Alex Thompson graduated from Ohio University in 2008 with a degree in Video Production. In college he worked in the control room for newscasts and quickly realized he’d rather be reporting the stories than playing back and editing the video footage.
Andrea Posner received a BA in Public Communication from Florida Atlantic University. In her spare time she enjoys photography, running, and new restaurants. She looks forward to her year ahead at American University and learning the trade of journalism from an in depth perspective.
Andy Medici is currently attending American University’s School of Communication graduate program in journalism and public policy. He is working for the Bureau of National Affairs publication while pursuing his degree.
Anel Rau earned a BA in International Journalism and Mass Communications in 2008 and hopes to jump start a career in broadcast after finishing her MA at American. She strives to be an evening news anchor.
Arrien Davison graduated from UNC Charlotte and received a bachelors in mass media communications. She previously interned at NBC Universal and WBTV, a CBS affiliate. She is willing to dabble in any aspect of the journalism industry in order to help people get their news.
Brianna Pellicane graduated from Wake Forest University in May 2009 with a B.A. in English and minors in journalism and Latin American studies. She is pursuing an M.A. in journalism and public affairs with concentrations in broadcast and international journalism.
After graduating in 2005 from an undergraduate program, Carmen Castro worked in the print, broadcast and public affairs communication sectors. She’s been an editor at a bilingual weekly publication, covered sports for The Dallas Morning News as well as KUVN-TV Univision 23, but would like to focus on hard news after earning an MA.
Claritza Jimenez received a Bachelor Of Arts in Political Communication from The George Washington University. She was awarded a Fellowship In Investigative Journalism and is pursuing an M.A. in broadcast journalism with a focus in public policy.
Coryn Connelly-Cabreros graduated from DePaul University with a BA in Communications in 2007. Since high school she has been on track to a career in journalism. After graduation she was a freelance Image Assistant before being hired with The Quarasan Group as a Permissions Coordinator.
Before returning to school to earn an MA in broadcast journalism, Erissa Scalera graduated from the University of Pittsburgh and began working on a degree in Communications with an emphasis on Mass Media. She interned with Shine Limited, a television production company owned by Elisabeth Murdoch, while studying abroad in London. She also worked on a reality TV show for BBC2 and took another internship at Lyonsdown Publishing where she wrote articles for a parenting magazine.
Evan Banks graduated from Geneva College with a degree in English Literature and a minor in Computer Science. While at school, he was a staff writer and columnist at the campus newspaper. His technological skills earned him jobs at the multimedia center of the campus library and in the college’s audio-visual department. He aspires to earn an MA in broadcast journalism.
Gabrielle Jones received her BA in Mass Communications at North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina in just three years. After completing her degree at AU, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in communications while working in television news.
Joseph Liu graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a degree in English. Before deciding to head back to school, he joined the Peace Corps and was placed in Totsentsengel, Khovsgul after training in Mongolia.
Juan Pawiroredjo attended The Artemis Academy in the Netherlands where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Interior, Fashion and Media and graduated Cumlaude. After traveling around, he landed in the district and then New York, where he worked for an e-magazine.
Julien Maynard graduated from Duke University with a Bachelors of Arts in History and Sociology. He then planned on becoming a lawyer, but decided to switch tracks and attend grad school for journalism instead. He hopes to work in the multimedia realm of the journalism industry.
Before coming to American University to pursue a Master of Arts in journalism, Justin Cox majored in American Studies and played water polo at Florida State University.
After spending several years working in elected politics, Justin Gibbs decided to focus on a career in journalism. He is focusing on broadcast and public policy and hopes to begin a career in television journalism after graduation.
Kathryn Yao graduated from the University of Southern California with a double bachelors in English and Psychology. She has dabbled in several professions, but found journalism to be her passion and true calling. She is in pursuit of a career in radio and online mediums.
Keyana Farkondepay earned a BA in Business Administration from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. She had a first person piece published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in 2007 and hopes to have a successful career in broadcast journalism.
