My name is Lauren and I'm the Editor in Chief of the Optimist this year. I'm an avid fan of romantic comedies, the First Amendment and national parks. More than anything, I'm passionate about storytelling via photographs, and love getting to know the heart of people through my lens.

Nicholas is a senior accounting and finance major from Dallas.

Being an accounting major, I don't spend all of my time crunching numbers but spend a lot of my free time outside, adventuring. Specifically I enjoy cycling, mountain biking, hiking, hunting, camping, sports of all kinds, and taking photos of these things. However, sometimes I also spend my time inside, cooking! I prefer to do my adventuring with other people who like to adventure because adventuring with people is much more memorable.