Journalism Staff (2023-2024)
The Harbinger Staff is comprised of a small group of Miami Lakes Educational Center High School students that are part of the Journalism Strand in the school’s Cambridge Academy. The first issue of The Harbinger came out in November 2006. Since then, The Harbinger staff has diligently reported on breaking news and pertinent issues in the school, Miami community, and world, where the publication has received various forms of recognition throughout the years. Thank you for allowing us to inform you — it is our pleasure to do so.
Michelle Castillo
Journalism Adviser
Michelle Castillo is an English teacher at Miami Lakes Educational Center and the school’s Cambridge Academy Journalism Teacher, where she advises The Harbinger newspaper and Alpha & Omega yearbook. She has been teaching in Miami Dade County for over twelve years in various roles.
Melanie Cabrera
Editor-in-Chief
Melanie Cabrera is a class of 2024 senior. She has been Editor in Chief of The Harbinger for two years and is currently also Co-Editor in Chief of the Alpha and Omega yearbook. She has earned the Cambridge AICE Diploma with Merit and is a Posse Scholar who will be attending Pomona College as a member of the 10th cohort. She is an active member of her community and always looking for ways to help others. In the past, she has worked as a class officer and member of the Children’s Trust Youth Advisory (YAC). More recently, she has become Vice President of Anti-Trafficking International’s Student Advisory Board, where she is working on a number of projects towards spreading awareness about human trafficking and putting a stop to the trade. Always a lover of literature and storytelling, she has taken on the position of President of her school’s National English Honors Society (NEHS) with the hope of growing the club and fostering an active reading community. As a history enthusiast, Melanie enjoys contributing to the preservation of historical documents as a Smithsonian Digital Volunteer. When she’s not editing articles or doing other homework, Melanie can be found catching up on her endless TBR list, drawing, and listening to music.
Email: melaniecabrera0905@gmail.com
D’arin Floyd-Baldwin
Copy Editor, Managing Editor, Yearbook Junior Editor, Staff Writer
D’arin Floyd-Baldwin, a class of 2025 junior, is a staff writer for the Harbinger and a junior editor for the yearbook. She is a member of Students Demand Action, which is an organization that allows teens to learn and support their community in stopping gun violence. During this program she was able to meet Florida’s Senate Shevrin Jones. She is also a participant in WRAP Around Us Miami, where she gets to meet many city officials of Miami Gardens, such as Linda Julien a Miami Gardens Councilwomen.She is also the secretary of the Black History Club at MLEC. In her free time she volunteers at her old elementary school Miami Gardens Elementary. She is certified in Photoshop and Adobe. She also enjoys listening to music and indulging in films.
Bryan Pinero
Copy Editor, Webmaster, Staff Writer, Yearbook Senior Editor
Bryan Pinero, class of 2025 junior, is a Canadian immigrant from a Cuban family. He likes math, film, games, mixed martial arts, and history. He spends his time doing homework, watching films, playing video games, running, on social media, or watching mixed martial arts/sports. When it comes to music, he mainly enjoys rap, pop, and rock. In the future, he is thinking of becoming a lawyer or engineer.
Email: bapg07@gmail.com
Adriana Garcia
Copy Editor, YouTube Team Manager, Yearbook Senior Editor, Staff Writer
Junior Adriana Garcia is the Class of 2025 Secretary. Adriana is a part of the Cambridge Journalism Academy and currently pursuing the AICE Diploma. She specializes in editorials and features as well as reviews of events happening both inside and outside of Miami Lakes Educational Center. Outside of working her way towards the Cambridge diploma, Adriana can be found reading, listening to music, and playing video games.
Email: adriagrca@gmail.com
Gianna Michel
Webmaster Assistant , Staff Writer
Gianna Michel is a sophomore in the class of 2026. She is in the Cambridge Journalism strand. She is an active member of her community and is always looking for ways to help others. Last year, she served as her class secretary. She is always looking for opportunities to take charge, which led her to serve as a student empowerment coordinator for Virtutem Populo INC, a non-profit organization dedicated to increasing civic engagement in communities. Recently, she began her own initiative called YOUTH EMPOWERED IMMIGRANTS NETWORK, a non-profit dedicated to empowering and educating the youth. She is also a member of MU ALPHA THETA at MLEC and serves as a math tutor for Bored of Boredom. Gianna is a true lover of romance, and when she is not volunteering or doing homework, you will always find her reading a book. She hopes to leave a lasting impact not only on the community of MLEC but also on the community of her town as a whole.
Email: giannaxmichel1@gmail.com
Andrea Farrugia
Webmaster Assistant, Staff Writer
Andrea Farrugia is a class of 2023 sophomore and a passionate creator. They have been in art class
es most of their life and begun writing out of a love for literature at a very young age. At school, they take part in several clubs including the National Honor Society, Key Club, and Chess club. Additionally, they hold a role as treasurer of the National English Honor Society. Often, they can be found reading or joking around with their friends.
