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Sending off The Sidekick’s seniors
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About the Contributors
Gia Ajani, Business/Sponsorships Manager
Gia Ajani is a junior and Business/sponsorships manager on The Sidekick.
She loves to sing and is a part of Kantorei and Vivace! at Coppell High School. She holds a local title in the Miss America Opportunity, serving as Miss Celina’s Teen 2026.
She joined The Sidekick because of her interest in writing, especially in entertainment and news writing. She hopes to continue to learn how to use more media, such as photos and videos to express her love for journalism.
In her free time, she enjoys baking all kinds of sweets, reading books and listening to music. She is a huge Swiftie, but also enjoys listening to country artists such as Zach Bryan and Kelsea Ballerini.
You can contact her at [email protected] or on Instagram (@giaajani).
Vidya Praveen, Staff Photographer
Vidya Praveen is a junior and a second-year staff photographer for The Sidekick.
She joined The Sidekick for her passion for photography because she likes to tell stories through visuals. Vidya also joined The Sidekick to help her try new things and be better at working with other people.
Vidya loves to go shopping, watching movies and TV shows. Currently her favorite movie is Avatar: Way of the Water and her favorite show is The Rookie. Vidya also enjoys listening to music, her favorite artist is The Neighbourhood.
You can contact Vidya at [email protected]
Naseeha Masood, Executive Advertising/Business Director
Naseeha Masood is a junior and the executive advertising/business director for The Sidekick.
After hearing about The Sidekick during CHS open house, she decided to join to try out sports photography. Now, she likes to dabble into everything The Sidekick has to offer.
Her favorite pastimes are rewatching comfort shows, creating Spotify playlists for her every mood and playing volleyball.
You can contact her through email ([email protected]) or on Instagram (@Naseeha.Masood)
Hamza Zakir, Editorial Page Editor
Hamza is a senior and the editorial page editor for The Sidekick.
He has a passion for writing, especially expressing his opinions through various columns.
When he’s not writing stories, you can find Hamza eating corn, listening to Mitski or playing with his cat “Kofta.”
You can find Hamza at @hambamzz on Instagram and you can contact him by email at [email protected].
Leila Holmes-Yllescas, Staff Photographer
Leila Holmes-Yllescas is sophomore and first year staff member of The Sidekick. She joined The Sidekick to explore journalism and learn more about what being a journalist is like. Outside of the newsroom you can catch her dancing in the choir room with Vivace! or on the sidelines with the sports medicine team. Her favorite pastimes include reading and binge watching her favorite tv shows: “The 100” and “New Girl.”
Rachel Chio, Photography Editor
Rachel Chio is a junior and it’s her second year on The Sidekick.
She is passionate about storytelling through photos.
In her free time she loves to spend time with her family and friends, crochet while watching 2000-rom coms and take photos, especially sunsets. She is also involved in TSA, her crochet club Tiny Threads and the girls powerlifting team.
You can contact Rachel at [email protected] or on Instagram (@rachel_chioo).
Prathi Tamara Sathish Kumar, Staff Writer
Prathi Tamara Sathish Kumar is a Junior and a second year staff writer for The Sidekick.
After reading the print editions of The Sidekick her freshman year, Prathi discovered an interest in being the one to weave those stories. A lifelong lover of words, she started off believing she would only be a writer; however, Prathi is now very fascinated with design, podcasts and multimedia. She loves to use different varieties of storytelling as new and exciting ways to convey information and emotion.
When she’s not writing songs and stories, you can find her reading and watching rom-coms bursting with clichés or listening to a playlist full of music that would get her labeled a “basic” pop princess (with artists including Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter and more).
You can contact Prathi at [email protected] or on Instagram (@Prathi_Sathish).
Naila Ali, Sports Photography Editor/Social Media Manager
Naila Ali is a junior and the Sports Photography Editor/Social Media Manager for The Sidekick
After joining yearbook in 8th grade as a fun extracurricular, Naila fell in love with writing and photography. After completing her first year in the program, she found her ultimate passion in sports photography.
When she’s not working on Sidekick assignments, you can find her hanging out with friends and family, FaceTiming for hours, watching Texas Longhorn football games, doing something outdoors, studying, or playing soccer.
