family, the people I spend all of my time with. I am an Introvert and making new friends is scary and difficult for me. And yet, when I need to be, I am very quickly transformed into an extrovert with an outgoing personality. As uncomfortable as I can be around people, I am in love with every animal. I have owned almost every pet imaginable. This year, I am very excited about all the new privileges of being a high schooler. I am thrilled to find out what is all to come. 

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Josh Sanders

Josh Sanders

My name is Josh Sanders. I live in Newcastle and I’m going to be a Junior this year.  A couple years ago I realized that I loved writing stories and pieces that involved me doing research. I realized that I love to learn and share my findings and ideas through my writing. Some things I like are history, politics and learning about others’ ideas and opinions. 

I love listening to music and creating stories based off certain songs and sometimes albums, and I’m also slowly getting into baking. I also really love movies (right now it’s mainly any Marvel movie), and traveling to see the people and places of almost random locations. I’m shy and quiet, but once I get to know you I’m more open and nice to be around. 

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Vanessa Williams

Vanessa Williams

I’m a Junior in high school and I’m a photographer. As a kid I tried to find something I was good at but everything I tried, I failed. I started to believe that I just didn’t have a talent.

I got my first camera and everything just fell into place. It was like something clicked and photography came really easy to me.

Over the years my passion for photography has grown with every experience I have be a part of. I really started to get into photography in 2016 and since then I have had the honor of shooting weddings, seniors, couples and more. 

I also love all animals! I love fishing, hunting, just about anything outside. I love traveling and seeing new places. I love people and making people smile!

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