Kim Chi Ha I graduated from James Madison University in 2007 with a BA in English and Political Science. She interned with the U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate and The Hill Newspaper, before deciding to pursue a Master’s degree.
Kristen Becker earned her undergraduate degree at the University of California Santa Cruz in 2005 and took several journalism courses at a community college after graduation. She hopes to combine her love of writing and fascination with politics into a career as a Capitol Hill reporter.
While studying at Washington University in St. Louis, Kristin McGrath worked at the student run-newspaper. After completing her undergraduate education in 2006, she began working as an editor at Wolters Kluwer Health, a medical publishing company that produces content for doctors, pharmacists and patients. She then became Managing Editor of Louie, a monthly magazine made by teens for teens.
Kristin Tangel earned her BA in journalism and media studies from Rutgers University in 2009. She was the Ecoscope section editor for a weekly paper on the Cook Campus of Rutgers. She also interned at the East Brunswick Sentinel and the Home News Tribune. After graduating from American, she is considering working toward a Ph.D.
Ladan Nekoomaram earned a BA from DePauw University in May 2009 with a degree in English Writing with a minor in History. She studied at American University in the summer of 2007 and instantly fell in love with the city and the school, thus inspiring her to attend AU for grad school.
Lauren Orsini graduated with honors in English from The University of Mary Washington. She has written for several publications including a magazine and a newspaper before attending graduate school.
Lauryn Smith majored in business with a minor in communication studies at Hollins University. She hopes to cover political stories with an international focus to one day become a foreign correspondent.
During her undergraduate studies at The University of Massachusetts Amherst, Leslie Byford became involved with the student-run radio station. She worked in front of the mic as a news and entertainment anchor, and by her junior year, she became the News Editorial Director. She hopes the skills she learned at the radio station will help her in her studies to become a broadcast journalist.
Marcus Shorter interned at VH1 Radio while studying at St. John’s University. He has interned at Voice of America and WPGC 95.5 FM in the Washington D.C. area. After graduating, he returned to WPGC to become a member of The Donnie Simpson Show. In addition to his love for journalism and politics, Marcus is also interested in music, poetry and film.
Matt Stevens studied political science at University of Connecticut, where he wrote a column for the school newspaper. He hopes to pursue a career writing about American politics after graduation from AU.
Naseem Miller decided that she’d rather report about health care instead of pursue a career with her undergraduate degree in Molecular and Microbiology. She is a recipient of Fellowship in Investigative Journalism. She most recently covered the health beat at a New York Times affiliate newspaper in Central Florida.
Nihar Sinha graduated with a BS in journalism from St. John’s University in 2006 in addition to earning a certificate in journalism from Guru Nanak Dev University in India. Since graduating, she has freelanced for several newspapers including Asian Fortune and Hindustan Times. She also has broadcast experience from Fairfax Public Access.
Philippa Levenberg graduated from the University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa with a Bachelor of Arts in Print Journalism, Media Studies and Political Science. The following year she completed an Honors Degree in Political Communication, where she researched the impact of Barack Obama’s oratory on the youth vote.
Sean Connolly graduated from the College of Charleston in 2007 with a BA in both philosophy and religious studies. He then traveled around Europe before returning to the states to pursue a graduate degree.
Tamara Braunstein earned a BA in Spanish from the University of Pittsburgh. While at Pitt, Tamara covered Greek Life for the student newspaper. She is eager to enhance her skills to pursue a career in journalism
Before Tauren Dyson decided to pursue a graduate degree he worked as a radio producer at Newstalk 630 WMAL, where he researched show topics and screened phone calls. Then he covered traffic and weather for XM Satellite radio. He hopes to work in entertainment journalism.
William Cummings attended Simon’s Rock College of Bard, where he earned an AA in 1996. He later attended the University of Maryland and received a BA in Latin American History, while also earning a Certificate in Latin American Studies. While at UMD, he helped co-found Janus, the University of Maryland Undergraduate Online History Journal. He is currently pursuing his longtime ambition to become a professional journalist.
