Student Reporters SP’2025

Cassidy Burry was born in Asheville, North Carolina, but was raised in Northern California. She is a sophomore at Pace University, majoring in both communications and media studies, and peace and justice studies, and she is getting her minor in digital journalism and storytelling. Outside of school, she works at a bakery, in Hell’s Kitchen, as a barista. Cassidy also has an internship with a nonprofit, SisterLove, INC. They focus on reproductive rights and HIV research and testing, especially in marginalized communities. Cassidy assists with writing their newsletter, and blog, and researches a variety of different topics for their research team. She’s extremely passionate about reproductive rights and advocating for more expansive care to be more widely available. She is thrilled she gets to combine her passion for writing with causes that are so important to her. Cassidy has a strong appreciation and love for music and tries to listen to a wide variety of genres. She is always excited about new music recommendations! Cassidy was named after two different songs, “Cassidy” by the Grateful Dead and “Lola” by The Kinks, and blames her affinity for music on this.

Ima Dello Iacono is a film student of French and Italian descent who was born and raised in Vevey, Switzerland. Born from an artist family, she grew up developing her creative side in all its aspects and quickly realized that filmmaking was her calling. Her parents both being dancers, transmitted their passion for dance to Ima who started making dance videos. She then developed her style by directing her first short film and co-writing a comedic web-series based on her community. Later, she raised funding for her education through a short film depicting her life story, which allowed her to move to New York City, where she is currently pursuing a double bachelor’s in film and communications at Pace University. Her experience in New York reinforced her love for screenwriting and confirmed her wish to pursue it as a career. As she writes and directs new short films, Ima focuses on noticing and shining a light on the small things in life through a dramedy and multicultural approach.

Asma Elgack (pronounced Es-muh Eljack) was born on November 7, 2004, in Virginia and raised in Doha, Qatar, where her family still lives. She is Sudanese-American and now lives in New York City. Her multicultural background has shaped her curiosity and openness to new experiences. She speaks Arabic and English fluently, is proficient in Spanish, and hopes to become fluent in Spanish by the end of 2025. This curiosity extends into her academic and personal interests. She interns at Saving Mothers, a nonprofit focused on improving global maternal healthcare. She was recently selected to participate as a Youth MSP delegate at the third Meeting of States Parties for the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons held at the United Nations, reinforcing her interest in international policy. Outside of work, Asma continues exploring the world through film and Formula 1.She enjoys how film can be used as a medium to highlight different perspectives and cultures. F1, with its global circuits and diverse locations, fascinates her not only for its intense competition but also for the way it connects countries and cultures. Her favorite driver, Lewis Hamilton, recently switched to Ferrari, and she’s excited to see how this season unfolds.

Victoria Forys is a 21-year-old student from New Jersey. She spent her middle school years in Poland, which not only helped her feel more connected to her roots but also allowed her to travel to places such as France, Germany, Italy, and England. Those experiences truly awakened her love for travel. Currently, she is finishing her junior year at Pace University, where she studies Communications and Psychology. Victoria has a passion for understanding people’s behaviors and the ways media tends to shape today’s society. After earning her degree, Victoria plans to work within the Law and Criminal Justice field. Ultimately, her dream job is working for the FBI someday. Her ideal morning consists of a stroll through the West Village along with a coffee date with her best friend, Jessica. In her free time, she enjoys reading novels and drawing in Central Park.

Samantha Greenaway (Sam) was born in New York in 1997. She lived in Jersey City for about three years, which will soon be four years. She is the daughter of an English immigrant and an Afro-Caribbean. She’s majoring in Political Science at Pace University in downtown New York. At eleven, she started taking writing lessons with a tutor who inspired her to write better. For her writing experience, when she went to school at the University of South Carolina, she was a student communications assistant where she helped out with media coverage and public relations. One day, she participated in writing questions for the student-athlete interview and then wrote a sports news article about a student-athlete In addition to this year, she is gaining her writing experience by joining The Pace Press, the newspaper school club; she joined club last semester in the fall of 2024 and Her Campus Media. Developing in her writing, she has written short stories and poems for fun. Last summer, she interned as a Legal Intern at the Office of General Counsel at the Non-profit organization called National Urban League in New York.

