Twenty-six students participated in this year’s New York Times Student Journalism Institute. The team included 10 reporters, five photographers, four copy editors, two data journalists, two video journalists, two page designers and a social media editor. More than two dozen current and former journalists from The Times mentored the students during the reporting process.
The students:
Ayanna Alexander
Copy Editor
Ayanna is a senior at Howard University, where she served as a copy editor and contributing writer at the student newspaper, The Hilltop. Last fall, she was a multimedia copy editing intern at Agence France-Presse. She has also held copy editing and editorial internships with The American Prospect magazine and the Washington Redskins. This summer, she will serve as a news intern for Bloomberg BNA. She is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists. @AyoYanni_
Mariana Alfaro
Reporter
Mariana is a junior at Northwestern University, where she is the managing editor at the student newspaper, The Daily Northwestern. She was a fellow at The Texas Tribune, where she covered Austin politics. She also held an investigative reporting internship at La Prensa Gráfica, a newspaper in her native El Salvador. This summer, she will intern at The Wall Street Journal. She is the president of Northwestern’s chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. @marianaa_alfaro
Gabriella Angotti-Jones
Photographer
Gabriella is a senior at San Francisco State University. She has held a photography internship at The San Francisco Chronicle. Her images have also appeared in the City College of San Francisco’s student newspaper, The Guardsman, and El Tecolote, a bilingual newspaper based in San Francisco’s Mission District. This summer, she will intern at The Las Vegas Review-Journal. She is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists. @gabriellaangojo
Allana J. Barefield
Reporter
Allana will be a junior at Xavier University of Louisiana in the fall. She is a reporting intern with The Advocate of New Orleans. Last summer, she interned with The Courier-Journal of Louisville, where she covered the funeral of Muhammad Ali. She is also a contributor to Louisiana Weekly and Xavier’s student newspaper, The Herald. She is the president of the university’s chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists. @Allana_B18
Tyler Blint-Welsh
Reporter
Tyler is a rising senior at Northeastern University. He spent nearly a year and a half as a sports correspondent at The Boston Globe. His work has also been featured on the sports sites Blue Man Hoop and Forsyth & Speare. He interned for seven months with the San Francisco-based tech startup Netpulse. He is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists. @TylerGabriel_
Lindsay Carbonell
Digital Editor
Lindsay is a graduate of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, School of Media and Journalism, where she majored in interactive multimedia. She focuses on web development, data analysis and data visualization. Last summer, she was a data visualization fellow at The Texas Tribune. She is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. @saycarbonell
Maria Alejandra Cardona
Photographer
Maria is a recent graduate of Columbia College Chicago, where she was photo editor for the student newspaper, The Columbia Chronicle, for over a year. She was also a photojournalist for The Chicago Sun-Times and has been a photographer for City Bureau Chicago. Her work has been published in The New York Times, Chicago Sun-Times and The Chicago Reader. Maria will be an intern at Minnesota Public Radio for the summer. She is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. @mariaalephoto
Charles Clark
Reporter
Charles is a recent graduate of Arizona State University. He has held internships at the The Seattle Times and the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting. He was previously a reporter for the student-run Downtown Devil and the Arizona PBS affiliate Cronkite News. This summer he will be an intern at Bloomberg News. He is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists.@bycharlieclark
Nicholas Davison
Designer
Nicholas is a rising senior at Xavier University in Louisiana. He served as the lead graphic designer and co-editor in chief at the university’s student newspaper, The Xavier Herald. In the fall, he will return as The Herald’s editor in chief. He is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists.@Creat1ve
Felipe De La Hoz
Digital Editor
Felipe is a senior at New York University and a contributor to The Gotham Gazette. Last summer, he was a data and editorial intern at The Wall Street Journal. He has also interned at The New York Observer and amNewYork. He served as multimedia editor at the university’s student newspaper, The Washington Square News. He is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. @FelipeDLH
Briana Erickson
Reporter
Briana recently graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a minor in teaching English as a second language. Following her passion for telling human-interest stories, she has reported in Cuba and Berlin and held two summer internships at The South Florida Sun-Sentinel. She also interned at The Gainesville Sun in Florida. While at the University of Florida, Briana worked for the web, radio and television departments of WUFT.org, the NPR and PBS affiliate. This summer, she will be a news intern at The Las Vegas Review-Journal. She is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. @brianarerick
Melissa Gomez
Reporter
Melissa is a junior at the University of Florida, where she is a news editor at the student newspaper, The Independent Florida Alligator. She has held internships at The Las Vegas Review-Journal and The Naples Daily News. She is a 2015 winner of The New York Times College Scholarship and is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. @MelissaGomez004
Anthony Izaguirre
Reporter
Anthony has reported for The Associated Press in Alabama and will join its Philadelphia bureau in June. He previously worked as a freelancer for The New York Daily News. He has a master’s degree from CUNY Journalism School and a bachelor’s degree from Brooklyn College. He is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. @aizaguirre100
McKenzie Jean-Philippe
Copy Editor
McKenzie is a recent graduate of Kent State University, where she served as copy desk chief and diversity editor of the student newspaper, The Kent Stater. Last summer, she was a Dow Jones News Fund Editing intern at The St. Paul Pioneer Press in Minnesota. She is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists. @mckenzie_jp4
