The Beacon is a right-of-center student publication for news, investigations, opinions, and essays. Our commitment to free speech and open debate necessitates that we publish ideas that often go unheard at Yale, exposing readers to unvoiced and unapologetic conservative perspectives.
We aim to contribute to a vibrant intellectual environment on campus and beyond, covering topics related to Yale, higher education, religion, arts and culture, and conservatism. We believe that genuine intellectual diversity is needed to advance critical inquiry and challenge ideological complacency.
Like our namesake, we here at The Buckley Beacon take pride in standing athwart history, yelling Stop!
Jack Batten, President of the William F. Buckley, Jr. Program
Jack Batten is a senior in Benjamin Franklin College from Newburyport, MA majoring in Classics. He studies the Russian, Greek, and Latin languages and believes that words and stories are the strongest shapers of our culture and lives. Jack is a member of the Yale Political Union’s Federalist Party and writes for the Yale Logos. In his free time, he is an amateur wooden boatbuilder and cheers on the Patriots, Celtics, and Red Sox.
Jack Olson, Editor-In-Chief
Jack Olson is a senior in Trumbull College studying Global Affairs and History. He was born and raised in San Mateo, California. He is particularly interested in U.S. foreign policy and great power competition. When he is home in California, Jack enjoys flying, backpacking, and spending time with friends and family.
Contact: jack.olson@yale.edu
Michelle Zheng, Managing Editor
Michelle Zheng is a sophomore in Franklin college from Kentucky. She is involved with the Yale Prison Education Initiative and, as a staff writer, hopes to address political polarity through storytelling and catalyze conversations that reconcile differences.
Contact: msz32@yale.edu
Emily Akbar, Campus Reporting Editor
Emily Akbar is a sophomore at Yale University pursuing a B.A. in Global Affairs. She is the founder of the nonprofit “BRIDGE” summer program which is dedicated to educating primary-school students in Bangladesh over the summer. In her free time, she loves studying languages, whether that be French in the classroom, Russian with her family, or Portuguese with her friends. As an intern at CNN, she has developed a strong interest in journalism which she hopes to pursue greatly during her time at Yale.
Contact: emily.akbar@yale.edu
Lucas Miller, Investigative Reporting Editor
Lucas Miller is a sophomore in Timothy Dwight College from Hopkinton, New Hampshire, majoring in Ethics, Politics, & Economics. He enjoys studying political philosophy, constitutional law, and political economy. On campus, he competes with the Model UN Team at Yale. In his free time, he enjoys working out, spending time with friends and family, and watching the New England Patriots win on Sundays.
Contact: lucas.miller@yale.edu
Jeth Fogg, Arts, Culture, & Scholarship Editor
Jeth Fogg is a Yale Senior from Colorado Springs, Colorado studying History. Last year, he walked onto the Varsity men’s ice hockey team as a goaltender and served on the Peace & Dialogue Leadership Initiative (PDLI) board. In addition to being a Student-Athlete Mentor (SAM), Sustainability Peer Educator, and Cultivating Conversation fellow, Jeth serves as an executive chair on St. Thomas More’s Undergraduate Council, plays viola for the Davenport Pops Orchestra, leads the Thomistic Institute at Yale, and has collaborated with the Yale History Department to found the Undergraduate Journal of Intellectual History. In the near future, he hopes to study intellectual history and historical theology in the UK before pursuing a PhD. Back home, Jeth enjoys hiking 14ers, coaching youth hockey, and working to improve environmental resilience.
Contact: jeth.fogg@yale.edu
Hannah Owens Pierre, Co-Opinions Editor
Hannah Owens Pierre is a junior in Benjamin Franklin college studying Ethics, Politics, and Economics and Psychology. She is from Edina, Minnesota, a suburb outside of Minneapolis. On campus, she competes with the Yale Debate Association, writes for various student publications, and works as an economics teaching assistant and research assistant at the Yale Law School.
Contact: hannah.owenspierre@yale.edu
Corinne Cowan, Co-Opinions Editor
Corinne Cowan is a sophomore in Davenport College studying history. Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, Corinne has previously interned for National Review and is a member of the Yale Political Union.
