Senior Erica Hovanesian has set Nitro Press ablaze! Being a Glendale High School student comes with many opportunities and our Explosion editor-in-chief makes sure to take advantage of all of them.
Erica has written upwards of fifty articles for our news website, over the past four years, and she holds the highest student position in our Journalism program (second only to advisor, Mr. Jon Livingston). She is also the co-creator of the Mic-It-Up Instagram account and our current ASB Director of Nitro Crew, meaning that Erica has more than enough experience to leave a lasting impression on our campus.
Upon first signing up for the GHS Journalism class, she felt uneasy. Erica was mostly concerned about “the way Mr. Livingston expected us to write eight to nine articles” every school year. But in the class itself, she excelled. For Erica, being a part of the Journalism program has left a lasting impression on her, pushing her to pursue sports journalism later in college.
Our Journalism program has changed through the years, and Erica feels that Nitro Press has formed itself into a tightly knit community within the school. Erica also became a part of ASB here at GHS, and she mentioned that “many of the Explosion staff [have] also found themselves working in Yearbook and ASB.” With Mr. Livingston as advisor for all three classes, Journalism works almost as an extension of ASB.
Although the Nitro Press program has room for growth, Erica believes that Mr. Livingston has had a significant impact on her development as a writer. “He always told us to write as much as we want,” she explained. “And never to ask him for permission to write more.” Moreover, Erica noted that she’s received many great opportunities through her tenure in Journalism, including her article about the famous YMCA Quarterback Club.
Another big part of Erica’s senior year has been her Mic-It-Up collaboration with fellow ASB officer, Sophia Tshabourian. We’ve heard them in their Instagram videos, and we’ve seen them on the ground for sports games and rallies. Although not an official club or part of ASB, Mic-It-Up has certainly brought life to our school events. Anything sports related, from captains to covering big games, and they have been there!
What originally started as an idea between two friends has caused a more lively atmosphere here on our campus. The biggest moment they’ve had so far was their commentary during the Homecoming Game, where they got to work with our cinema department and gain experience for in-person sports broadcasting. Although the idea itself has been a success among students and staff, Erica stated how the account won’t be passed down at the end of the year, and remain something exclusive for the Class of 2026.
Regarding the future, our editor-in-chief hopes that our Journalism program expands past simple online articles. “It would’ve been cool to collab with Mr. Gavin and the cinema class, like we did for Mic-It-Up,” she said.
Erica will be attending Cal State Northridge in the fall of 2026 with hopes of achieving her dreams of sports journalism in the future. She ended off by noting that Explosion definitely has potential to evolve, and become a place for everybody, outside of GHS alumni.
