IN PHOTOS: Hustler pets 2025

Meet the purr-fect pets across our staff.

Luna and Leo roleplay as Christmas gifts, as photographed on Dec. 25, 2024. (Hustler Multimedia/Isabella Bautista)

By Abby Hoelscher, Photography Editor

Mar 17, 2025

As a current sophomore living on Highland Quad with an approved emotional support animal on campus, I’m lucky enough to return to my dorm, come day or night, and be greeted by the sweetest of sounds — a meow. Though the following furry friends aren’t all Vanderbilt residents, they are sure to be as cute and cuddly as my own.

Hustler: Abby Hoelscher, Photography Editor

Name of Pet: Tuesday Goose

Favorite Activity: Playing fetch with straws and/or Q-tips

Fun Fact: She was found under a porch and given the name Jasmine at the adoption shelter.

One-liner: “Can I sit on your laptop?”

Hustler: Daniela Aguilar, Life Editor

Name of pets: Sol, Chapulin

Favorite activity: Sol — laying on Daniela’s bed and sunbathing; Chapulin — jumping on the trampoline and eating food scraps

Fun fact: Every cat Daniela has ever owned has been tailless or had a very short tail! In addition, Chapulin was named “grasshopper” in Spanish because he jumped a lot as a pup.

One-liner: Sol — “Where’s Daniela?!” and Chapulin — “Where’s Alondra?!”

Hustler: Kate Connell, Opinion Editor

Name of pet: Lumos

Favorite activity: Going on car rides with the windows down

Fun fact: He was actually the runt of the litter, but you definitely can’t tell now!

One-liner: “Do you want to take another nap with me?”

Hustler: Alysa Suleiman, Social Media Editor

Name of pets: Button, Coco

Favorite activity: Button — barking, running out of the house and into oncoming traffic, begging for food; Coco — sulking if she doesn’t get cuddles

Fun fact: Button has a yellow spot on his back, which is how we know he wasn’t a purebred even though the seller said he was.

One-liner: “I don’t do tricks unless I get a treat.”

Hustler: Sam El-Shammaa, Graphics Editor

Name of pet: Mochi

Favorite activity: Napping, destroying her toys

Fun fact: She’s the kitten of a stray cat Sam’s grandparents fed — their cousins have her brother!

One-liner: “She goofy I love her.”

Hustler: Chloe Whalen, Games Editor

Name of pet: Bella

Favorite activity: “Supervising,” or staring at Chloe while she does things

Fun fact: Bella will eat anything except watermelon!

One-liner: “I have a busy day of napping, napping and more napping.”’

Hustler: Alex Brodeur, Music Correspondent

Name of pet: Malarkey

Favorite activity: Spending time with Alex’s dad

Fun fact: She is polydactyl, with an additional finger on one of her front paws.

One-liner: “More snacks, please.”

Hustler: Jorie Fawcett, Senior Advisor

Name of pet: Ramona

Favorite activity: Bird watching

Fun Fact: Ramona is a fashionista and loves sleeping on purses.

One-liner: “Dinner is late…”

Hustler: George Albu, Deputy Opinion Editor

Name of pet: Bella

Favorite activity: Chasing birds and squirrels around the yard

Fun fact: She is a labrador but somehow afraid of swimming.

One-liner: “I’ll do it if I want to.”

Hustler: Charlotte Castle, Deputy News Editor

Name of pet: Fritz

Favorite activity: Playing tug of war, eating literally anything, barking at neighbors

Fun fact: Fritz has never taken longer than two minutes to eat his breakfast or dinner. Little man loves to eat.

One-liner: “Is it dinner time yet?”

Hustler: Isabella Bautista, Senior Staffer

Name of pets: Luna, Leo, Moe, Sunny

Favorite activity: Playing tag

Fun fact: They were adopted in four consecutive years: 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.

One-liner: “Can we have a carrot?”

