2025 Immersion Cohort

Zoya Balakrishnan is a rising senior at Watchung Hills Regional High School in Warren, New Jersey. A passionate writer and public speaker, she is the captain of WHRHS’ speech team, vice president of her Model United Nations team, and the organizer and speech coach for TEDxYouth@WHRHS. Having lived in Switzerland for three years and visited more than 30 countries, Zoya finds immense significance in understanding and appreciating diverse cultures and worldviews. She intends to major in communications and psychology, with her original TEDxYouth Talk “How Much ‘I’ in Identity?” leading her toward a goal of learning more about the nuances of identity and perspective, as well as the importance of sharing them with the world. Zoya also serves as a member of Somerset County Youth Leadership, tutors at Kumon, and enjoys scuba diving and surfing whenever she gets an opportunity.

Olivia Campbell lives in Cary, North Carolina, and attends GRACE Christian School. A junior there, she’s part of the volleyball team, the cheer squad and the beach volleyball club. During her time in high school, Olivia has served as an editor for the school yearbook, has graduated from the Chick-fil-A Leader Academy, and has amassed over 140 hours of community service, including time at UNC Hospital as a junior volunteer. She is also involved in National Honor Society, serves as the president of the High School Service Club and participated in the upperclassman trip to Europe. Experiencing the customs and history of Malta and Sicily, Olivia discovered her love for exploring new cultures. This summer, Olivia will serve as editor on the executive board of the Raleigh-Wake Chapter of Jack and Jill of America Inc., a historical African-American national organization established to develop future Black leaders. She plans to pursue journalism/ broadcasting and political science in college. Olivia looks forward to what lies ahead and hopes to make an impact in her community through her love of journalism.

Andes Finch is a rising senior and Jack Kent Cooke Young Scholar attending Paideia School in Atlanta. He lives near Stone Mountain Village, a place of historical and contemporary interest to him and the subject of his first documentary. He enjoys foreign news and conversation, and he’s skilled in language learning. In 2023, he traveled to Wolfsburg to improve his German. In 2024, through the National Security Language Initiative for Youth program, he lived with a host family in Latvia for six weeks to learn Russian, experiencing the grim realities of ethnic tension in a border region. He founded the Russian and Karaoke Clubs at Paideia and co-leads the Chess Club. He is considering majoring in journalism, photography or diplomacy.

Gionni Foreman is from Washington, D.C., where he currently resides. Gionni is a rising senior at KIPP DC: Legacy College Preparatory, where he’s a member of many different and unique clubs. He’s a high-ranking member of the Student Government Association, currently serving as vice president with hopes of being president next year. Gionni is also a multi-sport athlete. He’s been playing football for 12 years, making it his longest athletic commitment. Known for his outgoing personality, Gionni loves to make new friends. He hopes to pursue a career in politics, where he would focus on bettering the education system.

Shirin Kaussler is a rising senior at Rocktown High School in Harrisonburg, Virginia. As the first-ever president of both the STEM Club and the Women in STEM (WiSTEM) chapter at her school, she is deeply committed to empowering students, especially young women, to explore new academic and career paths. Shirin also serves as executive chief editor of her school’s journalism program, where she helps lead yearbook design and contributes regularly to the weekly newspaper. An athlete and team player, she has competed on the school’s swim team for the past four years and recently joined the outdoor track team. Outside school, Shirin enjoys traveling, spending quality time with her family and planting. She is passionate about building inclusive communities and helping others grow in ways they never imagined possible.

Abigayl Maryo was born in Ethiopia and is of Eritrean and Italian descent. She moved to Greensboro, North Carolina, at the age of 3 and is currently a rising senior at Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School. As an advocate for human rights, she is passionate about international relations and journalism. In her school, she has held various leadership roles, including as an editor for the school newspaper, where she has been writing since her sophomore year. She actively works to raise awareness about global issues and social justice. Outside school, she dedicates her time to advocating for women’s rights and contributing to causes that amplify underrepresented voices. She is excited to pursue a career that blends international relations with journalism, with the goal of working at the United Nations to support human rights and global equality.

Wenda McLaurin lives in Kernersville, North Carolina, and attends the North Carolina Leadership Academy as a rising senior. Throughout her high school career, Wenda has been involved in her school’s news production team as a scriptwriter and as a section editor in her school’s newspaper. She enjoys reading and writing about politics and social justice issues, and she is passionate about Spanish, having been in a Spanish immersion program since kindergarten. She is involved in many organizations, including the Winston-Salem Youth Advisory Council as secretary, the National and Spanish Honor Societies, and the Youth Grantmakers in Action. Wenda aims to use her voice as a tool to inspire change and raise awareness about the matters affecting society today. In her free time, Wenda loves to write in her journal, make vlogs and spend time with her family. In the future, she plans on majoring in journalism, while minoring in Spanish and/or political science.

Emerson Morales was born in Princeton, New Jersey, but now lives in Nutley, New Jersey, about 30 minutes from New York City. She is currently a rising senior at Nutley High School, where she serves as the drum major of its award-winning marching band and helps run the school’s InStyle: Fashion Magazine. Outside school, she participates in New Jersey’s region and all-state choirs and volunteers at her local library. After watching “Gilmore Girls,” Emerson became interested in journalism and storytelling. In the future, she hopes to study media and communications while minoring in marketing.

Zuriel Nyamutsaka lives in Charleston, South Carolina, and is a rising senior at Academic Magnet High School. Zuriel served on the Academic Magnet Student Council as a two-time class president and student body vice president, before retiring to pursue a passion in public speaking at school board meetings and for the Charleston Area Justice Ministry. Zuriel is passionate about political science and journalism, and in his free time he consumes a variety of music and movies.

