Alumni on the Move: 2025 Summer Stories

Dean of Academic Affairs Duy Linh Tu, ’99 M.S., Adjunct Professor Sebastian Tuinder, ’21 M.S., Jacob Templin, ’09 M.S., and Anup Kaphle, ’08 M.S., won a 2025 Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Video for South Africa’s migrant delivery workers find safety in numbers, produced for Rest of World’s Gig Workers Rising series.

Sumi Aggarwal, ‘08 M.S., was named one of 21 Global Media Leaders by the Craig Newmark School of Journalism. She currently serves as Chief Strategy Officer at The Intercept and co-directs the Press Freedom Defense Fund. 

Camellia Burris, ‘22 M.S. Stabile, reported on education policy in Tennessee for Nashville Public Radio, including a high-profile story on students advocating to maintain the state’s high school foreign language requirement, highlighting how language study shapes cultural awareness and post-secondary opportunities.

Professor Alexis Clark, '02 M.S., reported for Matter of Fact with Soledad O’Brien on Camp To Belong, a summer camp focused on reuniting siblings through foster care.

J. Lester Feder, ’08 M.A. Politics, and John-Carlos Estrada, ’13 M.S., received 2025 Excellence in Journalism Awards from NLGJA. Feder was recognized for Opinion/Editorial Writing in The New York Times, while Estrada won for Documentary with Barbette+Fontaine.

Carolina Abbott Galvão, ’25 M.A. Arts & Culture, published “What Kind of Clam Are You?” in Pioneer Works Broadcast, a meditation on memory, identity and belonging that blends personal narrative with cultural history.

Darryl Laiu, ’24 M.S., joined Hearst DevHub as the 2025–2026 data visualization fellow, producing interactive and data-driven journalism for local newsrooms including the San Francisco Chronicle, Houston Chronicle and Austin American-Statesman.

Francesca Maria Lorenzini, ’24 M.S., covered humanitarian airdrop missions to Gaza for The National News, CGTN, The Jordan Times and Will Media. Her reporting highlighted the urgent needs of families trapped in the Gaza Strip, where each airdrop package feeds a family of five for three days, amid ongoing conflict and the uncertainty of Israel’s occupation.

Rita Omokha, ’20 M.S., contributed immersive reporting on World War II’s last living Navajo code talkers, Peter MacDonald and Thomas Begay, for National Geographic.

Joanna Rothkopf, '14 M.S., won her seventh Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series Emmy award for her work on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.

2025 Alumni Award Winner Ann M. Simmons, '88 M.S., was named executive editor of Northeastern Global News, the university’s award-winning news organization.

Gagandeep Singh, ’25 M.A. Politics, has published and reported on multiple topics exploring the Sikh diaspora and international security:

• Master’s thesis on the assassination of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar and its impact on the North American Sikh diaspora, published in New Lines Magazine.
• Report for Al Jazeera on India’s Bishnoi gang and the calls to designate it a terrorist organization, highlighting risks to the diaspora and international relations.
• Coverage of California’s anti-intimidation bill for Al Jazeera, examining law enforcement training to address transnational repression and the resulting debates within the Indian American community.

Belén Smole, '17 M.S., won five 2025 TV Emmy Awards for her work with Telemundo62. 

Deep Vakil, ’25 M.S. Stabile, reported for Inside Climate News on the potential merger of Shell and BP, examining how consolidation in the oil and gas industry could affect emissions, climate policy and the energy transition.

Saskya Vandoorne, '10 M.S., was named CNN’s Paris Bureau Chief, leading coverage of French and European news across the network. 

Amy Wu, ’04 M.S., has joined the Connecticut Examiner, where she will be covering Southeastern Connecticut. She is also launching the state’s chapter of Investigative Reporters & Editors.

Plus, Class of 2025: Making an Impact Across the Local News Landscape

See how recent graduates are not just breaking stories, but building trust with communities by amplifying local voices, investigating pressing concerns and reflecting the experiences of the people who live there.

Leonardo Bevilacqua, ’25 M.S., reported for Mississippi Today on Delta Burial Corp., a Black-owned funeral home in the Mississippi Delta celebrating its 100th year, as part of a series on victim services and the funeral industry.

Leilani Combs, ’25 M.S., covered the escalating threat to coral habitats from worsening ocean acidification for Honolulu Civil Beat.

Shubhanjana Das, ’25 M.S., examined the effects of federal funding cuts to critical food programs on Minnesota children and families for Sahan Journal.

Dana Edwards, ’25 M.S., examined planned fare hikes for CT Rail and Metro-North for the Connecticut Mirror, analyzing how the state’s 10% increase over two years would affect commuters.

Jala Everett, ’25 M.S., contributed to several FRONTLINE documentaries as the organization's 2025-2026 Columbia Journalism Fellow, including Syria After Assad, Trump’s Power & The Rule of Law and Remaking the Middle East: Israel v. Iran.

Lauren Gould, ’25 M.S., explored the high cost of prescription drugs for the An Arm and a Leg podcast, highlighting the financial struggles families face navigating the health care system.

Maria Guinnip, ’25 M.S., reported on the rising burden of “junk fees” on parents paying for school lunches for Oklahoma Watch.

Eleanor Hildebrandt, ’25 M.S., reported on the effects of federal funding cuts on Minnesota’s most vulnerable residents for the Minnesota Star Tribune as the inaugural David and Leni Moore Columbia Fellow.

Diba Mohtasham, ’25 M.A. Arts & Culture, wrote about the role of Middle Eastern and North African diaspora dance parties as spaces for healing, solidarity and cultural connection during times of political crisis in Rolling Stone.

Anna Oakes, ’25 M.S., chronicled the reunion of Mexican relatives separated for years despite ICE crackdowns for THE CITY, as this summer’s reporting fellow in partnership with the Tamer Institute for Social Enterprise and Climate Change.

Jessica Shuran Yu, ’25 M.S., reported on recovery efforts after devastating floods in Texas Hill Country for The Texas Tribune.

Sorina Szakacs, ’25 M.A. Business, reported for The Salt Lake Tribune on a property tax increase in Canyons School District, examining how rising taxes affect residents and fund education, including teacher salaries, staff additions and district operations.

Mariana De Jesus Szendrey, ’25 M.S., explored the potential impact of federal food aid cuts on New York children and families for City Limits.

Hannah Weaver, ’25 M.S., covered subsistence sockeye salmon fishing in Petersburg, Alaska, for KFSK-FM and Alaska Public Media.