River Berninger is a Salem senior who joined The Perspective staff in the fall of 2025. She enjoys reading and writing fiction, listening to and playing music, and pop culture, as well as spending time with her friends and family. She discovered her love for music in her sixth-grade choir class, where she first started writing her own songs. Since the age of nine, Berninger has been playing hockey, where she is still an active member of her team. Regarding college, Berninger hopes to explore her interest in creative writing and English.