Mariana Prieto was born in Queens, New York, where she attends Benjamin N. Cardozo High School. She discovered her love for literature in elementary school, when she could always be found with a book in hand. Now a rising senior, Mariana has been a dedicated member of her school’s paper, The Verdict, and will serve as a senior editor next year. She also has a passion for graphic design, which began in her freshman year graphic design course. She served as the head of the marketing and media committee for her school’s Key Club and table tennis team, where she was able to combine her love for writing and design. In addition to running their social media, Mariana is a member of the varsity table tennis and tennis teams.  She is actively involved in her school’s Creative Writing, Model UN, La Ciudad Hispana and Big Sib clubs. Outside school, Mariana interned for Councilwoman Linda Lee’s 2023 re-election campaign and previously wrote for Teens for Press Freedom, a student-led organization that fights against government censorship. She plans to major in journalism, with a possible minor in political science or graphic design.

Juliana Ronda is a rising senior at Academia María Reina in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. An avid reader since childhood, she often devours books in a single sitting. She serves as vice president of the National Art Honor Society and is a member of the Joseph Lorraine chapter of the National Honor Society. Juliana actively supports her school’s religious retreats and has volunteered with the Muscular Dystrophy Association of Puerto Rico. She also works part-time at MerchExp Online Fulfillment and hopes to intern with Rimas Publishing this summer. In her free time, Juliana enjoys painting and spending time at the beach. She plans to pursue a career in publishing, while also exploring the field of journalism.

Chase Slesinger-Hall lives in Aspen, Colorado, and is a rising senior at Aspen High School, where he is an IB diploma candidate. He is the opinion section editor of his school’s newspaper and has been an editor for the yearbook for the past two years, for which he enjoys writing stories that speak to him and his community. A participant in countless extracurriculars, among his favorites are Hope Squad and being a school ambassador, where he strives to ensure his school environment is positive for everyone around him. Other than school and extracurriculars, he can most often be found in the mountains – snowboarding fresh pow, hiking with friends, playing tennis or simply blaring music. Chase is always up for a good time with his friends, and he’s excited for his passions to take him to whatever comes next.

Laila Smith was born and raised in Maryland. She’s a rising senior at Archbishop Carroll, where she is and honors student and involved in the Jim Vance Media Program. Aside from that, she is a track and field athlete who spends most of her weekends traveling the United States. For fun, Laila likes to watch TikTok or YouTube, and she enjoys making videos. Over the years, she has become fascinated with the world of media. She’s taken classes such as sports journalism, digital media and script writing to further her communications education. Laila enjoys writing and loves to ask questions even more. She can’t wait to learn more about the communications field in the future.

Madison Steptoe is a junior who lives in Yonkers, New York, but attends White Plains High School. She has always had an interest in writing stories, especially true stories with interesting backgrounds. When she was little, she created her own news channel on iMovie and had a lot of fun with it. She joined the newspaper in sixth grade and continued with it through middle school and high school. She is also vice president of the Black Awareness club and treasurer of the ROAR Magazine. She is also a part of the varsity softball team and plays outside of school, too. She writes in her free time, really enjoys this career and is extremely excited for EJP.

Kordell Tate-Roberts lives in Raleigh, North Carolina, and currently attends Church Farm School, a private college prep boarding school in Exton, Pennsylvania. His passion for journalism began in 2022, when he started his own school newspaper. Currently, Kordell is the leader of many clubs. He is the president and founder of Book Club, president of Yearbook, associate journalist for the Marketing and Communications office, co-president of GSA, a member of Student Government, and the head of the interview committee for the Griffin Review, the school’s student magazine. As a member of the CFS choir, Kordell had the opportunity to perform at Carnegie Hall in April. Next year, Kordell plans to continue his journalism career, student ambassadorship,and hopefully start a student-led newspaper team. He also plans to continue his love and passion for musical theater.

Angel Tejada lives in Athens, Georgia, where he attends Clarke Central High School. As an avid athlete and lifelong sports fan, he discovered a passion for journalism through writing about sports and analyzing his favorite broadcasts at a young age. This led him to join his high school’s news magazine, The ODYSSEY Media Group, during his freshman year. Now, he serves as an assistant to his adviser, training and guiding the incoming freshmen. He looks forward to pursuing a career in sports journalism and exploring where it takes him.

Ethan Ward lives in Nashville, North Carolina, and attends NRM Early College High School. He has worked extremely hard to achieve his goals, such as finding his passion and working daily to gain knowledge and experience. Ethan has been volunteering to help others since the start of high school, often helping elementary schools and people in need. He has also been helping his local college with writing, interviewing, social media posts, photography and videography. He recently completed an interview with the NRM college president about the school’s new partnership with a STEM program for students on the east coast. Ethan has been recognized as scholar of the month previously for not only his academic achievements, but his overall character. He plans on majoring in journalism because of his love for writing, the media, politics and sports.

Gillian Williams was born in Athens, Georgia, raised in Elberton, Georgia, until she was 8 and then moved to Athens, Georgia. Now a rising senior at Clarke Central High School and the Athens Community Career Academy, she is a Viewpoints staffer for the ODYSSEY Media Group, the FCCLA Treasurer at ACCA, student ambassador for ACCA, audio/visuals director at Carlton Grove Baptist Church, and host of the “Educating the Masses” podcast for the ODYSSEY Media Group. She is passionate about journalism, teaching, traveling and learning languages. Gillian hopes to pursue a career in elementary education in college to become a kindergarten teacher.