The Girls

Editors:

Kenzie Rochelle (Editor-in-Chief)

Kenzie is a writer and editor in the Los Angeles area.  She is a graduate of the University of Southern California with an M.A. in Communications Management and of Liberty University with a B.A. in English.  Even as a high school student, Kenzie was recognized for her writing capabilities and had creative works printed in local and national publications.  These experiences piqued her interest in editing as well as writing so she committed to working on the launch of a literary journal as an undergrad.  Her work on The Lamplight earned her consecutive Writers Awards in Literature from the university.  After graduating, she interned with magazines in the sports industry and the teen market.  In her free time, Kenzie often runs too much and collapses with a book in hand.
FAV BOOK: The Sorrows of Satan by Marie Corelli
FAV MOVIE: The Philadelphia Story
FAV MUSIC: Rilo Kiley
FAV CAUSE: Body Image/Eating Disorders, IP Rights

Krista Simmons (Editor)

Krista is a writer, photographer, and editor based in Los Angeles. After graduating from the University of California, Santa Cruz, she headed off on a solo journey around Australia and Southeast Asia, where she worked as a farmhand, helping harvest everything from Cabernet to Cup Gum honey. When she’s not shooting or scribbling, she can be found swimming, printing in the darkroom, or teaching children’s yoga at Inner Power Yoga Studio in Calabasas.  To check out her photography or view writing clips, visit www.kristasimmons.com.
FAV BOOK: The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan
FAV MOVIE: American Beauty and The Little Mermaid
FAV MUSIC: John Butler Trio, Xavier Rudd
FAV CAUSE: Sustainability and Fair Trade

Diane Ozanich (Editor)

Diane was born and raised in the fabulous City of Angels.  Attending Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, WA, she received a BFA in theater with an emphasis in playwriting and directing.  Post-graduation she produced work with Live! Girls, Doubleshot Productions, and Collaborator.  She then left Seattle to search for her destiny up and down the West Coast only to find it in her own backyard!  Diane now resides once more in sunny California with her dachshund, Ramona and her cat, Judy.
FAV BOOK: The Awakening by Kate Chopin
FAV MOVIE: Welcome to the Dollhouse, Heavenly Creatures
FAV MUSIC: Simon and Garfunkel
FAV CAUSE: Animal Rights

Edith Sumaquial (Editor)

Edith graduated from the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon with a B.A. in Journalism with a Magazine focus, a Certificate in Film Studies and a minor in Dance. Since Edith was very little, she was quite the storyteller. She’s focused her creative ability to become a screenwriter, songwriter, actress and reporter. In a nutshell, writing has been the quintessential platform for her artistic release. Along with her experience with the pen and paper, she is also a mother and wife. She remains resistant to the suburban mom pressures and doesn’t plan on trading her dresses and high heels for a pair of mom jeans and sneakers.
FAV BOOK: The Harry Potter Series.
FAV MOVIE: Lucky Number Sleven
FAV MUSIC: Bands influenced by The Specials and The Clash
FAV CAUSE: Ethnicity in Film

Morgan Schimminger (Editor)

Morgan is a recent East Coast transplant who freelances as a writer and editor in the Los Angeles area. She received her M.A. in Magazine Publishing from Rosemont College and graduated with a B.A. in English from the University of California, Berkeley. Morgan has contributed to a variety of fashion, entertainment and lifestyle publications including Metro, Pop Magazine, AMMO Magazine and TheFamilyGroove.com. In her down time, she enjoys exploring Los Angeles, catching up with friends over the phone and searching for mainstream shopping bargains. Her latest mission is to find a stellar venue to play beach volleyball.
FAV BOOK:  Moby Dick by Herman Melville
FAV MOVIE: Notorious
FAV MUSIC: Freddie Mercury
FAV CAUSE: Mentoring, Environment

Writers

Nalea J. Ko (Staff Writer)

