Alex Nickel is a WashU alum living in Chicago. He has solved every New York Times mini crossword (over 3,800 puzzles) and created the first Student Life crossword in 2022. In his free time, Alex enjoys reading, traveling, and rewatching Arrested Development. Alex wrote an essay about his love of crosswords, which you can read here.

Rena Cohen is a sophomore at WashU studying psychology and Spanish. Along with Alex, she co-launched WashU's daily mini crossword in Fall 2024. A life-long lover of Scrabble, Boggle and all types of wordplay, she published her first crossword puzzle in her junior year of high school. When she’s not speed-solving crosswords, she loves taking walks, listening to podcasts, and spending time with friends and family.