Savannah Griffin otherwise known as “Savi” is a 21-year-old college student. She is currently in her sophomore year at Pace University’s NYC campus. She was born on November 6th, 2003 making her Scorpio sun, Aries moon, and Taurus rising. She grew up in northern New Jersey and loves to boast how one of her favorite songwriters/producers Jack Antonoff is from the same town (Bergenfield). This girl has a strong admiration for astrology, crystals, music, and the magic of filmmaking. Her dream job is to one day have her own production company and produce films that highlight stories of women, LGBTQ, and POC stories. These topics are important to her as she would like to be a part of the change that helps mainstream these sometimes underrepresented voices. As a side hustle, Savi reads people’s astrological birth charts! The stars are something she takes very seriously, she even goes as far as to base it on her everyday life. If the stars tell her not to make any major life choices on a specific day she will not make any major life choices on that specific day. She’s a woman full of emotions and blames it on the moon.

Adeesa Haneef is a 22-year-old undergraduate student at Pace University. A New Jersey native, she is in her fourth and final year as a Communications and Media Studies major with a Sociology minor. She originally applied to Pace as a Political Science student, but switched majors during her third year of university. Aside from academics, Adeesa is the current Social Media Director and graphic designer for Her Pace’s chapter of Her Campus, a digital publication for college women. Along with overseeing the organization’s social media platforms, Adeesa stays true to her Poli Sci roots by writing articles for Her Campus pertaining to political news on both the local and national level. In line with her interest in politics, Adeesa has a passion for social justice and has taken classes on critical race theory and feminism along with doing community organizing. In her downtime, she enjoys journaling, listening to music, collecting trinkets, creating digital collages, and watching anime.

Stevin Kamwendo is a 19 year old college student, currently attending Pace University for a bachelor’s degree in Communication and Media Studies. He was born in 2005 to an American mother and a Malawian father, spending his entire life growing up in the warm heart of Africa before moving to New York for college. In Stevin’s youth, writing was one of his favorite hobbies and it defined the latter part of his teenage years. He hopes to work in PR or media management and is striving towards building a fulfilling career in media and communications. While not entirely unfamiliar with journalistic writing, Stevin wants to make it a mainstay of his writing repertoire. Aside from his aspirations for writing, Stevin has a great love for media culture and social politics. He often spends his free time watching the news or catching up on the latest internet dramas. When he isn’t doing that, he is engaging in “thoughtful” philosophical debate with friends and family. His favorite meal is bean chilli and he has recently found an appreciation for alcohol.

Sofia Lalioti was born in Greece and moved to New York when she was in the third grade. Adjusting to a new country at a young age shaped her adaptability and curiosity about the world. She is currently a student at Pace University, majoring in Communications and Media Studies with a Marketing minor. In her free time, Sofia loves going to the theatre with friends and catching movies at her local cinema. She also has a passion for reading and enjoys the calming ritual of journaling before bed, which helps her clear her mind and stay focused. A self-described fashion enthusiast, she keeps up with the latest in fashion journalism, combining her interest in media with her appreciation for style and creativity. Sofia has also gained professional experience working at a real estate law firm, where she honed her organizational skills by reading and filing articles. With her blend of academic interests, creativity, and real world experience, Sofia is on a path to make an impact in the world of media and communications.

Meleny Lopez was born on June 2 of the year 2006. She was born and raised in Brooklyn in a Mexican family who came to America just a few years before she was born. In her family, Meleny is the oldest of her 4 siblings, and she works as a sales associate in her mother’s business. She loves to help out because she enjoys printing and customizing jerseys for customers. Currently, Meleny is enrolled at Pace University, pursuing a degree in communication and media. She also minors in Sport Marketing. Meleny first discovered she wanted to study media when she was in her third year of high school. She took a journalism class for 2 years, and in that class, she became a writer and a photographer for her school’s newspaper. Apart from that, Meleny loves to write at home about personal life things like mental health awareness, politics, or about a recent book she read. In her free time, she enjoys listening to music, reading & writing, and editing.

