The people behind the pages

Our team.

NextVox is run by students and volunteers. Our editors read every single submission — no piece goes unread, and no piece is published without a human saying “yes, this belongs here.”

Founders ✦

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Daniel Fan

Co-Founder

Daniel founded NextVox to give every young voice a platform — and built the website to make it happen.

Mia Li

Co-Founder

Mia Li is a co-founder of NextVox, where she helps create meaningful opportunities for young creatives to share their work and grow with confidence. Beyond NextVox, she is an award-winning dancer with multiple first-place titles, including a national championship, is an active member of her choir, and enjoys crocheting and archery.

Editors ✦

Ellie Dong

Writing & Art Editor

Ellie Dong loves biology and is well-rounded in fine arts such as creative writing, visual arts, choir, and dance. She completed the Amphibian Foundation's Junior Master Herpetologist program at age 10, and in her free time she enjoys jewelry making, reading, and birdwatching.

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Chloe Dawson

Writing & Art Editor

Chloe brings a sharp editorial eye to both writing and art submissions.

Effie Hu

Writing Editor

Effie Hu is a rising seventh grader at Beckendorff Junior High. She loves reading and cats, and has entered various writing competitions, including Bow Seat and Cricket Magazines. She enjoys poetry writing and has published her first fictional novel, "Savior."

Sophia Zhou

Writing Editor

Sophia (Zhou) is an editor for NextVox, and has a passion for fine arts. Her distinctions include qualifications for spelling bees, writing for a school newspaper, and contributing scripts to theater productions.

Sophie Wu

Writing Editor

Sophie has enjoyed writing since a very young age and is very interested in science. She recently participated in the John Locke Essay Competition and got shortlisted.

Judges ✦

Luffy Sun

Coding Judge

Luffy Sun has created many projects for himself to complete, including a replica of Flappy Bird and a functional terminal calculator. He is especially experienced in reading Python 3 and has started mastering C++ to better understand other coding languages.

Grace Yu

Writing Judge

Grace Yu has won a national Scholastic Gold Medal for her writing in the speculative reading category and is a member of the Jordan Legacies varsity dance team. In her free time, Grace likes to read novels and draw with her sister.

Lisa Dai

Writing Judge

Lisa Dai is in the class of 2031 and is accomplished in music and language arts. One of her most notable achievements is winning campus level in the Katy Book Wars competition.

Sophia Xia

Writing Judge

Sophia Xia is an incoming freshman at Seven Lakes High School who is an accomplished musician and writer. She has earned top ranks in her cello and piano studies and is an avid writer, recognized in competitions such as the Scholastic Writing Awards and John Locke Global Essay Competition.

Eli Huang

Art Judge

Eli Huang has had art experience for 9 years now. He knows all the basics of debate and has recently participated in the NSD camp.

Communications ✦

Emma Chu

Communications & Coordinator

Emma is a 9th grader who is passionate about robotics and engineering, and she enjoys teaching kids science, robotics, and basketball.

Operations ✦

Alice Zhao

Finances

Alice Zhao was inspired by her mom's work in the tax industry and has learned valuable budgeting skills. Besides working in finance she's also a pianist, dancer, and artist. Additionally, she is interested in the medical field and looks forward to the future.

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Hayden Wei

Website Management

Hayden keeps the NextVox website running smoothly behind the scenes.

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Julie Cao

Teacher

Julie is an incoming 8th grader at Seven Lakes Junior High for the 2026-2027 year. She plays violin, piano, and tennis, and in her free time she likes to read books and play with her cats.

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Alexander Ou

Teacher

Alexander helps teach and mentor younger NextVox contributors.