TyLisa C. Johnson
Reporter
TyLisa is a recent graduate of Florida A&M’s journalism school, where she was the editor in chief of the award-winning campus magazine, Journey. She was a beat reporter at the award-winning campus newspaper, The Famuan. She has held internships at The News Journal of Wilmington, Del., Sirius XM Radio and was a freelance reporter for the Tallahassee Democrat. Earlier this year, she was a participant in the National Association of Black Journalists multimedia short course as an anchor and associate producer. In 2016, she was part of ProPublica’s Emerging Reporter program. This summer, she will be interning at The Dallas Morning News. She is a member of N.A.B.J., Investigative Reporters and Editors and Kappa Tau Alpha Journalism honor society. @tylisajohnson
Adriana Loureiro Fernández
Photographer
Adriana is a Venezuelan multimedia journalist and a recent graduate from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Her work looks into immigration, violence and youth culture and has been featured on Time magazine’s website and in Photoville, a New York photography festival. She is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. Twitter: @adri_loureiro_f Instagram: @estascalles
Winta M. Mebrahti
Copy Editor
Winta graduated from SUNY-Plattsburgh, where she served as the managing editor of the award-winning student newspaper, the Cardinal Points. Previously, she served as the editor in chief of DoNorth, a travel magazine, which received an All American rating under her leadership. She is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists and was one of two finalists in 2016 for the N.A.B.J.’s Salute to Excellence for Collegiate Feature Reporting award. She also worked as a copy editor and designer for the Johnson Newspaper Corporation. @ByWjudith
Alexandra Moreo
Photographer
Alexandra is a rising junior at Syracuse University, where she is a photojournalism major at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. She is the photo editor for the independent student newspaper, The Daily Orange. She is also a photographer for the campus social issues magazine, Jerk, and various other magazines. She is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. @alexandramoreo
Michael Noble Jr.
Photographer
Michael is a graduate of Western Kentucky University. He held internships at The Chicago Tribune and The San Francisco Chronicle. He has also served as a staff photographer at the campus newspaper, The College Heights Herald. This summer, Michael will be a photography intern for The Associated Press. He is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists. @Michaelnoblejr
Ashley Omoma
Video journalist
Ashley is a junior at Lehigh University, where she is the multimedia editor at the student newspaper, The Brown and White. She held an internship at WLVT/PBS39 in Allentown. She is working on a documentary funded by the Mellon Digital Humanities Initiative that explores where differences in class, wealth and race clash between the Bethlehem and Lehigh University communities. She is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists. @Ashley_Omoma
Danielle Parenteau-Decker
Copy editor
Danielle has a Master of Journalism degree from the University of California, Berkeley, Graduate School of Journalism. Last summer, she was a Dow Jones News Fund editing intern at The Sacramento Bee. She has also held an internship at the San Francisco Bay Guardian. She holds a bachelor’s degree in print and online journalism, with a minor in philosophy and religion, from San Francisco State University. She is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. @daniparenteau
Mahlia Posey
Video Journalist
Mahlia is a recent graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, Graduate School of Journalism. Previously, she had a video internship at The San Francisco Chronicle and interned at “NBC Nightly News With Lester Holt.” She is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists. @mcposeyy
Leah Proctor-Ford
Reporter
Leah is a rising senior at Spelman College and originally hails from the suburbs of Philadelphia. This spring, she was a video intern at Historias de Luz in Seville, Spain. Last summer, she worked with The New York Times’s Human Resources department and later joined NBC Sports as an intern covering the Olympics. She received her first byline as a reporter for her hometown newspaper, The Pottstown Mercury. She is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists. @lemiprofo
Mia Torres
Designer
Mia is a rising senior at Indiana University, where she has served as a design chief at the campus newspaper, the Indiana Daily Student, and the art director of its magazine, Inside. She is the president of the I.U. chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and secretary of its chapter of the Society for News Design. Last summer, she interned at the Lee Enterprises Regional Design Center in Munster, Ind. In the fall, she will return to campus as art director of the Daily Student. @miajtorres
Sebastian Vega
Social Media Editor
Sebastian is a rising senior at the University of Southern California. This fall, he will serve as the executive digital editor for the campus’s digital news outlet, USC Annenberg Media. During his junior year, he co-led the mobile and emerging desk at USC Annenberg Media, which produces news content specifically for social media platforms. He was formerly the digital managing editor for the campus newspaper, the Daily Trojan. He has held internships at KNBC in Los Angeles, NBC Nightly News in New York and at KUT, which is the NPR station in Austin, Texas. He serves on the board for the National Association of Hispanic Journalists as the organization’s student representative. Twitter: @SebAntonioVega LinkedIn: Sebastian Vega
Joseph Zeballos-Roig
Reporter
Joseph is a recent graduate of Florida State University, where he was a senior staff writer at the student newspaper, The FSView & Florida Flambeau. He held internships at Tallahassee Magazine and WFSU News, where he covered local news, culture and state politics. While studying in London with F.S.U., his work appeared in The Guardian and USA Today College. In the fall, he will be a master’s candidate at New York University’s Global Journalism program, where he will study journalism and European and Mediterranean studies. He is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. @josephzeballos