Born in Hawaii, Nalea J. Ko moved to Los Angeles on her own at 16 years old. The Hawaii-native now works as a reporter and writer in L.A. Nalea has always had a natural affinity for writing. As a child, she became a fixture at the Hawaii state Capitol, writing and delivering her own testimony. She received her bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. There she received several scholarships, including the Roy Leffingwell scholarship. From chasing President Obama on the beaches of Hawaii to reporting on the Burbank City Council, Nalea has worked nonstop as a reporter since graduating.
FAV BOOK: Flush by Virginia Woolf and Bleak House by Charles Dickens
FAV MOVIE: Breakfast at Tiffany’s
FAV MUSIC: Billie Holiday
FAV CAUSE: Poverty

Sophia Hsu (Staff Writer)

Sophia grew up in Saratoga, California with hopes of becoming a member of the Von Trapp family.  Though Sophia never fulfilled her dream of escaping Nazi Austria through song and dance, she has managed to forge her own path with ballet slippers in one hand and a book in the other.  At four years-old, Sophia performed in her first dance recital and discovered a love of dance that she cultivated as a competitive dancer until the age of eighteen.  Moving to Los Angeles after high school, she hung up her dancing shoes to study English and Communication at UCLA.  As a recent graduate, Sophia is both excited and terrified about the endless possibilities that lie ahead.  While she plans to attend graduate school in the future, Sophia is currently focusing on finding socially conscious work to which she can devote her time.  During her free time, Sophia loves to go out with her girlfriends, spend her nonexistent salary on clothes and novels, and complain about how old and inflexible she has become after a grueling ballet class.
FAV BOOK: Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
FAV MOVIE: Pretty Woman, The Sound of Music
FAV MUSIC: Spoon, Belle & Sebastian
FAV CAUSE: Education

Emily Roberts (Staff Writer)

Emily is an Austinite by way of Seattle, where she was born and raised.  Emily graduated from St. Edwards University in Austin, where she completed both her Bachelors and Masters Degrees in Psychology, and minored in Communications.  As a practicing therapist, with a background in public speaking, Emily dedicates herself to working with young women on empowerment, leadership, and finding their true selves.  She is currently working on a lecture series and book concerning the media’s sexualization of young women.   In her down time, Emily loves to explore Austin, whether she is running around Town Lake with her adorable puppy, Milo, or drinking a Mexican Martini while listening to live music on South Congress, she can’t get enough of this city!
FAV BOOK: Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Reviving Ophelia by Mary Pipher
FAV MOVIE: True Romance, Almost Famous
FAV MUSIC: MGMT, Ghostland Observatory
FAV CAUSE: Eating Disorders

Laura Platino (Staff Writer)

Laura is a freelance writer and aspiring storyteller. She received her B.A. in Literature and her M.S. in Secondary English Education from Nazareth College, a small school just miles from her hometown in upstate New York. Knowing she wasnʼt ready to settle into a teaching career and stay put, Laura launched her post-grad life with a solo trip to Salvador, Brazil, where she lived and worked in an orphanage and at a school for teens that promoted peace and non-violence. Backhome, Laura continued her work with children and adolescents – this time through an Arts in Education program for incarcerated and at-risk youth. Away from home again, Laura is in The City of Angels focusing on her own creative endeavors and praising the daily dose of sun, but looks forward to someday returning East for good, buying some land around the Finger Lakes region and growing her own food.
FAV BOOK: CATCH 22
FAV MOVIE: Gone with the Wind
FAV MUSIC: The Beatles
FAV CAUSE: Animal Cruelty, Saving the Earth, Promoting Empathy and Kindness

Ashley Pierce (Staff Writer)

