Hello! My name is Gurnoor Makkad and I am the lead designer as well as the lead copy editor for The Leaf. As a senior, I am incredibly excited to start my fourth (and unfortunately last) year in journalism! I hope that I can continue to further my writing and design skills as part of The Leaf staff and that I can start to hone my journalistic abilities by trying new things this year. Working remotely for the magazine this year as a result of a scheduling conflict will be a challenge, but I am determined to continue to put out my best work and make my own impact on the journalism program.

I thoroughly enjoy reading and writing, which is part of the reason I joined journalism during my first year of high school. Some of my favorite books are In 27 Days by Alison Gervais, and Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. In addition to reading and writing, I have an appreciation for the fine arts. I like to sing, dance, and act– especially when performing is involved.

I like to spend my free time with my family as well. I have 2 sisters: one older and one younger. I am especially close with my younger sister, who is 2 years apart in age from me. We do just about everything together.

On a closing note, I would like to share with you one of my strengths: I try my best to be optimistic towards both myself and others. That being said, embodied by the words of Auliq Ice, my favorite quote of all time is: “Laughter is like a windshield wiper; it doesn’t stop the rain, but allows us to keep going.”

This year is going to be a great year, and I’m excited to see you all on this journey.