Morgan McCreary is a 21 year old college senior at Pace from Connecticut. She is a communications major with minors in both women and gender studies and journalism and digital storytelling. Outside of school they are involved in the dance and theatre community in NYC. Morgan currently works part-time as a box office line attendant at the St. James and Walter Kerr theaters. There they interact with a number of different theater professionals who work at the theater or are just coming to see the show the theaters are home to. She actively takes contemporary, and other styles, dance classes at places like Broadway Dance Center and Steps on Broadway. They also choreograph dances which can be seen online and at performances throughout the city as well as on competition stages. Morgan’s writing focuses a lot about the dance communities she is a part of and the people they have met by being actively involved in those spaces. Morgan strives to have her writing to feature diverse stories and stories that may be overlooked.

Kayla Peterson was born in The Bronx on March 15th, 2005. She is currently a Junior at Pace studying Communication and Media Studies, hoping to work in either the sports or journalism field. She has always had a love for the performing arts, especially dance. She started at 4 years old and still dances today. She is currently in a dance club at Pace called The Collective, and is so excited for the showcase that she will be participating in in April. During her free time, she loves to watch a new show, go out with her friends, and is always down to try new food spots. Her current obsession right now is ramen and she won’t ever miss a chance to get some. You can always catch her taking a dance class or getting a sweet treat with a friend (specifically Crumbl). She is excited to almost be in her senior year of college and hopefully land an internship this summer

Tori Schmidt is a 21 year old college Junior who currently resides in lower Manhattan. Tori was born and raised in Philadelphia Pennsylvania, where both of her parents were once teachers. Tori is studying to earn a degree in Film and screen studies, with a Minor in Creative writing. FIlm is the main focus of Tori’s life both personal and professional, she has worked on many films, such as her recent role as Producer on Ima Delloiacono’s “Alley and Margret” and her directorial debut “How to Write a F–cking Movie”. Tori Is the Vice-President of the Pace university student film club, a role she takes very seriously and with great pride. She is an avid watcher of films and can regularly be found at the regal cinema near battery park. While she has mainly worked on narrative shorts so far her goal is direct experimental music videos. On top of filmTori has avid interests in Improv, theater, and generally absurd.

Morgan Stanislaus is a 19 year old aspiring Journalist from Southern Virginia, but currently living in Manhattan for college. She is a sophomore at Pace University working on Communications and Media Studies degree with a minor in Journalism. However, she is hoping to double minor by adding another minor in Peace and Justice Studies. She also plans to continue school once she graduates her undergrad and get her PhD in the future. With this she wants to be an entertainment journalist to interview people, give commentary on events and issues, and write articles on topics she’s passionate about. Morgan spends her time going to the movies, fun events in the city, hanging out with friends, and balancing her school work. She writes for the Pace Press and Her Campus at her school on various topics such as film, pop culture, current events, music, and her life. She really enjoys keeping up with news and events going on and sharing them with her friends and family. Although she does love keeping herself busy, she really values her alone time where she studies, reads, and writes. She loves animals, going to concerts, and exploring New York City.

Zander Sutton, 20, is an accomplished automotive journalist, social media personality, and automotive consultant. When in high school he started his own website, zanderdrivescars.com, a self-run automotive website hosting car reviews and opinion pieces that has reached viewers around the world and has had words featured in publications such as Politico. Along with his website, Sutton took over the Instagram account Make car Ads Great Again in early 2022, and since then has turned it into a social media powerhouse, amassing over 150,000 followers across three platforms, 40-million yearly page views, and has partnered with auto manufacturers to debut advertising on the platform. He has excelled in creating fun and engaging content and banter with his followers that often leads to increased engagement on his platforms, as well as notoriety from other platforms and creators, such as Autotrader.com, and The Smoking Tire Podcast. Along with his social media and journalism work, Sutton has worked as a contract consultant for large automakers who value his experience in his field as a gen z member of the automotive community to give his thoughts and opinions on emerging technologies and how the younger automotive community responds to them. Outside of his work, Sutton enjoys listening to bad European music and rewatching 30Rock every quarter.

