Dia Kai Singh [they/she]
Editor-in-Chief
Dia Kai Singh is a senior English, Philosophy and History triple major who is so incredibly excited to be the Editor-in-Chief for the wonderful The Catalyst Magazine this year!
Kai’s love for creation and recreation was always apparent; from their choppy attempts at being their own hairstylist, to making potions from laundry detergent and leaves in the backyard. She’s incredibly passionate and thankful for the opportunity to harness her entropy through the mediums of prose, poetry and artistry.
Kai spends much of their time at their job as a librarian, but you can also catch her watching horror movies, making fun of old philosophers, cooking for her friends, planning her next tattoos and fighting with her daughter (an evil, fat cat named Sprite). Kai loves vampires first and frolicking second, so feel free to ask her about her current favorite bloodsucking media!
She looks forward to all the new and interesting ways The Catalyst will spike her cortisol, and can’t wait to see the fruits of all the Catalytes’ labor!
Tori Pearson
[she/her]
Managing Editor
Tori is a fourth-year English major who has had the pleasure of being on The Catalyst for the majority of her first year transferring into UC Santa Barbara. Now, for her second and final year as an undergraduate, she will be serving the magazine as managing editor.
In her spare time, she enjoys building her library book by book with both classic and modern literature. However, she particularly enjoys novels that require deep conversation and reflection to truly be appreciated. You can also find her frequently taking in the California scenery on long walks, finding new music to meticulously build playlists with, or overly investing herself in games—board & video alike—with friends. If there’s one thing she’s forever seeking, it’s recommendations regarding any of these hobbies.
Inspired by the greats of the past and her peer writers of today, Tori is elated to begin this privilege of being a guide to, and learning from, her fellow members of The Catalyst for the upcoming year.
Rio Blackshaw-McKee
[he/they]
Literature Editor
Rio is a fourth-year English major and aspiring Professional Writing minor. After discovering the art, words, and community of The Catalyst magazine last fall, he knew that it would become his home.
Rio has always had an innate need to express, filling silent moments with lively emotion and seeing every interaction as an opportunity for deep conversation. Words and stories have always captivated him, providing new worlds to explore, interesting characters to meet, and turning even the most ordinary things extraordinary. As a writer, Rio enjoys exploring the strange intricacies of regular life, and loves the freedom and unchained expression that an empty page provides.
In his free time, Rio loves to explore weird music, climb trees, cook new foods, and cuddle with his talkative black cat Rue. He is an avid player of games of all varieties, from video games and soccer to Magic the Gathering. Rio’s recipe for satisfaction consists of headphones, something to fidget with, and a friend to laugh alongside. Rio is honored to be The Catalyst magazine’s literature editor, where he hopes to connect with others, support creative expression, and continue his journey to become a better writer, teacher, and human.
Ophilia Hamze
[she/he]
Literature Editor
Ophilia Hamze is a 4th year English major and Theater minor and ever since she was a little girl she knew she wanted to be an opinionated writer of worlds. Born with an obsession with literature, film, music, and theater, it isn’t hard to believe that being one of the literature editors for The Catalyst is a dream come true.
Outside of literature editing, reading, and writing, you can find Ophilia doing even more reading and writing, but in her sparest of spare time you can often find her singing her heart out or impersonating her friends for no one’s entertainment but her own.
For the past four years she’s been a much elusive bookseller and avid Pokemon collector. (Yes, it IS that serious.) Outside of work, and the time spent screaming over fictional characters with her friends, Ophilia enjoys the quiet moments between herself and her guitar, creating worlds through melodies that she hopes to translate in her time at The Catalyst. Indulging in both reality and fictional worlds, Ophilia hopes to help bring everyone’s words to life in the way that they have fueled hers.
Amelia Lagna
[she/her]
Fall Design Editor
Amelia is a fifth-year English major completing her final quarter at UCSB this fall. A transfer student from Palo Alto, she first found The Catalyst by submitting outside work on a whim last year. From there she fell in love with the magazine’s vibrant community and ethos, and is honored to bring it full circle as the fall quarter Design Editor.
Amelia’s writing is interested in personal identity, existentialism, internal paradoxes, and life’s losers.
In her free time you can find Amelia playing her guitar, watching and reviewing movies, thrifting, rock climbing or learning her parents’ first languages. She’s delighted to be returning to The Catalyst to work with a dream editorial board and a brilliant group of writers.
Roisin Casey
[she/her]
Winter/Spring Design Editor
Roisin is a third year Film and Media Studies and Italian Studies double major. Her first experience with The Catalyst and its marvelous community was in the fall of her second year, when she immediately fell in love with the magazine and the incredible team behind it, and knew that she couldn’t rest until she was a part of it all.
Much of Roisin’s life has been defined by literature. From a young age, she was drawn to words, always a voracious reader and insatiable writer and artist. From art journals bursting at the seams to eclectic blogs, school newspapers to poetry written on the backs of receipts, her need to write and create has followed her persistently through every chapter of her life and continues to challenge her to find the absurdity and wonder in every new experience and perspective she encounters. She’s found that life is substantially more fun when you go around writing about in your head.
