Ben Barak hails from Toronto and is a second-year Master of Journalism student at Carleton University. Before coming to Carleton, he completed an undergraduate degree in English and creative writing at Western University, and spent a year working, surfing and living out of cars in Australia and New Zealand.
Ben is a passionate writer and adventurer who was led to journalism by a deep love for learning about people and the world. He enjoys writing about travel, culture and the arts. Ben has his sights set on writing features for magazines and exploring the thriving world of new media. When he’s not at school, you can find him recording music, reading the New Yorker, and obsessing over coffee.
Merna Emara is a fourth-year journalism student with a minor in political science. Originally from Egypt, Merna grew up closely following the rising of the Arab Spring in North Africa and the Middle East. Last year, she got the chance to intern at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and CTV News Ottawa. Having a passion for TV broadcasting and politics, Merna hopes to pursue a career where she gets the chance to cover Parliament Hill or City Hall. During her spare time, she likes to read, play board games and paint.
Hint: Get her potato wedges from Tim Hortons if you want to make her day better.
David Lochead is a second-year student at Carleton University’s Master of Journalism program. His work has been published by the Halifax Star Metro and Global Toronto. David loves working on stories that revolve around politics, business and the environment. He is currently working on a multimedia project that looks at water scarcity in Chile. Before going to Carleton University he completed a B.A. in international development and political science at Dalhousie University.
Maan Alhmidi is in his final year in the Master of Journalism program at Carleton University. He worked as a multimedia journalist during the summer of 2019 at the Chronicle Herald, the daily newspaper in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He also did an internship at the Canadian Press bureau in Ottawa. Maan has journalism experience in the Middle East. He worked as a reporter and editor in multiple media outlets in Syria and Turkey before moving to Canada in 2017.
Nicole Cozzi is a fourth-year journalism student with a minor in history. She came to Ottawa from the small town of King City, a little town 30 minutes North of Toronto. Nicole is very interested in the video side of journalism, more particularly she has a passion for editing. She likes taking all the elements of a good story and putting them together to make a complete video. Nicole also has an interest in fashion and isn’t sure if she wants to pursue something more in video or the fashion journalism industry. When she has some free time, Nicole enjoys shopping and watching movies.
Juwairiya Kembo is a fourth-year journalism student with a minor in human rights. She was born and raised in Kenya. She worked with the Capital Current during the summer, exploring her interests in writing articles on current policies, human rights issues and the arts. Juwairiya is looking forward to graduating as she hopes to continue pursuing her career in Canada with a focus in multimedia. She also sees herself achieving a masters degree in international affairs.
Imagine someone who is always smiling and has a positive energy. Kadiatu Barrie is a fourth-year journalism student with a minor in women and gender studies at Carleton University. Born in Sierra Leone and raised in Toronto, she is the oldest of six kids. “Look good, feel good, do good” is her daily affirmation to help her get through the day. She has always enjoyed being involved in the community she resides in. From being a shy girl, Barrie grew into a confident young woman who loved to meet new people. As a Black, Muslim woman she knows that there are many obstacles that she would come across but is determined to overcome them to become successful. Currently, she is volunteering as a communications officer with the Young Leaders Advisory Council (YLAC). YLAC fights to help young people of colour to become successful. She is also an executive member of the Black Student Alliance at Carleton, where she is the community liaison. In the future, she hopes to become both a journalist and an activist who will continue to use her voice and writing to fight injustices around her.
Grace McGrenere is a fourth-year journalism and human rights student at Carleton University. She hosts the climate change based radio show, “It’s Not Easy Being Green” on CKCU, and is on the 25th Hour team for the fall term.
Jordyn Selznick is a fourth-year journalism student with a minor in political science. Born and raised in Toronto, Jordyn is undeniably a big-city kind of girl. Her journalistic interests lie in covering current events that impact people’s lives. She takes a special liking to stories that have a human element, striving to connect with people from all sectors of society. After completing her journalism degree, Jordyn will be heading to law school where she is excited to take the skills she’s learned as a journalist to continue connecting with people.