Hustler: Claire Andrews, Staff Writer and Photographer

Name of pets: Waffles, Honey

Favorite activity: Waffles — watching the TV with the family; Honey — chasing birds and squirrels in the backyard

Fun fact: Waffles can do a handstand and does so frequently. Honey enjoys eating watermelon in the summer.

One-liner: “The tiny Texas duo: Waffles and Honey bring sweetness and spice to the Andrews household.”

Hustler: Ashley Hofflander, Staff Photographer

Name of pet: Fonzi

Favorite activity: Following people around

Fun fact: His full name is Fonzarelli.

Hustler: Michael Carroll, Staff Writer

Name of pets: Georgia, Grace

Favorite activity: Georgia — jumping up to give hugs; Grace — being told how pretty she is

Fun fact: Georgia can chase her tail on command, and Grace is named after Gracie Lou Freebush in “Miss Congeniality.”

One-liner: Georgia — “Why can’t I have a drink of your coffee?” Grace —“How dare you speak to me in that tone!”

Hustler: Ameera Islam, Staff Writer

Name of pets: Casper, Beau

Favorite activity: Going on walks around the neighborhood

Fun fact: Casper strongly disliked Beau when they first met, and now they are inseparable. Enemies to lovers core.

One-liner: “The Dynamic Duo.”

Hustler: Diana Kawafha, Staffer-in-Training

Name of pet: Mango

Favorite activity: Sleeping

Fun fact: Diana brought Mango home from the pet store without telling her mom. He will sleep anywhere. He is only 5 months old.

One-liner: “Mango got really stuck in the couch, you could say curiosity almost killed the cat.”

Hustler: Josie Sinwell, Staffer-in-Training

Name of pet: Lolly

Favorite activity: Playing fetch but not bringing the ball back

Fun fact: She is 14 years old!

One-liner: “NOT a crusty white dog.”

Hustler: Barrie Barto, Editor-in-Chief

Name of pet: Luna

Favorite activity: Finding a patch of sunshine to curl up for a nap after fetch

Fun fact: She has never been allowed on furniture in the house but loves sleeping on hotel beds.

One-liner: “If I put my face in your lap, will you pet me forever?”

hustler pets

About the Contributors

Abby Hoelscher, Photography Editor

Abby Hoelscher (‘27) is from St. Louis and is an aspiring elementary teacher currently studying in Peabody College. She previously served as Deputy Photography Director. Outside of writing, she enjoys performing, learning Taylor Swift songs in American Sign Language and trying the seasonal lattes from the campus coffee shops. She can be reached at abigail.a.hoelscher@vanderbilt.edu.

Daniela Aguilar, Life Editor

Daniela Aguilar (‘26) is a student in Peabody College double majoring in human and organizational development and economics with a minor in data science. When not writing for The Hustler, you can find her thrifting, working on a crossword puzzle or watching a video essay. You can reach her at daniela.aguilar@vanderbilt.edu.

Kate Connell, Opinion Editor

Kate Connell (‘26) is from Seneca, Mo., and studies psychology in the College of Arts and Science on the pre-medical track. She previously served as Managing Editor and Opinion Copy Editor and Podcasts Director. When not working at The Hustler, you can find her getting coffee, relaxing at Centennial Park or stressing in the Stevenson building. She can be reached at katelyn.b.connell@vanderbilt.edu.

Alysa Suleiman, Social Media Editor

Alysa Suleiman (‘26) is from Cupertino, Calif., and is majoring in political science and communication studies in the College of Arts and Science. As a amateur cook, she also enjoys testing out dorm recipes as often as possible. You can reach her at alysa.j.suleiman@vanderbilt.edu.

Sam El-Shammaa, Graphics Editor

Sam El-Shammaa (‘27) is majoring in cinema & media arts and communication studies in the College of Arts and Science. When they’re not making graphics, you can find them with their cat, Mochi, watching bad movies or wasting away in the CMA editing lab. You can contact them via email.

