Alan Semerdjian is an educator, a writer, a musician, and a sometime visual artist.  He has been the advisor for The Herricks High School Literature Club for the past decade. 

​Francesca has loved writing ever since she was little and has continued to explore her passion throughout high school. She enjoys all types of creative writing and recently participated in an intensive writing course at The School of The New York Times. She has also been recognized by the NCTE as a school finalist in their 2025 writing competition. In her free time, she loves playing guitar, baking, and going to the movie theater.

Wenshu joined OPUS as a freshman and is thrilled to work with a group of peers and artists this year who share her passion for the written word. Her work has been recognized by the National YoungArts Foundation, the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers, and the New York Times, among others. When not writing, you can find Wenshu watching old action movies or trying to get her SoundCloud rap career off the ground.

​Kristen Lee has been writing stories since the very beginning, and only recently has she added poetry and spoken word into the mix. She's always loved the mission of OPUS, and as Lit Club's 2025-26 VP, she is excited to help amplify the words of Herricks' writers so they can get their creative voices out there. Kristen's own writing has been recognized by Scholastic, Nancy Thorp, and NCTE, among others, and she also competed in the 2025 Poetry Out Loud Regional Finals. She is currently writing a historical fantasy novel she hopes to someday publish. When she's not trying to draw poetic inspiration from the swirls of a sunrise, you can find Kristen painting, running 5Ks, cheering for the Mets, shouting along to Epic: The Musical, and cuddling her dog, Penthesilea.

​Ever since she can remember, Fiona has always enjoyed indulging in the arts. In elementary school, she has been found reading books in quiet corners and handwriting short stories. Through joining the English Scholars Program and OPUS sophomore year, she has been given the first opportunities to share her work with authentic audiences. Since then, Fiona’s work has been recognized by the Scholastic Writing Awards and The Battering Ram. She is looking forward to contributing to the school journal as Art Editor and diving deeper into the sea of literature. Besides reading and writing, she loves listening to Conan Gray and Radiohead, watching sitcoms, playing with her seven cats and capturing memories with her family and friends.

Isabella is a senior who loves writing because it gives her freedom to express her feelings without restrictions and allows her to connect with others! Her favorite type of literature is poetry and she has previously been published in our OPUS literature book. She cannot wait for this year with you all!

Since her earliest memories, Maia Mohsen has had a soft spot for books. Never truly giving up on her dream to create her own (and read more), Maia joined OPUS in her freshman year and has worked on improving her own poetry and prose since. Outside of the literary sphere, Maia can be found dabbling in fine arts, admiring her plants, or gaming.