KLIO 2025 Masthead 

Sierra Auman is a third-year English major with a Creative Writing Concentration, who aspires to be a manuscript editor and a published author someday. She is serving as KLIO 2025’s Editor-in-Chief. As someone who is constantly listening and looking for creative inspiration, Sierra is involved not only with KLIO, but also Kalliope and Folio. She is also an active member in Penn State’s Creative Writing Club, serving as their vice president this year, and is both a member and the librarian for Penn State’s Oriana Singers. She served as part of the fiction committee for Folio 2023 and Folio 2024, and as a copyeditor for Folio 2023. She has published pieces in KLIO 2023 (“Keep Holding On”, “Smoke and Fire”), KLIO 2024 (“Bears”, “Dromonium”), and Folio 2023 (“Project Keilo-Space”). Sierra is extremely passionate about being a creative writer, and cherishes every piece of work saved in her Google Drive.

LJ Thompson is one of the fiction co-coordinators for this year’s edition of KLIO. She’s a third-year English major, minoring in Linguistics. She is an avid fan of space opera novels, and her favorite authors are Becky Chambers, Andy Weir, and Colson Whitehead. Outside of class, you can find her steadily working towards her Goodreads Reading Challenge goal, watching Dallas Stars hockey or Formula 1, or listening to NADDPod. She’s excited to be working with KLIO this year, and can’t wait to see what Penn State writers have to offer!

Mkenna Grace Gerard is a sophomore at Penn State University, pursuing a major in Advertising and Public Relations with a minor in English. She is also on track to complete the Smeal Business Fundamentals Certification, giving her a well-rounded foundation in both the creative and business aspects of her future career. With a deep love for all things creative and design, Mkenna has always been captivated by the intersection of visual aesthetics and impactful messaging. Her passion extends beyond the realm of art and communication; she is a strong advocate for size inclusivity in the fashion industry. Her ultimate goal is to launch her own size-inclusive company, creating a space where fashion, creativity, and empowerment collide to foster a more inclusive and diverse world. Within KILO, Mkenna holds the position of social media chair, getting the opportunity to create graphics, and run all the social accounts such as Instagram, and TikTok.

Jacklyn Pekala is a third-year English major currently in her third year at The Pennsylvania State University. Her writing career has taken her from tabletop gaming forums to editorial work and currently, the film coordinator position for PSU’s KLIO literary magazine. While usually permanently occupied between her own writing projects and special interests, she makes time to put cryptic text amid her author biography.

Isabelle Ems is a third-year Political Science major with an English Minor in the Schreyer Honors College. She is serving as the University Park Initiatives & Outreach Coordinator for the Spring 2025 edition of the KLIO publication. Passionate about political journalism, student engagement, and advocacy, Isabelle hopes to gain valuable knowledge about about how to communicate policies and progress to a wider audience through this experience. Along with her studies, Isabelle is President of the Liberal Arts Undergraduate Council, Executive Director of the State of State, a member of Lion Ambassadors, an outreach committee member in Lion Caucus, and a Paterno Fellow. This upcoming summer, she will be a government affairs intern for Hilton in Washington, D.C.!

Sam Bye is a fourth-year student majoring in English. She aspires to be an editor at a publishing company and is excited to work as the Music Editor, as well as a part of the fiction and nonfiction committees, at KLIO this semester. In her spare time she enjoys reading fantasy and romance books, crocheting anything and everything, and binging shows with her roommates. She gets nostalgic when she hears the sound of violins playing, smells chocolate chip cookies baking in the oven, or sees a Magic Treehouse book in the bookstore.