In her spare time, Roisin enjoys yoga, floating in the ocean and listening to the water, reading the backs of books in libraries, going to the movie theater and putting a lot of butter on her popcorn, taking long walks, talking to herself, and above all, cooking and baking. She intends to pursue a culinary degree when she leaves UCSB.
Participating in The Catalyst Magazine has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of Roisin’s college career, and she is so excited and grateful to serve as The Catalyst’s Winter/Spring Design Editor!
Jeovany Tzilin-Gomez [he/him]
Assistant Editor
Jeovany (as known as Jeo) is a senior majoring in English and Latin American & Iberian Studies (LAIS). He’s gratefully excited to be one of the Assistant Editors for this year’s The Catalyst magazine.
Jeo is a poetry fan who ambitiously learns the variety of styles and techniques created by the greatest writers worldwide. He also loves to share his poetry with fellow writers, getting together to uplift each other’s creativity and encouraging them to write precious stories. He also likes to participate in journalistic activities for The Bottom Line.
Besides reading and writing, Jeo likes to play basketball, try new foods, take pictures, and ride his bike around cool cities. He’s open to music recommendations and likes to talk about the best coffee and donuts he tasted. He also likes to walk long distances to exercise his body and tranquilize the mind.
Jeo is looking forward to helping prosper artists’ creativity and become part of the wonderful movement that The Catalyst established and continues to evolve.
Rosa Brooks-Kamper [she/her]
Assistant Editor
Rosa is a 4th year English major and Professional Writing minor who has loved words since she could speak them. Whether it be a novel or poem or script, Rosa savors every comma, quotation, and metaphor as she searches for meaning in the seemingly meaningless.
In her 3rd year at UCSB, Rosa found solace in the collective creativity provided by The Catalyst and was immediately hooked. To Rosa, writing and reading is where true, unfiltered humanity lies and joining The Catalyst has only confirmed her theory.
When Rosa is not writing poetic-prose or reading feminist horror novels, you can find her shamelessly consuming hours of reality television (Real Housewives, of course) or comedy television (Fleabag changed her life, of course). Rosa is more than thrilled to be part of this incredibly special team and ready to be awed and inspired by her peers’ artistic abilities.
Yogita Sharma [they/she]
Assistant Editor
Yogita Sharma is a 4th year English major and Professional Writing Minor who couldn’t be more excited to be on The Catalyst Editorial Team as an Assistant Editor! Constantly having to learn and relearn English as a kid left them fascinated by the language. After passing the ELPAC after their third attempt, it was final, they were never going to stop writing.
Outside of reading and writing, you can often find Yogita hoarding wrappers for their zine, painting, or rollerblading somewhere. They talk a lot but prefer introducing the vice as conversational community building so do with that what you will.
As a transfer student drowning under all the possibilities of what their last two years of college could be, The Catalyst tossed them a life jacket, then a rescue tube, and eventually a whole lifeboat to sail off with. Working with such a talented team is a dream come true, they wouldn’t be an English major without The Catalyst and for that, they couldn’t be more grateful.
Liam Baker [he/him]
Assistant Editor
Liam Baker is a fourth year Psychological and Brain Sciences major minoring in English. He’s proudly participated in The Catalyst every quarter since Winter of his sophomore year, and he’s ecstatic about his opportunity to contribute as an assistant editor during his final year of college.
Before all else, Liam is an older brother to five younger brothers that he loves and cherishes very deeply. Aside from being a sporadic writer, Liam is a bodybuilder who firmly believes in autotelism, and overcoming the inertia of modern life. In his spare time, Liam enjoys reading manga, honking at innocent drivers in traffic and making intricate flower arrangements for his lovely girlfriend.
Liam’s writing aims to ground personal surrealism in the mundane, although it is often vaguely confusing. Liam hopes to mimetically improve his writing skills through his participation on the editorial team this year.
Shaun Nowicki [they/he]
Graduate Research Assistant
Shaun is a sixth year PhD candidate in English working on early modern literature and embodiment. He will serve as the graduate research assistant for The Catalyst this year. They enjoy reading contemporary poetry and nature writing, and exploring for antique books. When he isn’t writing his dissertation, he can be found writing poetry and drafting elaborate scenarios for tabletop role playing games. Inspired by a mix of experimental writing and poetic conventions, Shaun is excited to work with the brilliant students who make The Catalyst what it is.
Brian Donnelly [he/him]
Faculty Advisor
Prof. Brian Donnelly has been the faculty advisor for The Catalyst since 2015, which will mean 35 issues come Spring 2025! Brian was born and raised in New Zealand, where he graduated with a BA in English Literature, before traveling to Britain and completing his PhD at the University of York. He moved to UCSB in 2007 and joined the English Department. His research interests are in word and image studies, science fiction and Victorian literature. Having been a baby when black-and-white photography was just what happened, rather than a fancy filter, he thinks he knows a thing or two about art and design. While he is always pushing his Catalyst editorial teams and their students to work harder, to be better, and to achieve more, he secretly believes they are among the most brilliant and dedicated students he has ever worked with, and he considers it a huge privilege to be part of The Catalyst project.