“I owe a lot to this class, but it’s time for the next chapter.”
After four years of writing, delegation, and empathetic leadership, CHAT Editor-in-Chief Julianna Perez has graduated from PPCHS, leaving behind her designated spot at the front of CHAT advisor Faran Fagen’s classroom. Though a bittersweet end of an era, the student journalist has left a lasting impact on the newsroom and what it means to be found family.
In 2022, Perez, a freshman, was recruited to the CHAT from Fagen’s Journalism I class and served as a staff writer. The following year, she worked as the newsroom’s Clubs Editor. Her diligence and passion for leadership led her to the role of Co-Managing Editor as a junior, a position typically reserved for seniors.
Perez explains, “Co-Managing Editor is editing stories and making sure everyone’s on top of their budget, while being Editor-in-Chief is sort of like everyone is waiting for your orders and what you think should be done or how it should be done, so it’s a lot of pressure in that way that I never really felt as Co-Managing Editor. The big thing in stepping up I had to get used to was managing other people’s expectations for me and learning how to fit that into my comfort zone and my routine.”
In her senior year, Perez rose to the role of CHAT Editor-in-Chief, shifting her seat to the left, where she could see each writer fall in love with journalism.
“All of [our] stories come from love, connection, and communication. It’s so beautiful, and [journalism] is the backbone of our society, along with many other pieces and versions of art,” Perez says.
Though her leadership guided the CHAT to become a top-five high school online media publication in the state, she experienced setbacks, especially during the college admissions process in the fall of 2025.
“I genuinely felt that in the earlier months of this year, I was not really stepping up as a leader, and I was slipping into this dark, dark place, and I was just not as present as I should have been,” explains Perez. “[The writers] showing up for me and showing that there are people who care and people who want to listen to what I have to say [mattered]. I don’t think I’d be walking the stage if it weren’t for the support of my writers and all their love and kindness.”
Rather than giving up under pressure, Perez turned her struggle into inspiration, choosing to lead the CHAT with empathy and compassion. She balanced publishing and connection, understanding how dependent the newsroom’s success was on the love behind it. In each evaluation from the Florida Scholastic Press Association (FSPA), experts praised the newspaper’s consistency, and each critique was met with swift effort from Perez and her fellow top editors. During the 2025-2026 school year, the CHAT didn’t just publish news; it told a story of the people behind it.
“I made sure that I [was] assertive, while also making sure that [the writers] know they could come to me and talk to me,” the Editor-in-Chief shares. “I never really hid anything from anyone; I never hid how I felt… I always made sure everyone knew [what to focus on], and I think that’s what helped everyone get on the same page while also not having to question my intentions with the CHAT.”
Perez chose to lead with kindness and heart, establishing the importance of connection between writers, creating a strong sense of community for years to come.
Julianna Perez will attend Florida State University (FSU) in the summer, pursuing a degree in Communications.
“People are asking me what my major is, and I say communications, and it’s always like, ‘Oh, what a dumb major, that’s just for the people who don’t want to do work’,… but I truly think that communications and journalism in general are behind so much of the warmth and the love in our society,” says Perez. “Without those stories, we wouldn’t know anything about each other or understand each other, or even talk to one another. Journalism has helped me figure parts of myself out while also listening to others and understanding them, too, and I think you just have to put in that work.”
Though Perez will be seven hours from her spot in the CHAT, she is ready to pass on the torch and is excited to become a Staff Writer again.
“When we’re talking about me growing up as a person and evolving as a person, it’s all mostly due to the CHAT. I think I owe a lot to the Editors-in-Chief before me. I wouldn’t be half the writer and person I am without the discipline and responsibility, and also taking into account other people’s stories and emotions,” Perez expresses. “I just think it’s allowed me to care for others more because I know what it’s like to have other people count on you and how big a difference you can have in people’s lives if you just do it and make sure you do it the best you can.”
“The writers and the class really pushed me to get out of that hole and keep doing what I love, and that’s journalism.” 