You can contact her at [email protected] or @nailas.lens for sports photography.
Hannah Vipin, CHS9 Editor
Hannah Vipin is a junior and the CHS9 editor for The Sidekick.
Passionate about hearing diverse perspectives, The Sidekick provides Hannah the opportunity to share those viewpoints with a broader audience.
In addition to photography, she is an avid movie enthusiast, fond of action films that include a touch of romance. During her free time, Hannah enjoys a good fantasy book.
For inquiries, you can reach her at: [email protected] or on instagram (@hannahvipin).
Aarnav Yarlagadda, Staff Writer
Eirene Park, Staff Photographer
Eirene Park is a senior and is a third year member on The Sidekick. She is excited to take on her future photography role with a hint of design.
She came to Coppell, Texas in her freshman year of high school and decided to join this program because of her cousin. In her free time, she enjoys blasting music when she is drawing, driving and watching K-dramas.
Some of her favorite K-dramas are Twinkling Watermelon, Welcome to Samdal-ri and Go Back Couple. A couple of artists she likes listening to are BOYNEXTDOOR, Stray Kids and Wave to Earth.
You can contact her via email at [email protected] or on X (@eireneprk08).
Elizabeth De Santiago, Executive Features Editor
Elizabeth “Lizzie” De Santiago is a senior and executive features editor for The Sidekick.
Her passion for writing stems from her childhood love of writing fictional stories. Throughout her time on The Sidekick, the thing she values most is the human connections she gets to make with people through her stories.
Outside of The Sidekick, she likes to listen to obscure music genres, skateboard, draw and drive her red Jeep Islander, Lilo, around town. Some of her favorite artists include Twenty One Pilots, JPEGMAFIA, Charli XCX and Denzel Curry.
Elizabeth loves trying anything new especially when it comes to creative outlets she uses to express herself. Her favorite food of all time is takoyaki and her favorite drink is a Baja Blast from Taco Bell.
You can contact her by email at [email protected].com.
Kirsten Schnock, Staff Writer
Kirsten Schnock is a junior and a first-year designer for The Sidekick. She enjoys all forms of art, especially sculptures. When she is not creating art, she loves to listen to music or binge watch any tv-show she can get her hands on. Her favorite music album of all time is the 2008 Fearless album by Taylor Swift. She looks forward to creating more content for the Sidekick this year.
You can contact her by email at [email protected]
Raima Awan, Boys Sports Editor
Pranavi Ramineni, Social Media Manager
Pranavi Ramineni is a senior and the social media manager for The Sidekick.
What began as a playful attempt to surprise a friend quickly turned into a love for cartooning, design and storytelling. Now, she uses writing, creating and photography as creative outlets to express what words alone often can’t.
When she’s not working on a story, you can find her rewatching nostalgic movies like Before I fall and The Devil Wears Prada or sleeping. She also enjoys exploring fashion and engaging in conversations about global issues.
You can contact her at [email protected]
Sohalia Reddy, Staff Designer
Sohalia Reddy is a senior and third year staff designer on The Sidekick. She takes a particular interest in creating graphics and page design.
In her free time, she enjoys drinking Danimals, waving flags, drawing and playing video games. She also spends a lot of time listening to music, listening to artists such as Tinashe and Megan thee Stallion.
You can contact Sohalia at [email protected] or on Instagram (@danimal.drinker).
Riya Prasad, Communications Manager
Riya Prasad is a senior and a third year member of The Sidekick.
Through the program she has enjoyed meeting new people in her community whom she previously would not have met otherwise.
Outside of D115, she is an avid music listener, with Lana Del Rey making up most of her Spotify playlists. She enjoys swimming, traveling and taking photos with her digital camera.
You can contact Riya through email at [email protected] or on Instagram (@riyaaa_prasad)
Emmalee Jittasupo, Staff Writer
Emmalee Jittasupo is a junior and a second-year member of The Sidekick. She finds enjoyment in taking photos and writing stories. During her free time, she enjoys listening to music, baking and playing the piano.