Ashley was born and raised in the City of Angels. She attended Chaminade College Preparatory high school where she spent four years as a cheerleader and served as the Commissioner of Entertainment. Having dreamed of going to film school since childhood, she went on to the USC School of Cinema-Television and graduated in 2005 with a BA in Cinema-Television (Critical Studies) and double minors in music industry and business. Ashley moved to the Big Apple to manage Abercrombie’s new flagship on 5^th Avenue. After spending what she calls, “the best year of her life as an NYC Upper East Sider,” she returned to Cali at the end of 2006 to pursue her dream career. She now serves as I Am That Girl’s resident film critic. During the day, she continues her publicity career, working in the Corporate Communications department at a major entertainment company. In her spare time, Ashley enjoys spending time with family and friends, dancing and concerts. She is also a certified scuba diver and practices yoga regularly.
FAV BOOK: Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
FAV MOVIE: The Usual Suspects, Shawshank Redemption
FAV MUSIC: Linkin Park, Akon
FAV CAUSE: Breast Cancer

Lisa Kestenbaum (Staff Writer)

With her feet on the ground and her head in the clouds, Lisa works as an editorial assistant for a regional magazine and is a freelance writer. A passionate people-person with an insatiable curiosity, Lisa loves to travel and meet new people, read everything from novels to cereal boxes, cook with friends and watch CNN (seeing Anderson Cooper is a nice perk, too). She recently graduated from the University of Southern California with a B.A. in English/Creative Writing and plans to move to New York City within the year to get a taste for life on the East Coast. Lisa loves being a part of the I Am That Girl team and can’t wait to see all the wonderful things the year has to offer!
FAV BOOK: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
FAV MOVIE: Almost Famous
FAV MUSIC: Love it all!
FAV CAUSE: Education

Kit Rich (Staff Writer)

Kit grew up in Los Angeles, CA and received her BA at the University of San Francisco. She is a Pilates/fitness instructor with extensive knowledge in nutrition. When Kit isn’t training clients or writing, she spends time mentoring teen girls by teaching them fitness and nutrition. In Kit’s free time, she sleeps and goes on a lot of terrible first dates. Her friends want her to meet someone, but oh how they would miss the stories if she did.
Favorite book: My Horizontal Life by Chelsea Handler
Favorite movie: Sliding Doors
Favorite music: IndiaArie
Favorite cause: Girls On The Run

Amy Taylor (Staff Writer)

Amy was born in the Midwest but raised in Southern California and has always had a creative flair. After graduating from The Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles, she pursued a career in the fashion industry where she worked as an assistant designer and a Web editor. After realizing her love for journalism and graphics, she returned to school to receive a degree in Communications. Recently, Amy launched her own business as a freelance writer and graphic designer who works and studies as hard as she plays. She treasures time spent with her close friends and her wonderful husband, and is often occupied with a sewing project, crying over a romantic movie, or cooking up one of her specialties.
FAV BOOK: The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote
FAV MOVIE: Love Actually
FAV MUSIC: Beyonce, Sara Bareilles
FAV CAUSE: Environment

Rosalind Adams (Staff Writer)

Rosalind grew up in Manhattan and then moved to L.A. to attend UCLA, from which she recently graduated. After finishing college she popped over to London and Wales, but it wasn’t long before she was back in L.A. sipping a vanilla latte with an extra shot of espresso. She has won National Novel Writing Month twice, competed on the Junior National Track and Field team and sometimes only talks in Regina Spektor lyrics.
Favorite Book: Colors Insulting to Nature By Cintra Wilson
FAV MOVIE: Secretary
FAV MUSIC: Regina Spektor
FAV CAUSE: Sex Education

August Johnson McLaughlin (Contributing Writer)

August is thrilled to be a member of the IATG team. Born and raised in Minnesota, she moved to New York and later Paris on a prestigious modeling contract at the age of 18. Though she loved the cameras and the traveling, she knew her life held greater purpose. She is now a freelance writer, nutritional therapist and educator on topics of wellness, body image and the importance of positive self-esteem. She resides in Los Angeles with her husband, Mike and their two “kids:” Wombley, the bird and Zoe, the American bulldog (aka, her heart). She is currently completing her memoirs and her second cookbook (Feed Your Starving Artist 2).
FAV BOOK: The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron
FAV MOVIE: The Wizard of Oz, Sophie’s Choice
FAV MUSIC: The Beatles, Indigo Girls
FAV CAUSE: Eating Disorders, Animal Rescue