Chloe Whalen, Games Editor

Chloe Whalen (‘27) is from Herscher, Illinois, and is studying communication of science & technology in the College of Arts and Science. She previously served as Deputy Life Editor. In her spare time, she enjoys running, listening to multiple genres of music and podcasts and doing jigsaw puzzles. She can be reached at chloe.m.whalen@vanderbilt.edu.

Alex Brodeur, Music Correspondant

Alex Brodeur (‘27) is a student in the College of Arts and Science majoring in culture, advocacy and leadership and minoring in art history and musicology. When not taking photos for The Hustler, you can find him performing with the Spirit of Gold Marching Band, visiting museums with the History of Art Society or attending concerts. He can be reached at alexander.t.brodeur@vanderbilt.edu.

Jorie Fawcett, Senior Advisor

Jorie Fawcett (’25) is from Tiffin, Ohio, and studies secondary education and sociology in Peabody College. She previously served as Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor and Life Editor. When not writing for The Hustler, you can find her teaching, reading or pretending to study at Barista Parlor. You can reach her at jorie.fawcett@vanderbilt.edu.

George Albu, Deputy Opinion Editor

George Albu (‘27) is majoring in medicine, health and society in the College of Arts and Science. When not working for The Hustler, he enjoys watching video essays, exploring Nashville and going to the Rec. He can be reached at george.c.albu@vanderbilt.edu.

Charlotte Castle, Deputy News Editor

Charlotte Castle (’27) is majoring in law, history & society and planning to minor in either art history or architecture and the built environment in the College of Arts and Science. If she’s not writing for The Hustler, you can find Charlotte reading, volunteering with YES or exploring Nashville. She can be reached at charlotte.d.castle@vanderbilt.edu.

Isabella Bautista, Senior Staffer

Isabella Bautista (‘26) is double majoring in mathematics and biological sciences and minoring in psychology on the pre-medical track in the College of Arts and Science. She is from Easton, Pa., and previously served as Deputy Life Editor. When not writing for The Hustler, she can be found spending hours alone in a piano practice room, photographing Vanderbilt squirrels with her digital camera or reading up on penguin evolution in her research lab. She can be reached at isabella.s.bautista@vanderbilt.edu.

Claire Andrews, Staff Writer

Claire Andrews (’25) is majoring in medicine, health & society and sociology in the College of Arts and Science. In addition to writing for The Hustler, you can find Claire dancing with Vanderbilt’s Tap That, hunting for the best Tex-Mex or catching concerts around Nashville. She can be reached at claire.f.andrews@vanderbilt.edu.

Ashley Hofflander, Staff Photographer

Ashley Hofflander (‘27) is from Las Vegas, and is planning on majoring in medicine, health and society with a business minor on the pre-dental track. When not taking photos for The Hustler, she is probably at a coffee shop doing work and listening to music. You can reach her at ashley.a.hofflander@vanderbilt.edu.

Michael Carroll, Staff Writer

Michael Carroll (’26) is double majoring in engineering science and English with a minor in engineering management. When not writing for The Hustler, she can be found trying new coffee shops, reading outside on campus and watching local concerts. She can be reached at michael.a.carroll@vanderbilt.edu.

Ameera Islam, Staff Writer

Ameera Islam (’28) is majoring in Law, History and Society with a business minor in the College of Arts and Science. When not writing for The Hustler, you can usually find her at a local cafe, watching Gilmore Girls or reading the Scarlet Letter. She can be reached at ameera.s.islam@vanderbilt.edu.

Barrie Barto, Editor-in-Chief

Barrie Barto (’25) is majoring in medicine, health & society and communication of science & technology with a neuroscience minor in the College of Arts and Science. She previously served as Photography Director. When she’s not hiking in Percy Warner, you can find Barrie cheering on the St. Louis Blues or tracking down the best gluten-free food in Nashville. She can be reached at barbara.a.barto@vanderbilt.edu.

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