You can contact Emmalee at [email protected]
Jay Vernekar, Faculty/Staff Editor
Jay Vernekar is a junior and the faculty/staff editor for The Sidekick.
Over his time on staff, he especially enjoys connecting with other people in the Coppell community as he works on stories. He is eager to work hard to highlight all aspects that make Coppell special.
When Jay isn’t working on a story, you can find him at a local escape room or nose deep in an Agatha Christie novel.
He especially loves spending time with his friends and family, cherishing all the positive connections he makes.
You can contact Jay at [email protected]
Prisha Hooda, Staff Photographer
Prisha Hooda is a junior at Coppell High School and a second year staff member on The Sidekick.
She joined The Sidekick to further deepen her understanding of visual media due to her passion in creative arts.
Though she spent her childhood striving to excel at drawing, she later discovered photography as her true artistic outlet. She enjoys watching shows, sipping iced coffee, and indulging in her favorite cuisine, Italian.
You can reach her at [email protected]
Marli Field, Entertainment Editor
Marli Field is a senior and the entertainment editor for The Sidekick.
Marli has a passion for uncovering the artistic past of the world around us, and a bringing a voice to people in our community through journalism. She is a lover of pop culture, caramel macchiatos, and manatees.
Outside of school, Marli belongs to the student advisory boards for numerous Dallas museums and is the co-president of the CHS book club
When not in the Sidekick classroom, she can often be found watching movies, researching random topics instead of studying, and thrifting.
You can contact Marli by email at @[email protected] or X at @marli_field
Karthika Dayanand, Staff Designer
Karthika Dayanand is a junior and a second year staff designer on The Sidekick.
Passionate about storytelling through art and design, The Sidekick provides her the creative freedom to expand her design skills. She loves to page design, illustrate comics, and create graphics, and is excited to see where the program takes her next.
Outside of school, she is an avid Bharatanatyam dancer. You can usually find her reading a book, chatting with friends or listening to music.
You can contact her at [email protected] or on instagram at (@karthikaart_).
Hiral Patel, Staff Writer
Hiral Patel is a senior and second-year staff writer for The Sidekick.
She joined the program for her love of writing and quickly learned journalism allows her to tell important stories that happen in real time.
When she’s not reading, you can find Hiral joking with her friends, snacking on mint Oreos or overplaying her favorite songs.
You can contact her via email at [email protected] or on Instagram (@hiralishiralarious).
Kevin Gunnampalli, Staff Photographer
Radhanaresh Kevin Gunnampalli is a junior and second-year member of The Sidekick. After winning the Gold Seal, Kevin’s passion grew for photography and gave him a new haven.
He loves Formula 1 and roots for the McLaren Formula 1 Team and has aspirations to work in motorsports. Gunnampalli is a part of The Coppell Solar Car Motorsports Team, Technology Student Association, Vex Robotics, Photography Club, Aerospace Club and Reactive Shots.
These clubs empower and provide tremendous support throughout his future career into a masters degree of Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Communications. He considered to be an extrovert and loves to socialize when possible. Whenever he is not working or watching cars, he spends his time watching films and sketching out new ideas for his comic book.
You can contact him through email ([email protected]) or on Instagram (@radhan.gunna)
Aashi Panchal, Staff Writer
Aashi Panchal is a junior at Coppell High School and second-year staff writer on The Sidekick.
Though she joined to pursue her passion of writing, Aashi has expanded her horizons to include photography and videography as well.
When she’s not working on stories, you’ll probably find her curating her perfect earring stack on Pinterest, binge watching procedural dramas on TV or grabbing a coffee with her friends.
You can contact Aashi at [email protected] or on Instagram (@_aashipanchal_).
Safiya Azam, Social Media Editor/Podcast Producer
Safiya Azam is a senior on The Sidekick, and a third-year within the program.
She believes there are many ways to tell a story and acts on this belief through her use of various forms of journalism specializing in podcasts and social media as Social Media Editor / Podcast Producer for the year.
When she is not working on a story, you can find Safiya behind a canvas working on her latest artwork, tuning into podcasts covering pop culture moments to the latest global event and thrifting. Email: [email protected]