Eight Students Examine Washington's Entry-Level Workforce

Arvin Ahmadi is a rising junior at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, Va. Aside from being the news editor for his school's newspaper, tjTODAY, he will serve as the student representative to the Fairfax County School Board during the next school year. He also participates in Model U.N. and Odyssey of the Mind.

Alex Altskan is a student at School Without Walls in Washington, D.C., who will graduate in 2009. He immigrated to the United States from Russia as a child, speaks both English and Russian fluently and travels frequently between the two countries. His interests include journalism, geography, history and writing, as well as performing and producing music.

Ariana Brunori was born July 15, 1992. She is a student at James Madison High School in Vienna, Va., and is the business editor on her school's newspaper, The Hawk Talk. She has been interested in journalism since her eighth-grade journalism class and has been influenced by her father, a journalist for Tax Analyst. She is ready and eager to learn as much about this broad subject as she can, in hopes of one day making a career out of it.

Taylor Dankmyer is an 18-year-old from Alexandria, Va., who graduated from West Potomac High School in Alexandria, Va., in early June. He loves the hard facts of news, and hopes someday he will contribute to the phrase, "democracy depends on journalism." He is attending the University of Missouri at Columbia in the fall.

Tiffany Myrga is a rising senior at Bishop McNamara High School in Forestville, Md. She is member of the Moreau Society, National Honors Society and Irish Culture Club, and is on the lacrosse team. She works on the layout of her school newspaper, The Stampede. She likes to listen to music and plays the guitar.

Corinna Pan is a recent graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. She will be a freshman at the University of Virginia this fall. In her free time, she enjoys dancing, writing, playing the piano, hanging out with friends, etc. One of her all-time favorite heroes is Martin Luther King, Jr.

Teresa Ventura is a student at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology and will graduate in 2009. In the past two years, she has been the spread editor and the features editor for her school newspaper, tjTODAY. Next year, she will be the editor-in-chief. Teresa is a Hispanic-American living in Alexandria, Va., and she plans to major in journalism when she attends college.

Tabitha Peyton Wood is a recent graduate of Washington International School and will attend Columbia University this fall to study economics and creative writing. She looks forward to writing for the campus's independent student newspaper, the Columbia Spectator. She fell in love with journalism after joining her high school newspaper staff in 2006 and realizing what a positive impact the student press could have on her community.