The first thing you notice about Isabela Bolaños is that she always has something going on. She’s either walking into school with a Starbucks in her hand, laughing about something completely random, or talking about an article she’s working on. Being around her just feels fun, and that same energy is exactly what she brings to the McMahon Archive as a 2025 to 2026 Co-Editor-in-Chief.
What’s funny is that none of this was planned. Isabela didn’t join the newspaper because she always dreamed of being a journalist. She took it sophomore year because it was just an elective. “I literally just needed a class,” she said. “I didn’t think it would turn into something like this.” But over time, it did. What started off as something casual became something she actually cared about, and now it’s a huge part of who she is.
You can see that growth through her writing. She’s written articles like “Should Cellphones Be Allowed?” and “Brien McMahon High School’s Lounge Closure Upsets Students,” where she focuses on real issues that affect students. Then she has pieces like “What’s IN style @ McMahon?” and “I’m So Sick Of Seventeen,” which show her personality more and feel way more relatable. She also helped write “Let the Students In!” and even worked on “Shohei Ohtani – A once in a generation player.” More recently, she wrote “The McMahon Archive and the Question of Its Existence” and co wrote “Senior Taste Test: McMahon Students Rate Starbucks Favorites,” which honestly fits her perfectly.
Now as Co-Editor- in- Chief, she’s not just focused on her own work. She’s leading everything. She’s the one making sure articles get done, helping people fix their writing, and keeping the whole class together. “I like seeing everything come together,” she said. “It’s not just about me anymore.” And you can tell she actually means that.
Outside of journalism, Isabela is exactly the kind of person you’d expect. She loves 7 Brew, shopping, going to the beach, and getting acai bowls. She spends money like it’s her personality trait, and honestly, it kind of is. And her obsession with pink is actually insane. Everything she owns is pink. At this point, it’s not even a favorite color, it’s a lifestyle.
But the biggest thing about her is her personality. She’s genuinely one of the funniest people I know. Even when things get stressful, she somehow makes everything less serious. That’s part of why people like being around her so much and why she works so well as a leader. She knows how to get things done without making everything feel overwhelming.
Next year, Isabela is going to UCONN, where she plans to major in communications and continue journalism. She wants to join their newspaper and keep doing what she’s been building all these years. “I want to keep going with this,” she said. “I feel like I found something I actually love.”
And yeah, I’m not even going to lie, she’s my best friend, so I might be a little biased. But even if I wasn’t, everything about her shows how much she’s grown. She went from taking a random class sophomore year to leading the entire newspaper, and she made it something people actually care about.
At the end of the day, Isabela Bolaños isn’t just the Editor in Chief. She’s someone who found her thing and fully went for it, and somehow made it look easy while doing it