Dylan Traynor was born on September 18, 2004 in Brooklyn, New York. She is a 20 year old student at Pace University studying communications and media. Her father was born in Ireland and her mother was born in Long Island. Dylan has a wide range of interests. Depending on the day, you can either find her completing a lego set, reading a book with a candle burning, or listening to her favorite vinyls. Her favorite artists range from Taylor Swift to Fontaines D.C. Throughout her formative years of education, she was an avid and competitive dancer. Not only did she perform in many recitals, she also participated in several national competitions. Although she danced many styles her favorites were contemporary and tap. She also enjoys playing video games, going to concerts, and watching movies with a cup of tea. Her focus on communications and media stems from her belief that it is important for everyone to have a place to express themselves. Her hopes include possibly taking her communication skills to the workplace in the entertainment industry.

Olivia Vella is a multidisciplinary artist from Brooklyn, New York. She is currently studying Art and Communications at Pace University and works as a research assistant for Jillian McDonald, an artist and professor at Pace. Olivia is interested in exploring the intersection between creation and technology, often drawing inspiration from growing up in a digital age. Exploring different mediums has allowed her to create projects that combine various elements like video, photography, graphic design, and animation. Her studies in communications have assisted her in creating a language within her art that is all her own. Through visual storytelling, Olivia creates worlds that blend reality and the endless possibilities of technology, inviting the audience to step into her wonderland. When she’s not making art, you can find her at her local movie theater or if she’s not there she’s probably shopping. If you still can’t find her, well then you might want to check her favorite restaurant, Meze in Brooklyn.

Nicholas Helminger, was born and raised in New York and his family is international with the Dad coming from Luxembourg and Mom from Italy. The family travels a lot and see a lot of the different cultures out there and also communicated with a lot of people from lots of different places. When it comes to communication and media, Nico likes to understand  events, how and why they unfold, the complexity behind them and the people and their actions that trigger these events. Because of ADHD, Nico sometimes picks up on small details others without it may miss. He loves interacting with people and is very friendly and rather charismatic, and loves using humor tactfully to brighten the mood, especially when he feels the atmosphere is becoming tense or uneasy. He also treats everyone with upmost respect and find their differences inspiring. He loves interacting with my peers and working to find solutions to problems may they be big or small.

Amelie Guzman is an 18-year-old freshman at Pace university who’s studying communication. From a very young age she enjoyed reading and writing. She always had a knack for telling stories or describing an event. Before coming to college, she was very nervous about how she would adjust and even dreaded her first day but now she has made friends with people whom she really likes and sees them often. She comes to school anticipating not only seeing her friends but also ready to learn more about the major that calls to her. On her breaks in between classes, she often goes to one of her favorite cafes in Chinatown. Amelie usually spends her weekends with her friends driving around (passenger princess until she learns how to drive) finding new places to eat and just spots with a good view of the sky. On special occasions Amelie goes to concerts and screams her favorite songs to her hearts content. Amelie is often labeled as a creative person when it comes to organizing or decorating her room. She often changes the posters on her wall whenever she gets tired of it or gets a new one.

Angelina Fernandez is a 19 year old aspiring journalist from New York City. From a young age, Angelina felt called to uplift the voices of her community and raise awareness for underprivileged people. As a first generation student, she understands the importance of rising above social norms and structural barriers. Currently a college freshman, Angelina is working towards a degree in Communication and Media Studies which she hopes will help support her career as an independent journalist and writer.