As we have been slowly settling into our regular school life being back from Christmas break, Staff Pick of The Week is also back. For our first issue of the year of 2024,  I’m introducing another group member of mine in The Anchor, Sophia Archer ’27.

Sophia’s Christmas break sounded amazing, with cookies and a family reunion. “I have a lot of family down in Florida and they came back for Christmas, including my grandma whom I missed a lot,” Sophia said. “We made cookies together and opened gifts. I got lots of clothes and chocolate. Although Christmas doesn’t feel as eventful as I was as a kid, I still had a lot of fun.” She also talked about how this year was her first green Christmas and how that made the Christmas experience different as well.

“Linger” by The Cranberries was Sophia’s pick of a song that matches her new year’s energy. It’s definitely justified for people to have a bit of nostalgic sentiment stepping into yet another new year. I also praised Sophia for her taste in a band that doesn’t get mentioned often in our time. “My mom was in a band during The Cranberries’ age and I kind of grew up listening to them,” Sophia said. She’s been watching some Wes Anderson films.

It may be fair to say that Sophia’s plan for the new year is clear. She’s firm about her New Year’s resolutions: “Staying away from toxic people and taking care of myself and mental health are the major things I’m going for this year,” she said. Five months into high school as well as The Anchor, Sophia hopes to be more consistent with her coverage and plan to use the opportunities that The Anchor provides to talk to more people. Sophia discusses her growth as an Anchor staffer, “I took Journalism because my dad was a journalist and I just wanted to try it out. It turned out to be helpful with my communication and writing skills.”

Sophia has always been a great presence in the journalism room. She’s more of an action-taker rather than a speaker and is determined about the stories she wants to tell. She also has an interesting character under a seemingly stoic look that you could only discover once you start talking to her. I hope that she will be able to achieve all her New Year’s goal, and I hope the same for all of us.