Alexis Behrens has been an enthusiastic member of the Spotlight since the very beginning of her time at Southern Lehigh High School. As a freshman, she was eager to take on extra articles to help out the publication and was affectionately known as “the overachiever” of the group. When she eventually joined the editorial team, she was excited to leave her mark on the publication, creating a new front page and layout elements for the print issue. Throughout her time as a writer for the Spotlight, her passion has been constant.
Aside from journalism, Alexis has stayed involved in her school and local community. At SLHS, Alexis is a member of National Honor Society, Teen Counselors, and Spartan Ambassadors. In her spare time, she spends time with her church’s youth group, picks up new books to read, and enjoys paddle boarding locally (but mostly just hitting up her favorite Chinese food buffet).
As Alexis prepares to graduate in May, she is excited to study International Relations in the fall at George Washington University as a part of their Honors Program. She hopes to use her degree to either become a foreign service officer or work in international relations for a global company.
Her interest in international relations stems from her love of learning new languages, traveling to foreign places, and exploring new cultures. Alexis became fluent in Spanish through Southern Lehigh’s Spanish Immersion program, and she volunteers on mission trips with her church.
In the past four years as part of the Spotlight staff, Alexis has held different editorial positions, and worked her way up to hold the title of Co-Editor-in-Chief. She has written across every section of the newspaper, covering everything from war conflicts in Ukraine to celebrity controversies surrounding the live-action film “Snow White.”
More than anything, her time as a leader on The Spotlight has shown Alexis the true value of collaboration.
“I think the greatest lesson that being part of the Spotlight has taught me is working with other students to create something that we can all be proud of,” said Behrens. “It was really fun figuring out what other students wanted to write about, and helping them make that happen. And in the end, when we all went out to hand out the newspapers, everyone was proud of what they did.”
As an editor, Behrens has helped the Spotlight earn numerous Best of School Newspaper Online (SNO) Awards for the monthly staff editorial. She is not afraid to delve into a story or argue her opinion, helping her staff earn national recognition. Individually, Alexis also placed first in the state in the category of news writing, at the 2024 Pennsylvania School Press Association student journalism competition during her junior year.
“It was a really nice way to be able to finish out my junior year,” said Behrens. “And, since I’ve been working on trying to be a better news writer, it was a nice way to…see some improvement over the years.”
Although Alexis originally joined the Spotlight because of her interest in writing, she also found a new talent in graphic design. In the past year as Co-Editor-in-Chief, she has breathed new life into the page design of the Spotlight, creating eye-catching graphics and photo collages that highlighted the annual Homecoming Dance, Multicultural Fair, and Fashion Show.
As an editor, Alexis has enjoyed many Block 3 classes in the publications lab with her fellow editors. Through the stress of deadlines, she appreciates the pub lab for the camaraderie it creates.
“We would all sit around the table, and it was really fun to talk with everyone about things that really never related to journalism,” said Behrens. “I think my favorite memory with that would probably be when Kishore spilled all the coffee, and it smelled like coffee in that room. It smelled like coffee in the room for ages.”
As a dedicated student and involved community member, Alexis has felt the weight of her commitments. As she looks toward the future, she remembers a silly piece of advice that one of her English teachers, Mrs. Lauren Tocci, offered.
“I really liked one thing Mrs. Tocci said way back in 10th grade. She was like, sometimes ‘we’re all riding the struggle bus,’ and it’s nice to remember that like we all have our things that we’re going through, and regardless, we still have to help each other and help ourselves overcome that.”
Alexis Behrens: Co-Editor-in-Chief
Photo Credit: Abby Horchuck
Senior Alexis Behrens will attend George Washington University, in DC, to study international affairs.
About the Contributor
Gianna Cusumano, Co-Editor-in-Chief
Spotlight co-editor-in-chief Gianna Cusumano will graduate this May, leaving behind four years of dedicated involvement to the high school’s student newspaper. Throughout that time, she filled the roles of entertainment and features editor, and this year served as head of the website and social media. In each position, she embraced opportunities to express her passion for advocacy.
“Writing is such a big passion of mine, and giving people information and letting them make their own opinions is really important to me,” she said.
Cusumano first joined the Spotlight out of her general love for writing, which she’s always lived out through writing creative stories. Upon entering high school, she jumped at the chance to join a newspaper writing class in hopes of broadening her skills and finding a community of students with similar interests. Now, she feels that she’s gained all that and more, with fond memories ranging from former editor-in-chief Kishore Annambhotla spilling coffee grains across the publication lab to celebrating the editorial team’s first Best of SNO (School Newspapers Online) award.
“I definitely think the Spotlight has helped me grow as a person and as a writer. The aspect of getting to interview and talk to new people, especially people who have opinions and perspectives different from my own, has definitely made me more confident and outgoing,” Cusumano said. “It’s definitely made me realize I want to pursue journalism further, whether as a career or on my college’s paper.”
Cusumano is excited to pursue news writing further, even after leaving the Spotlight. While she majors in Politics and Public Policy at Lehigh University this coming fall, she will seek out ways to report current events on the side—hopefully through the college’s award winning student newspaper, The Brown and White. This will keep her plenty busy, as her studies are part of a pre-law program on a four-plus-one track, allowing her to earn both her bachelors and masters degrees by 2030.
Gianna is no stranger to hard work, though, as she’s been deeply involved in various activities throughout high school. Her greatest commitment, other than the Spotlight, has been participation in the Southern Lehigh swim team. She’s been part of one swim team or another since age eight, and finished out this year as a team captain. Looking back, she has fond memories from all four years with the group.
“It was really special when I was a freshman. I was swimming in one of our meets and I got a [personal record], and my whole team was beside the lane cheering me on,” she said. “It was really cool to get to celebrate that accomplishment with my team.”
Gianna is also a member of the high school’s National Honor Society and Athletic Leadership Council. Additionally, Cusumano took on the leadership role of co-president of Habitat for Humanity this year, a platform from which she was able to help address housing inequality in the area.
That issue has always been important to her, so much so that she confronted it in an article—one of her favorites among all those she’s written for the Spotlight. She was excited to cover such an impactful topic for her community, as well as explore reporting through different media types as she invited kids to illustrate their concepts of “home.” The piece she wrote was recognized by the National School Press Association’s Fred Ross Systemic Change Journalism Competition, earning it republication in local newspaper, The Morning Call.
“I was really excited to write about current events and inform people on things going on in the world,” she said. “It was really cool to learn more about my community and what was happening around it.”
Now, as she moves on from high school, Cusumano looks forward to a future in public policy, where she can employ skills gained from journalism for her community’s benefit.
“I definitely hope I still have that passion for advocacy, working on things I believe in,” she said. “I also really hope my love for writing stays with me, whether that be with journalism or some other form.”
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