Sixteen-year-old Mereia enjoys cooking, reading mystery novels and playing with her two cats, Simba and Coco. She is fascinated by people’s minds and hopes to one day pursue a career as a psychologist. Mereia loves to write and is most interested in writing about birth control and safer sex for Sex, Etc. “It’s important to educate teens about their options and especially about having safer sex,” explains Mereia. She hopes that the work she does with Sex, Etc. will make a positive impact on other teens’ lives by helping them make informed decisions.

—Hannah Fung-Wiener, 16, Staff Writer

Lina is a 17-year-old who enjoys spending time playing her guitar and taking photos of the different places she has visited, such as Niagara Falls and the Florida Keys. Lina is also a very enthusiastic soccer fan. Her favorite Major League Soccer club is the Philadelphia Union. Lina joined the Sex, Etc. teen editorial staff in August, 2010, and one of her goals as a member of the staff is to educate teens about sexual health and safer sex. In the future Lina hopes to be a magazine editor and a published writer.

—Francis Howitt, 17, Staff Writer

Sam, a 17-year-old high school senior, was first inspired to join the Sex Etc. teen editorial staff when his mother introduced him to the publication. His interest was further sparked when he realized that he wanted to be able to correctly answer the questions that teens have about sexual health. Sam describes himself as creative, stubborn and curious. When not writing, Sam kayaks, hikes, cooks and plays with his pet cat. He also enjoys how much working with Sex Etc. helps him grow personally by introducing him to new writing styles, ideas and fun opportunities.

—June Rosen, 15, Staff Writer

Seventeen-year-old Brandon loves sailing open waters, performing onstage and putting his thoughts down on paper. He takes pride in his literary abilities and decided to utilize his skills, writing for Sex, Etc. and sharing information about sexual health, reproduction and safer sex with other teens. For Brandon, inspiration for writing can strike anywhere—a blog he reads online or even an episode of Jersey Shore. This year, Brandon looks forward to writing more, having lots of fun and educating more teens about sexuality.

—Luisa Tinapay, 15, Staff Writer

Casandra is a 17-year-old who loves playing soccer and adores the outdoors. She enjoys being active in her community and is involved in SHARE—her school’s community service club. Thanks to her close friend Derek Demeri, who introduced her to Sex Etc., Casandra fell in love with the magazine and its mission. She believes offering teens sexuality education is essential, since there’s so little good, accurate information for teens about sexuality. Casandra also enjoys writing, learning and sharing her knowledge with others, making her an ideal addition to the staff. When she enters college, her goal is to major in philanthropy or political science and to make a difference in the world.

—Jason Ramirez, 17, Staff Writer

Writing, flamenco dancing and yoga are the favorite pastimes of 16-year-old high school senior, Hannah. She goes to a boarding school in Pennsylvania and is very enthusiastic about writing for Sex Etc. this year. Hannah believes that it is important to respect, not only yourself, but also the people around you. “I want to educate my peers on how to maintain healthy sexual and emotional relationships,” she says. In the future, Hannah hopes to continue writing and pursue a career in environmental preservation. Most of all, she hopes to make a difference in the lives of others, and she believes that writing for Sex Etc. will help her accomplish just that.

—Mereia Alston-Torres, 16, Staff Writer

Francis Howitt is a 17-year-old senior who first became interested in sexuality education, because he was tired of not having accurate information about sexuality and sexual health. By working at Sex, Etc., Francis hopes to help teach at least one reader something about sexual health that he or she didn’t know before reading the magazine or visiting the Web site. In his free time, Francis is very involved in sports and other outdoor activities. Some of his hobbies include biking 50 to 60 miles per week, hiking around state parks and kayaking. In the future, Francis hopes to become a lawyer and give back to his community.

—Lina Chappelle, 17, Staff Writer

June, an outspoken 15-year-old high school sophomore, became interested in writing for Sex, Etc. after her mother gave her a terrifying talk about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). When she heard about the risks of STDs, June became determined to share the information with her fellow teens. In her spare time, June has hiked 10 peaks in the Adirondacks and has also learned how to lick her elbow. When not spending her time on such pursuits, June enjoys riding horses, running cross-country, sailing and reading Stephen King. While many people have been scared by the book It, one of Stephen King’s best sellers, June surprisingly loves the novel. June hopes to pursue a career in science and is contemplating studying astrophysics later on in life.

—Sam Dercon, 17, Staff Writer

Luisa is an ambitious and intelligent 15-year-old sophomore, and it won’t be long until she takes the world by storm. Luisa plans to pursue broadcast journalism as a career. As a writer for Sex, Etc., she hopes to expand her knowledge of sexuality and sexual health and to pass that information on to other teens. Luisa loves the Gary Lew quote, “This is your world. Shape it or someone else will.” She says it motivates her to make a powerful impact on society.

—Brandon Dublin, 16, Staff Writer

Olivier, a 17-year-old senior, prides himself on having an iTunes playlist of 21,000 songs. While this number is impressive, it is not his only stunning quality. Born with a limited sense of smell, Olivier has still managed to become a cheese expert and can boast about having worked as a professional cheese vendor. In his spare time, Olivier likes to read, meditate, write and run. It was his passion for writing that brought him to Sex, Etc. where he hopes to use his ability to ensure that teens receive accurate sexual health information. A fluent French speaker, Olivier intends to return to Canada for college.

—Sam Dercon, 17, Staff Writer

Sam, a 17-year-old high school senior, is thrilled to work at Sex, Etc. for a second year. Sam is best described as a confident and crazy teen who enjoys and regularly plays soccer. For a busy teen like Sam, soccer is one way he keeps his adrenaline rushing and energy going. However when he isn’t feeling motivated, Sam draws inspiration from works by Picasso or quotes by Martin Luther King Jr. And when Sam isn’t on the field dribbling soccer balls and running suicides, he invests his free time in writing for Sex, Etc. His primary goal through working with the Sex, Etc. teen editorial staff is to educate teens across the nation about sexuality and sexual health.

—Insia Zaidi, 17, Staff Writer

Insia, a hardworking and motivated 17-year-old senior, loves a challenge. These qualities will surely help her achieve her dream of one day writing for Vogue magazine. As a Sex, Etc. staff writer, Insia wants to write about intimacy. She believes an important aspect of intimacy is trust, and having a partner you can trust can help prevent situations, like unplanned pregnancies. When partners trust each other, it is easier to talk about birth control and safer sex. She is most excited about getting to know everyone on the Sex Etc. teen editorial staff and seeing the final product of the magazine.

—Sam Woods-Corr, 17, Staff Writer