John Gallardo is a fourth-year journalism student with a minor in history. John is from Toronto and was raised around the Greater Toronto Area. He is particularly passionate about storytelling in all forms of media, whether it’s online articles, podcasts, video documentaries, photography, you name it, John loves it. He was a once an aspiring basketball player, and while that didn’t work out for him, he now hopes to pursue a career in sports journalism covering basketball and the NBA. John currently writes for the publication RaptorsCage, a blog covering the Toronto Raptors. He produced longform articles throughout the 2018-19 NBA season and playoffs for RaptorsCage. John has also featured on BallnRoll.com’s ‘PicknPod’ podcast as a special guest, covering the 2019 NBA offseason.
You can find John on Instagram @jpeg.john, on Twitter @j_gallardo2, and for business inquiries please email jpgallardo@icloud.com.
Sarah Sibley is entering the fourth-year of her journalism and law double major, with a minor in Greek and Roman studies. With a strong belief that every day is a small history in itself, she is excited to assist with storytelling and connect with people to determine how they fit into this vast world. She came to realize she loves producing videos when in the Yukon participating in a program called Stories North and doesn’t plan to stop anytime soon. For now, you can catch her trying to figure out her role on this enormous planet and asking lots of questions.
Natali Trivuncic is a fourth-year journalism student with a minor in history. She has interned with the Edmonton Journal and written articles for the online fashion magazine MINUS37.
She is interested in pursuing broadcast journalism and hopes to blend her love of storytelling in the digital world. In her spare time, she enjoys watching movies or reruns of Seinfeld and reading fiction novels.
Kasey Kirkup is a fourth-year journalism and law major. She has worked in government communications for the past three years but has recently become a teaching assistant in the Law department at Carleton. Kasey sees many parallels between education and journalism – both being a way to explain the world, to the world. Kasey loves using video to show the community stories it would not otherwise get to see and looks forward to sharing these stories this semester.
Bailey Moreton is a fourth-year journalism and political science student at Carleton University. He is originally from England, and hopes to return triumphant as a foreign correspondent with the BBC, or as captain of Liverpool FC (that’s a football team, not a soccer team). His backup plan is law school, or working as a diplomat. He can do a serviceable Boris Johnson impression.
Michael Smith originates from St. John’s Newfoundland, where he completed his B.A. in philosophy and anthropology at the Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN). During his time at MUN he discovered his interest in telling both audio and visual stories. This past summer he worked for CBC radio in his hometown of St John’s. He worked on “The Broadcast,” the longest running current affairs program in North America. He also worked for a local radio station called VOCM.
Gmail: georgiaandromidas8@gmail.com
Twitter: @GAndromidas
Georgia Andromidas is a true Prairie girl at heart having been born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She received her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Manitoba, double majoring in psychology and sociology. From there, she decided to continue her love of writing and earn her Masters in Journalism from Carleton University. She has gained experience chase producing for CTV’s Power Play and Question Period, and also with assisting on segments for The Morning Show with Global Toronto. In her spare time you can find Georgia reading any book she can get her hands on and cheering for the Winnipeg Jets.
Keith Bennett is a fourth-year journalism student with a minor in film studies. He was born and raised in Ottawa, Ontario. His time at Carleton has increased his passion for media production, which he hopes to pursue in the future. His background in photography helps his status as a social media king.
Nicole Gitobu is a fourth-year student at Carleton University pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and minor in political science. Originally from Kenya, Gitobu spent 15 years of her life in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Seeing stories untold, she aspires to be a voice to the African continent to be able to tell the stories of Africa.
Colm O’Sullivan is a fourth-year student at Carleton University where he is doing a double major in journalism and law. Colm is interested in politics, international affairs, and national security. Post J-School, Colm hopes to complete a masters in international affairs and national security, where he hopes to use the skills he has attained in journalism to forward his career. When not saving the world, Colm enjoys reading non-fiction, and watching comedies.
Chelsea Robert is a fourth-year journalism student with a double minor in English and Anthropology. An Ottawa native herself, she searches for stories within the community. In her spare time, she coaches soccer and basketball and enjoys creative writing and she is a writer for The Charlatan. She is a firm believer that everyone has a story and following her degree she is looking to pursue a career in Television Broadcasting.
Instagram and Twitter: @chelsearobert__