Email: farrugia.dre@gmail.com
Elizabeth Gonzalez
Instagram Team Manager, Yearbook Managing Editor, Staff Writer
Elizabeth Gonzalez is a class of 2025 junior. She is the Student Government Association, SGA, President and works alongside fellow officers in assisting with various events in and out of school. In this role she has been able to create a fostering environment with room for growth at MLEC. She was appointed the role as the yearbook’s Managing Editor where she is able to support other members and provide a helping hand. Her time in high school, SGA, and journalism has led her to discover her passion for helping those around her and encouraging everyone to succeed. Elizabeth is a dedicated student and is currently working towards her AICE Diploma. When she’s not in school or studying, she loves to be with her dogs and family. She’s a music lover and is more often than not listening to a variety of music genres.
Email: elizabethgonz2112@gmail.com
Iyontha Williams
Youtube Team Manager, Yearbook Managing Editor, Staff Writer
Iyontha Williams, a class of 2025 junior, is looking for ways to help better her community. During her sophomore year, she has been able to volunteer and help students in her class with certain graphics designs. She enjoys listening to music, playing video games, and watching thriller movies outside of school. She likes to do journaling after a long day.
Email: iyonthawilliams@gmail.com
Tiffany Perera
Instagram Team Member, Staff Writer
Tiffany Perera, a sophomore in the class of 2026, is an active member on Instagram, contributing to the creation of engaging posts for the Harbinger MLEC page. She holds the position of Treasurer in the chess club and is also a member of the cheer team. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her two dogs, her boyfriend, and hanging out with friends.
Email: tiffanypr33@icloud.com
Marlon Bajorge
Instagram Team Member, Staff Writer
Marlon Bojorge, a class of 2026 sophomore, is a journalism student at MLEC . He participates in chess club. He is certified in Adobe program, Illustrator. During his free time, Marlon enjoys listening to music, watching cartoons, reading and drawing.
Email: bojorgemarlon047@gmail.com
Edisleibys Cuesta
Instagram Team Member, Staff Writer
Edisleibys Cuesta loves her parrot Chloe and her Dogs Channel, Bella, and Alice. She loves and adores animals. She enjoys spending time with her friends and enjoys spending time with my boyfriend Luis. She loves to play video games on her free time. She is a cheerleader for MLEC’s Cheer Team, known as the “Jagettes”, she loves to dance and make others laugh.
Email: edis.c0208@gmail.com
Camila Garcia
Instagram Team Member, Staff Writer
Camila Garcia is a class of 2026 sophomore. She is a proud member of the National Honor Society, member of the Jagetttes cheerleading, and the social media manager for the Chess Club. In her free time, Camila enjoys reading, sleeping, and talking to friends.
Email: camilagarcia0772@gmail.com
Bella-Mia Saborio
Youtube Team Member, Staff Writer
Bella-Mia Saborio is a Class of 2026 sophomore and the Historian of MLEC’s Chess Club, who also enjoys reading, writing, watching TV, and talking with friends.
Email: bellasaborio@icloud.com
Jonathan Romero
Youtube Team Member, Staff Writer
onathan Romero is a Class of 2026 sophomore who love sports, as it’s something that has always been a part of his life. He enjoys writing as well, and focuses on writing articles about sports. It is something that he is passionate about.
Email: jonaromero045@gmail.com
Zahir Stevens
Podcast Manager, Staff Writer
Zahir Stevens is a class of 2024 Senior. He is also a board member in the MLEC Black History Club. He is a passionate musician and usually spends his free time writing lyrics. This has increased his literary skills and prepared him to write articles.
Email: zahirstevens1@gmail.com
D’Avora Williams
Yearbook Editor in Chief , Staff Writer
D’Avora Williams, a class of 2025 junior , is a Jamaican immigrant who wants to gain knowledge and start professional havoc. While they do go by they/them, other pronouns don’t bother them. Despite a lack of sleep and spreading themselves too thin , D’Avora willingly helps others, encouraging the challenges they may face. D’Avora likes to immerse themselves in all subjects from History to robotics, which often leaves them undecided when picking a career. In their free time, you can find them reading manga, sleeping, listening to music, or all three. Whilst reading and listening to music, they like to analyze the meaning behind it. They are big horror and debate fan who uses their interests to find new novels, books, and manga to read. Those interests are now being expressed in new prose and poems D’Avora does in whatever free time they can get.
Email: davorawilliams19@gmail.com
Pedro Tablada
Yearbook Junior Editor, Staff Writer
Pedro Tablada is a class of 2025 junior.
Email: tabladapedro2@gmail.com
Andres Palacios
Staff Writer
Andres Palacios is a Class of 2025 junior. They are also a Staff Writer for the Harbinger, providing news articles about international news.
Email: palaciosa.v7@gmail.com
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