Natalie De La Rosa (Contributing Writer)

A city girl at heart, Natalie’s passion for travel and global communication has led her to study in Los Angeles, London and New York City. As a recent graduate of New York University, Natalie received a BS in Media, Culture and Communication. While in the Big Apple, she interned for WABC-TV at the assignment desk and for the CBS “Evening News.” Currently, Natalie resides in Los Angeles and is a staff writer for I Am That Girl and works at E! News. When she’s not busy contributing with the lovely ladies of IATG, Natalie enjoys spending time with family and her English bulldog, Bailey.
FAV BOOK: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
FAV MOVIE: Beaches, Almost Famous
FAV MUSIC: Hotel Costes, Goldfrapp
FAV CAUSE: Environment

Susanna DeSimone (Contributing Writer)

Susanna DeSimone is an avant-garde poet/feminist who hopes to crack the propaganda machine which, since the dawn of the suffrage movement, has manipulated women into believing that voting, owning property, gaining custody rights, earning equal pay, having reproductive freedom, and ending male sexual violence, equals hating men. Susanna’s counter culture mind was formed at the university of poet feminists otherwise known as UC Berkeley. She also earned an MFA in Screenwriting from Loyola Marymount. She currently uses her overpriced education to explore the politics of women’s bodies in our society in both her creative and journalistic endeavors.  She dreams of the day when women will control the construction of female sexuality – and when that day comes she will have nothing to write about.
FAV BOOK: Sometimes God has a Kid’s Face by Bruce Ritter
FAV MOVIE: Inventing the Abbots
FAV MUSIC: Ani DiFranco
FAV CAUSE: Sexual Violence

Shamar Amirah Bibbins (Contributing Writer)

A native of Detroit, Shamar graduated from Vassar College and decided to gain some “life experience” before returning to grad school. She studied in Japan for a year on a Fulbright Fellowship then started her career with the National Basketball Association. However, after taking an acting class in New York “just for fun,” Shamar fell in love with the craft and eventually left her cushy corporate job in television programming to explore the other side of the camera. Shamar relocated to Los Angeles and quickly found a niche in the commercial world, booking several prominent advertising campaigns, including, Home Depot, Pepsi Co., Washington Mutual, and Bright House Networks. She has appeared in several independent films and is also developing her skills as an on-air host. In her downtime, Shamar enjoys spending time with her family and friends, and loves anything that involves the sun and the sea!
FAV BOOK: Can’t Keep a Good Woman Down by Alice Walker
FAV MOVIE: The Notebook, Lady Sings the Blues
FAV MUSIC: Stevie Wonder, Jay-Z
FAV CAUSE: Environment

Amanda Montei (Contributing Writer)

Amanda grew up all over Los Angeles but got her sea legs in San Francisco where she spent most of her college years.  She has a BA in Creative Writing and believes that art, travel, education and activism are keys to social change and progress.  She spent two months teaching English in East Africa and is forever indebted to the children and people of Tanzania for teaching her the meaning of perseverance, hope and optimism in the face of struggle.  A self-proclaimed school nerd, she plans to return to grad school within the next few years and is currently working on various writing projects including a play, a novel, and a collection of short stories.
FAV BOOK: The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
FAV MOVIE: Notes on a Scandal
FAV MUSIC: The Black Keys
FAV CAUSE: Global Poverty, HIV/AIDS

Kiran Alvi (Contributing Writer)

