GISSELLE PERNETT

Jr Hi the Magazine | November 2023

"If Cherry Jayne and Lil Sumthin had decided to name their queer and large bodied pole show, “Ethereal” they would have captured the vibe of the night perfectly. It’s their first ever emo strip show and the night’s soundtrack consists of emo classics from Panic! at the Disco to Fall Out Boy and 3OH3!. The audience becomes more entranced with each dancer and the cheers become a permanent addition to the night’s soundscape. Dollar bills are flying towards the stage. The energy is intoxicating and looking away for a second could mean missing an impressive spin down the pole and into splits or a sexy dip into the audience. You've entered the Fantasy Suite."

Jr Hi the Magazine | September 2023

"Idman spent years saying “no” to music. “I think I try to quit all the time,” she says only half joking. We’re sitting on the couch in her Los Angeles apartment and I’m listening to her recount the memories of the record deals she turned down in her early twenties, the eight months she spent dodging calls from her producer after recording her single, “Good Life,” and the time she spent plotting a way she could still have a successful music career without ever having to perform on a stage. Thankfully, Idman has always been surrounded by a community that refuses to let her quit."

Jr Hi the Magazine | July 2023

"Tessa Violet is always doing her best. From her early days on YouTube to being full swing into her (yes) mom era, Tessa has grown into herself embracing delusion, having a lot of hope and —on her best days— knowing that failure is just a part of her journey. Her latest album, “My God!” is just another reminder of how powerful you can be despite heartbreak, and insecurity. In the middle of her living room floor, Tessa and I talk about writing, healing and why sharing her feelings doesn’t make her vulnerable."

Jr Hi the Magazine | September 2022

"Maybe it was the stories that surrounded Sonia as a child or the wobbly stages they danced on when they were younger, but Sonia always knew they wanted to perform. Even as a self-described “shy kid," Sonia began dancing at age 3 and continued intensely for 15 years before realizing they didn’t want to be a dancer. They began writing poetry and spent a lot of time performing at the Destiny Arts Center in West Oakland. Though they started taking theater seriously later on, from a young age, Sonia knew performing in front of an audience was never something they were entitled to and they didn’t plan on taking that for granted."

Jr Hi the Magazine | July 2022 | co-authored with Eden Hain

"Going even further, Texas lawmakers then passed the Heartbeat Act in 2021, which not only made it illegal to terminate a pregnancy after six weeks, but also allowed citizens to sue anyone involved in the abortion. Yes, people were now being compensated for not minding their own business! This is complete narc energy. The Heartbeat Act meant that a complete stranger who found out you were planning to have an abortion could sue you, your doctor, whoever paid for the procedure, and the Uber driver who drove you to the clinic! And the Supreme Court refused to block the law because technically the state was not enforcing the law, the citizens were. Loophole!"

Jr Hi the Magazine | June 2022 | co-authored with Eden Hain

"This system worked on a color-coded A — D grading scale. Neighborhoods with an A (green) rating consisted of “ethnically homogeneous” middle to upper-class constituents. People who lived in these neighborhoods were considered the best candidates for loans. Yes, that means white people. B (blue) were considered desirable because they were nearly or completely white neighborhoods. C (yellow) neighborhoods were considered “declining” for an “infiltration of a lower grade population,” better known as working class people of color. Neighborhoods with a D (red) rating were considered hazardous for its infiltration of “undesirable populations.” Guess who lived in these neighborhoods? Not white people!" 

Jr Hi the Magazine | February 2022

"Mariel Molino is a lover of making people laugh, trusting her instincts, and eating her mother’s flan (in no particular order). Mariel began her acting career in Mexico City with a role on Muy Padres — a telenovela. Now, making her American television debut on ABC’s Promised Land, Mariel says she may not be the loudest in the room or the strongest, but she always shows up."

Jr Hi the Magazine | September 2021 

"If you’ve listened to Rozzi’s music, you probably know more of her secrets than you think you do. From writing about the lucky underwear kept in her memory box to singing about not wanting to run into THAT ex at a party (we all have one,) Rozzi embraces the uncomfortable. Part 1 of her latest album, Hymn for Tomorrow, is 24 minutes of vulnerability in the forms of heartbreak, anger, acceptance and healing. In addition to being an overall inspiring individual, she has the work ethic of Miranda Hobbes and picks Big over Aidan, obviously!"

For The Punks | June 2021

"If you look at the comments on Leanna Firestone’s TikToks you’ll find dozens of commenters asking for the full versions of her, under one minute, song snippets. Originally joining the app as an anime account, Leanna successfully used her growing TikTok platform to kick start her singing/songwriting career, allowing her to hit several milestones in just the past year. Creating interactive series on her platform such as, “songs my playlists have been added too” and “help me choose my album art photo” Leanna has gained an eager and supportive audience consistently excited to hear her next release."

For The Punks | August 2021

“There’s too many influences out in the world for me to make one kind of music.” Portland based artist, Still Woozy, known off stage as Sven Gamsky, refuses to be boxed into one music genre. The outcome is Gamsky’s long awaited debut album, If This Isn’t Nice, I Don’t Know What Is, a stunning 13 track genre blend album and comforting exploration of being stuck in your own head. Inspired by an array of artists like D’Angelo, Steve Lacy, Jack Johnson and Sublime, Gamsky’s first long body of work features influences of rock and roll, acoustics and alt pop delivering a dreamy DIY and overall confident sound." 

El Nuevo Sol | May 2020

"It started with jars of Skippy Peanut Butter. The first and only time I was able to visit Venezuela was 2004 and the image of my mom hiding jars of peanut butter between the clothes in my suitcase still comes to my mind. At seven years old, I didn’t understand why we needed to bring peanut butter with us. That was the first indication that the lives of my tíos and primos was completely different than mine. As I grew up, peanut butter turned into clothes, then cell phones and eventually a monthly allowance of 100 dollars. The image of the hidden jars of peanut butter always comes to mind. Venezuela is going through a major humanitarian and political crisis with millions of people lacking food and basic necessities due to a crisis caused among other factors by government corruption and an economic boycott imposed by the U.S. "

CSUN Journalism Department | November 2019

Writing is considered the most important skill in media but the cadre of expert panelists at at the first California State University Media Career Summit underlined the value of adopting additional skills to complement the growing digital media industry.

“When I was in school, there was this myth that you’re either a numbers person or a words person,” said Wendy Barba, executive editor for Fierce by mitú, and a 2010 Journalism graduate. “I think that was a mistake I made. I was just so focused on ‘I’m a writer, I’m a writer’ and I didn’t know how to do spreadsheets, or Keynote presentations.”

The Daily Sundial | March 2018

"For two years, Edith Monreal woke up at 4 a.m. to commute to CSUN while working graveyard shifts at NORMS restaurant. Living in a single parent household, she relied on her job to pay for student expenses. Monreal finished her first semester with a 1.8 GPA, leading her to question if she wanted to continue her college career. Monreal is a Dreamer and a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient. She was brought to the U.S. at 3 years old from Aguascalientes, Mexico. She is now a senior with a 4.0 GPA, expecting to graduate with honors in the fall of 2019. Monreal credits DACA and the DREAM Act for allowing her to attend college."