By: Petra Chase, Features Editor
Abbey Perley spent two of three years at The Peak as production editor. She’s returned to assistant production editor for her last two semesters before taking on the world with a degree in Interactive Arts and Technology. Asked about how she customizes article layouts, she says it’s all about tone: “Humans are very semantic creatures and we’re constantly creating meaning in things all the time, even if we’re not aware of it! Designing means to become aware of all those possibilities and use them to our advantage.” Abbey’s visual inspiration includes signage, menus, and brochures. She’s recently picked up violin again, and she loves creative writing, fulfilling her inexplicable need to “create new worlds from nothing.” In anticipation of the fall, she looks forward to sweater weather, parks on sunny days, and hitting up cafés and boba shops. “There are so many people who long to experience the Pacific Northwest during the rain and fog that we consider so normal.”
Cazzy Lewchuk is a communication major joining The Peak this semester as a staff writer. He wrote and edited for the Douglas College newspaper, The Other Press, in 2010. His proudest accomplishment was getting 100% on a research project about climate change in cinema, achieved through deep hyperfocus — that’s also probably how he memorized pi to 100 decimal places in high school. “Believe it or not, I didn’t date much,” he jokes. He likes movies and sees about 50 a year. “Cineplex is where I’m locked in, at peace in nirvana.” His favourite film is Jurassic Park. “The movie sparked a lifelong love affair with film. It taught me how cool dinosaurs are, the consequences of capitalism, hubris, and defying nature, and that life, uh, finds a way.” Working at an arcade aligns deeply with Cazzy’s passion. “I’m basically a pinball wizard. I get to try and beat my high score on Stranger Things and King Kong.”
Dani Carmack is new to The Peak in the news writer role. Before transferring to SFU, she was “a health science major on a pre-nursing track” in a community college in California. “I decided to make the jump and switch my major and join the student newspaper there and I immediately fell in love with journalism.” She tells The Peak she especially loves “telling stories that give platform to marginalized voices.” Her favourite book is Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley “because of the strong Indigenous representation, detailed and powerful character development, and somewhat relating to the main character Daunis.” Her favourite film is tied between Sinners directed by Ryan Coogler and Frankenstein directed by Guillermo Del Toro. Outside of work, Dani likes thrifting and live music. “From huge arena concerts to small shows in DIY venues, chances are you might find me there.”
Ella Pendlington began contributing to the features section last fall and is joining The Peak as a staff writer a year later. She brings a passion for deep research, and says her favourite part of writing for the paper has been speaking with people she “otherwise would not have gotten the chance to learn from.” She believes “strong journalism brings light to significant social issues and aims to create a more just society.” She says, “Reading makes for stronger writing. This summer I read I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman (translated by Ron Schwartz), and The Invisible Life of Addie La Rue by V.E. Schwab, both of which were beautiful.” She spent her summer hiking, swimming, paddleboarding, and working the long lines at Earnest Ice Cream (which she loves, due to the people and the ice cream). She looks forward to baking pumpkin loaf and going for walks with her dog while listening to Noah Kahan and Fleetwood Mac to romanticize fall. Ella is entering her second year in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.
Jonah Lazar is in his fifth year in French and international studies, and his third term as a staff writer. He especially enjoys writing reviews and his favourite article he’s written was about a Jazz Festival performance by Étran De L’Aïr, exploring their traditional Tuarag composition. “I’m the second oldest sibling of nine,” he says about his upbringing. “And no, we aren’t Mormon.” He does rockclimbing, paddleboarding, and snowboarding — “I’ve been riding since I was 7 and I’m currently in the process of getting a job in the Alps for the winter so I can ride every day.” His favourite book is Marabou Stork Nightmares by Irvine Welsh and recommends it to people who liked the film adaptation of Welsh’s book Trainspotting. Another story revolving around memory loss, his favourite movie is Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. “For a couple years I watched this movie about once a month. Timeless.” If he could eat at one restaurant for the rest of his life, he’d choose Lunch Lady located on Commercial Drive.
Marie Jen Galilo is our sports and science editor, a new role starting this fall. She previously contributed to the arts section before becoming a staff writer in the summer. As a biology major minoring in English, she wants to use her skills to make science “accessible for those without a science background” and also looks forward to the upcoming season of SFU sports, as The Peak hasn’t had a sports section since spring 2025. Being Filipina, she has many family traditions, like starting to celebrate Christmas on September 1 and on New Year’s Eve, “buying 12 round fruits to represent the 12 months of the year.” Marie Jen is also co-president of the Blood, Organ, and Stem Cell Club and a peer mentor for first year science students. She likes doodling on her lecture notes and collecting stationary like stickers and washi tape (and wants to work on actually using them). Other hobbies include legos, playing Legend of Zelda, and making Pinterest boards.
Mary Gigiberia was an assistant production editor since January 2025 and is going into her second term as production editor. She’s currently pursuing a BA in Interactive Arts and Technology. She also works for Clip Through Interactive making video games. “I do all the fun modelling, texturing, lighting, UI design, and more!” she says. Outside of work and academia, she likes birdwatching and has found 134 unique birds this year. “I just think they’re silly. Other than that I’ve been trying to bike more and learn to hold a handstand.” When it comes to designing a weekly newspaper, she thinks the most surprising thing is the amount of coordination and changes a piece goes through before it reaches readers, with three rounds of edits on production day alone. Other than Pinterest, her sources of inspiration include “the way graphic design decorates cities, like the ‘pop’ of a stylish poster on a blank wall or a fun font that a brand new cafe is using for their logo.” Asked whether she would prefer to sleep on a bed of cheese or bed of glass, she replied, “Bed of glass. I’m afraid of mold so after a few days I’d simply pass out from the state of the cheese bed.” She’ll be romanticizing fall with Lorde’s 2013 alternative pop album Pure Heroine.
