About the Editorial Board
Kate Cuadrado, Editor-In-Chief
Kate Cuadrado is a senior English major and Ethnic Studies minor from Thousand Oaks, California. She is this year’s Editor-in-Chief.
This is Kate’s fourth year working for The Beacon, having joined staff spring semester her Freshman year as a reporter. Originally signing on staff to work on her writing skills, Kate fell in love with journalism and decided to pursue an editing role entering her second year on staff, working as the Sports Editor her sophomore year and the News and Managing Editor her junior year.
When not reading, writing, or doing other various English major-y things, Kate can be found obsessively decorating her journal, running on Willamette, or trying to avoid love-bites from her hyper-active kitten.
She can be found on Instagram at @katecuadrado
Janea Melido, News & Managing Editor
Janea Melido is a senior English major from Sunnyvale, California and this year’s News and Managing Editor.
Having endured her first year of college online, Janea joined staff as a reporter her sophomore year. To Janea, The Beacon was one of the few things keeping her connected to the campus as COVID-19 had her stuck at home a state away. That feeling of community is what prompted her to apply as a reporter and she has loved every moment ever since.
When not participating in Beacon related activities, Janea can be found buying everything she can find in the color pink, spoiling her new kitten, Rosie and taking pictures of her friends on her digital camera.
She can be found on Instagram @janea.melido.
Noah Carandanis, Living Section Editor
Noah Carandanis is a sophomore Philosophy and Political Science major with a minor in Hellenic Studies. He will be serving as this year’s Living Section Editor.
Noah joined The Beacon as a news reporter during the spring semester of his freshman year. His passion for compelling conversations and discovering UP community members’ stories are what excites him most about his editorial role.
As the proud owner of a Blu-ray collection that numbers 131 titles, he can be found at many cinema screenings in his off time. Apart from his academic pursuits, he loves perusing through literature at local bookstores, grabbing coffee with friends and participating in Greek folk dancing.
He can be reached at carandan26@up.edu.
Kimberly Cortez, DEI Editor
Kimberly Cortez is a junior Social Work major with a Spanish minor from Orange County, California. They are this year’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Editor.
This is Kimberly’s third year working at The Beacon, joining her fall semester of her freshman year. Kimberly loves the environment The Beacon created that focuses on both compelling story-telling and informative media.
When she isn’t doing Beacon work, you can catch Kimberly thrifting, hanging out with friends, binge watching Ru Paul’s drag race, listening to music, scrolling on the New York Times app and rock climbing.
She can be found on Instagram @_kimberly_cortez_.
Maggie Dapp, Sports Section Editor
Maggie Dapp is a sophomore political science major and writing minor from Corvallis, Oregon, and is the sports editor for the Fall 2023 semester (she’ll be studying abroad in London in the spring.)
Maggie joined The Beacon in the Spring 2023 semester as a sports reporter and is incredibly excited to use her new position to further both her writing skills and her knowledge on the world of athletics.
Beyond The Beacon, Maggie competitively Irish dances, watches TikTok grwms, and uses the promise of more podcast listening time to convince her that walking to class is in fact a good idea.
She can be found on Instagram @Maggie Dapp
Michael Lang, Opinions & Faith Editor
Michael Lang is a senior mechanical engineering major from Beaverton, Oregon. Michael has worked for The Beacon since the spring semester of his freshman year, covering a wide range of stories as a news reporter and listening to the diverse voices of UP as the opinions editor last year. He will be returning as the opinions editor again for the 2023-24 academic year.
Beyond his math-intensive engineering courses, Michael enjoys spending time with friends, going on runs, and finding opportunities to be outdoors. He also likes to write, hence his role at The Beacon.
He can be found on Instagram @michael_lang01.
Gavin Britton, Multimedia Editor
Gavin Britton, senior marketing major, is the multimedia editor this year. He is from Snoqualmie, WA, known for its waterfalls and mountains.
He has been working for The Beacon for 2 & 1/2 years first as a photographer. Seeing how photo journalists often document so many historic events is what drew him into working at the beacon.
When not in the classroom or the newsroom, you can find Gavin hiking, at the gym kicking around a soccer ball, or taking photos.
He can be found on Instagram @gavin.britton.
Riley Martinez, Copy Editor & Sr. Reporter
Riley Martinez is a junior English major and The Beacon’s copy editor for the 2023-24 academic year.
He is from Upland, CA, and although he loves Portland for its food scene and its access to nature, he’s a Californian at heart. After transferring to the University of Portland from UC Santa Cruz in the spring of 2022, a chance encounter with another Beacon staffer led him to apply. In his first two semesters on staff, he served as a reporter and photographer.
Both a bookworm and a linguaphile, Riley loves sharing ideas with his professors and peers. And since joining The Beacon, he has taken the opportunity to hone his writing and communication skills, as well as talk about the things that matter on campus.
In his spare time, he enjoys chipping away at his reading list, playing his guitar and going for long, long walks.
He can be reached at martinri@up.edu.
Netty Jurriaans, Community Engagement Editor
Netty Jurriaans is a junior Political Science major with Constitutional Studies and Writing minors from Whidbey Island, Washington. She is this year’s Community Engagement Editor.
This is Nettys second year working at The Beacon, joining her fall semester of her sophomore year. Netty joined The Beacon due to her love of writing and interest in learning more about UP and people around her on campus. She spent the last year writing stories and is now so excited to also work more behind the scenes on social media and engaging the community with the work that The Beacon produces.
When not doing Beacon work, Netty is probably passionately discussing some political topic, cooking and eating with friends, re-watching new girl, or listening to Taylor Swift.
She can be found on Instagram @nettyjurriaans.