Contact: corinne.cowan@yale.edu
Jack Ehlert, Crosswords Editor & Staff Writer
Jack Ehlert is a sophomore in Timothy Dwight College studying Mathematics and Philosophy. He is originally from the suburbs of Chicago and is an alumnus of Yale’s Directed Studies Program. Outside of the classroom, Jack can usually be found singing folk music and playing the guitar with his suitemates.
Contact: jack.ehlert@yale.edu
Milad Davaran, Staff Writer
Milad Davaran is a junior at Pierson College majoring in Political Science with a certificate in Human Rights Studies. Born and raised in Orange County, California, Milad enjoys spending time with his family and friends, reading, playing basketball, and going to the beach. His academic interests span several areas of political science and international affairs, with a particular interest in foreign policy and America’s role in an increasingly complex and changing world.
Contact: milad.davaran@yale.edu
Ethan Savage, Staff Writer
Ethan Savage is a first-year in Timothy Dwight College aiming to study Political Science. Originally from Ardmore, OK, Ethan is actively involved in the Buckley Institute, holds membership in the Yale Political Union, and serves as Secretary for Yale’s Turning Point USA chapter. He is deeply interested in strengthening U.S. foreign policy in an increasingly multipolar world. His passions include a cappella with the Yale Alley Cats, musical theatre, and, most importantly, his faith in Jesus Christ as his savior.
Contact: ethan.savage@yale.edu
Audrey Bae, Staff Writer
Audrey Bae is a junior in Grace Hopper College studying Humanities. She was born and raised in Southern California, just outside of Los Angeles. She enjoys making connections across fields such as political philosophy, visual arts, history, and literature. On campus, she is involved in the Yale Political Union, Korean American Students at Yale, Yale Debate Association, and a writer for Yale Logos in addition to the Beacon.
Contact: audrey.bae@yale.edu
Brett Mellul, Staff Writer
Brett is a sophomore in Trumbull College. He is from New Jersey and intends to double major in Ethics, Politics, & Economics and Psychology. He is interested in the intersection between domestic and foreign policy. In his free time, he enjoys reading psychology books, playing pickleball, and learning new languages.
Contact: brett.mellul@yale.edu
Evelyn Hernandez Chico, Staff Writer
Evelyn Hernandez Chico is a sophomore in Trumbull College from New Jersey. Although still deciding on a major, being a student in Directed Studies has deepened her interests in comparative literature and philosophy. Alongside her involvement in the Buckley Program, volunteering in the broader New Haven community has been an experience she’s found deeply meaningful. In her free time, she enjoys reading and going on long walks in East Rock Park.
Contact: evelyn.hernandezchico@yale.edu
Oscar Miñoso-Rendón, Staff Writer
Oscar Miñoso-Rendón is a junior in Silliman College studying Computer Science and Philosophy. Passionate about his deeply rooted Catholic faith and its intersections with the western philosophical tradition, Oscar is actively involved in the Yale Thomistic Institute, the Yale Political Union, and is a writer for Logos Christian magazine as well as the Buckley Beacon. In his free time, Oscar enjoys spending time on the water: kayaking, drawing, or picking up a good book.
Contact: oscar.minoso-rendon@yale.edu
Jason Cao, Staff Writer
Jason Cao is a sophomore in Ben Franklin College from Guilford, CT majoring in Ethics, Politics, and Economics. Apart from being the recruitment director for the Buckley Program, Jason is also involved in Yale Political Union as a member of the Federalist Party and the Floor Leader of the Right. Outside academics, Jason is a classical music enthusiast who enjoys playing the flute, the piano, and composing chamber music. If he is not in the practice room or the library, you will find him playing Go, poker, and bridge, or writing and reciting traditional Chinese poetry.
Contact: jason.cao@yale.edu
Win Mordecai, Staff Writer
Win Mordecai is an MBA candidate at the Yale School of Management. He received his BA in computer science from Duke University (’20) and his MA in philosophy from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (’26). He is particularly interested in moral and political philosophy, and he hopes to help remedy our modern crisis of purpose. In his free time, he enjoys exercising, spending time in nature, and playing with his dog.
Contact: win.mordecai@yale.edu