Kiran is currently a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism at the University of Southern California. She was born in Hollywood and has lived in various cities in Los Angeles ever since. Kiran has a great passion for journalism and hopes to educate the world one day through a journalistic medium. In fact, she wants to be the next Oprah! Aside from her journalistic pursuits, Kiran loves watching all kinds of movies and sewing until her fingers bleed. She is a national champion in Forensics Speech & Debate and has won the nationally-recognized Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholarship. Kiran loves traveling and hopes to continue traveling as much as possible for the rest of her life – especially as a journalist.
FAV BOOK: A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
FAV MOVIE: Gladiator, You’ve Got Mail
FAV MUSIC: Frank Sinatra
FAV CAUSE: Literacy/Education, Religious Tolerance

Cassandra Sanders (Contributing Writer)

Cassandra is an actor, playwright, dramaturg and director.  She has a BFA in Theater from Cornish College of the Arts and has worked with such groups as Implied Violence, The Playwriting Team, The School of Big Ideas, Theater Seven of Chicago, 2nd Story, In So Many Words, Walt Whitman and Collaboraction where she served as Assistant Executive Artistic Director for 2 years.  Her short plays Lesson One and Chicago Summer were presented at Collaboraction’s 7th and 8th Annual SKETCHBOOK Festival in The Steppenwolf Garage Theatre.  Most recently she served as co-dramaturg for Lookingglass’ Around the World in 80 Days as well as co-director of Yes, This Really Happened to Me with Theatre Seven of Chicago.  She currently runs a performance & rehearsal space with her friends called Walt Whitmancheck.
FAV BOOK: The Angel on the Roof By Russell Banks
FAV MOVIE: The Night of the Hunter
FAV MUSIC: Peter and the Wolf
FAV CAUSE: Public Education

Opal Peachey (Contributing Writer)

Opal has graced the backstages of many a Seattle theater, assisting in the production of over twenty original plays. She is currently working as Stage Manager for Circus Contraption and is the co-founder of Marked Women, a feminista company determined to make cheap and dirty original work by and for ladies. As a Puget Sound native, it seemed only natural that she make Seattle her home after graduating from Cornish College of the Arts in 2004. In addition to perusing the theatrical muse, Opal enjoys craft parties with her girlfriends and drinking fancy beer with her main man. When the revolution comes, Ms. Peachey will survive because she is adept at urban gardening, bike commuting and does not wear makeup or shave her legs with any regularity. That said, she loves the Internet.
Favorite Book: Against the Day by Thomas Pynchon
Favorite Movie: Notorious
Favorite Music: Pink Floyd
Favorite Cause: Public Transportation

Danielle Turchiano (Contributing Writer)

Danielle Turchiano is a freelance Writer/Producer based out of the Los Angeles area.  After graduating from USC’s prestigious School of Cinema-Television in only three years, she set out to take the independent film industry by storm and began developing and producing short films, documentaries, and original content for the web.  Her first novel was self-published in November 2007 and she is currently working on two more, all while contributing to various online entertainment news magazines.
Fav Music: Mariah Carey, old school hip hop
Fav Movie: Fight Club, State and Main, Mean Girls
Fav Book: It by Stephen King, Why Girls Are Weird by Pamela Ribon
Fav Cause: Invisible Children, HIV/AIDs

PR Team:

Corianda Dimes

Corianda Dimes is currently a student at the University of Southern California, earning her BA in Public Relations.  Born in Germany but hailing more recently from Maryland, she is enjoying exploring the West Coast and living in Los Angeles, while working on USC’s TriSight Communications and Undergraduate Student Government.  Being out of the small town and into the big city, she’s excited to explore media and public relations with such a dynamic cause. Corianda has a weakness for tapas and pretty packaging, and in her spare time enjoys painting, having garnered recognition from NFAA  youngARTS, and people watching.
FAV BOOK: Hocus Pocus by Kurt Vonnegut
FAV MOVIE: Currently on a Dennis Hoffman binge.
FAV MUSIC: my iTunes is always on shuffle.
FAV CAUSE: Body Image, Sexual Education

1 Comment for The Girls

Leave a comment!

You must be logged in to post a comment.