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Letter From the Editors

by Birdie Keller ’25, Callisto Martinez ’26, and Jizelle Villegas ’26

Hello Macalester English family, and welcome to a new and exciting year of The Words!

Birdie Keller ’25

We are Birdie Keller ‘25 (they/them), Jizelle Villegas ‘26 (she/they), and Callisto Martinez ‘26 (they/them), and we are your 2024-2025 senior newsletter editors! We all bring different experiences to the job; Birdie worked last year as a newsletter editor on The Words, Callisto writes for The Mac Weekly, and Jizelle worked last year as a newsletter for the WGSS department. From covering new literary salons to book events, interviews, and news on our very students and faculty, we can’t wait to bring you updates and cheer from the English department this year.

Jizelle Villegas ’26

This semester, we welcome back Ahlaam Abdulwali ’25 (she/her) and Sarah Tachau ’27 (she/her) to The Words as Newsletter Editors, for Ahlaam’s second year and Sarah’s first year as an official editor, having contributed some fantastic pieces last year.

We Senior Newsletter Editors are at different points in our academic careers. Birdie is currently a senior and is very excited and only a little intimidated by the year ahead. Currently, they are stage managing the fall theater show (a devised piece directed by Bob Rosen), and hanging out with a bunch of cool people in their creative writing capstone.

Jizelle is a junior (and still can’t believe it) and currently acting as Co-Chair for Latinx Student Union and doing a teaching practicum at a middle school this semester. 

Callisto Martinez ’26

Callisto is a junior (and keeps accidentally calling themselves a sophomore) and is one of the News Editors for The Mac Weekly. This semester, they’re simultaneously protecting and destroying their peace by fostering dogs with Pet Haven. 

We are so excited to bring our insights to The Words this year. As a two-thirds new Senior Newsletter Editor team, we hope to do our part to carry on everything that has made The Words so wonderful in the past, while bringing in new inspiration and perspectives. This month’s mini issue is only a sneak peek of great things to come. We hope you enjoy!