Mason Mattu started as a news writer before becoming a humour editor. Mason has always loved creative writing, from short stories to songwriting. He is passionate about news writing and has recently contributed to The Tyee. As well, he teaches musical theatre to kids and is executive director of Youth Justice Link, an organization that makes legal knowledge accessible to youth. As an international studies major, he is passionate about politics — and enjoys following live election results. “A bunch of devices open to different election stats and trackers, flipping between two news channels, and diligently tracking the results as the night goes on. I have no clue why I enjoy this,” he confesses. An obscure yet poetic fact he wants to share is that in Alaska, two Dan Sullivan’s are running for US Senate, and one of them was endorsed by an Alaskan mayor, also named Dan Sullivan. Mason wants the humour section to be a safe place for writers: “People are super duper funny and don’t even realize it [ . . . ] Send me Instagram reels, email me memes, whatever you want.”
Maya Barillas Mohan, staff writer, tells The Peak, her interest in writing comes from “observing and recording the scenery around me as I leave and enter new spaces. I remember living in this tiny house in New York and covering the walls in pictures I ripped out of magazines. My apartment now doesn’t look too different.” Maya shared a few of her favourite articles she’s written: her arts interview with local band In Pieces and a news piece on the low income transit pass. “Transit is one of my special interests,” she says. “The student readership is important to me. I like knowing that the people who will read my articles have similar local experiences and interests,” she says. Maya has also contributed photography to The Peak, including live music and art galleries that she’s reviewed. For fun she likes oil painting and thrifting, and her style icon is Lucy Liu in Watching the Detectives (2007).
Niveja Assalaarachchi is a fifth-year political science major, minoring in history and International Studies. He has been a news writer at The Peak for one year and is now a staff writer, looking forward to developing his writing skills across different sections. “Being able to learn more about the community around you” was his favourite part of writing for news. “I was able to meet so many people in the Lower Mainland and beyond” and “uncover a different part of the region that a lot of people overlook: the grassroots organizing that often occurs.” Niveja describes himself as a “Bollywood fanatic” and recommends two favourites: “The Hundred-Foot Journey, a movie about an Indian family going to France to start a restaurant and English Vinglish, a comedy film featuring the late great Sridevi.” Being involved in many extracurriculars including as co-president of the History Student Union and a member of the SFU Model United Nations Club, he says, “I’ve met so many cool people [ . . . ] I’ve also learned a lot about who I am as a person.”
Noeka Nimmervoll joined The Peak as a staff writer and is going into her second term as news editor. “I try to see what might be of interest to include in our paper, since we are first and foremost written for the student body,” she says regarding her pitching. She’s currently switching majors from cognitive science to English. Her favourite memory at The Peak is all the times she went to the office and chatted and laughed with Yuri, the business manager. When it comes to hobbies, she loves walking her “dog named Cosmo who is an 80lb Labradoodle! He is a very silly, entertaining guy.” She loves “dressing up unnecessarily and doing makeup. Fashion is a big, and low-barrier, outlet of creativity in my life.” Noeka also works as a cruise bartender, and writes music with her band, which is “(slowly) working on releasing an EP.” Regarding the bed of cheese versus glass debate, she is resolutely team cheese: “If it was made of parmesan, then it would not be terribly unhygienic (see a cheese wheel).”
Sasha Rubick is The Peak’s fact checker for the past two semesters and begins an additional role as social media coordinator this fall. They state, “Too often, people are forced to choose between their values and their career. I joined The Peak because I didn’t have to make that choice. At a time when factuality is so eroded, doing my small part to fact-check The Peak is refreshing, honest, and rewarding work.” While Wikipedia is practically blacklisted as a source for articles, they were personally enlightened by the “List of common misconceptions” Wikipedia page. “So many things I wholeheartedly believed were flat-out wrong. It’s a really long list,” they said. Outside of work and their international studies major, they also tend to their houseplants, read, and hike. I asked Sasha about their music recommendation for fall. “#1 album of all time ever is The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, shortly followed by Oklou’s choke enough. I’ve also been really into trip hop lately, particularly Massive Attack, Tricky, Hooverphonic, and Portishead,” they shared.
Zainab Salam is starting her master’s in political science this fall, and her second semester as editor-in-chief. Having always been interested in journalism, contributing last year led her on a “much-welcome detour,” she recalls. She became opinions editor, which did much more than improve her writing. She learned about “university and our societies on a much deeper level that theory and books could not supply. Covering issues that harm the public” gives her fulfillment. She’s excited to work with like-minded individuals, and encourages those interested in contributing to try; “If you ask anyone on our team, they’ll guide you through your contribution. (They’re all really nice, too!)” She also wants you to know your voice matters. “Our paper is only as awesome as it is because it reflects the voices within our university,” she says. “It’s always a wonderful experience to read and edit the work of our fellow students!” Zainab earned a BA in political science and psychology with a minor in global humanities and a certificate in Spanish studies, which she no doubt uses to psychoanalyze staff with her weekly icebreaker questions (she is team bed-of-cheese, “for late night snacking”). Her hobbies and talents include singing, crocheting, and reading a lot of books. Her most recent research side-quest was about women in Renaissance Italy, connecting this to issues women face today.
“I am grateful to everyone on our team for the dedication they exemplify. And incredibly appreciate the diligence of past staff for working hard to make this paper as diverse and set in its values as it has been,” Zainab concludes.
If you’re interested in contributing to The Peak, meeting the team, or simply seeing what a pitch meeting looks like, SFU students can attend online every Friday at 11:30 during the semester. Sign up at luma.com/thepeakatsfu.
