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The CoH Team

Our team is currently composed of students at Roger Williams University. We are working to hire community members and high school students to join our staff or work as freelancers. We are specifically interested in working with members of the communities we aim to serve, those who have little access to jobs within the mainstream media.

 

If you are interested, please contact us at communitydrivennews@gmail.com.

Our Current Team

Luke joined Communities of Hope because he agreed that marginalized communities need to have their voices heard. He is from Easton, Massachusetts and in his free time, he enjoys reading and playing music.

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Luke Brennan

News Manager - The Hope Project

Senior Journalism major and Film core concentration

Luke joined Communities of Hope because he agreed that marginalized communities need to have their voices heard. He is from Easton, Massachusetts and in his free time, he enjoys reading and playing music.

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Emily Rosen

Junior Journalism major and Political Science minor

News Manager - EcoTalk

Emily fell in love with writing and photography at a young age. She plans to pursue both in her studies at Roger Williams University, working with Communities of Hope, and post-graduation.

 

Dr. Motta encouraged Emily to join Communities of Hope when she was a student in his introductory journalism course. She wants to work with and help others as well as to become an active part of the community.

 

She enjoys creative writing, photography, and spending time with friends in her free time.

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Jordan Baylis

Senior Graphic Design major and Marketing minor

Lead Graphic Designer and Creative Manager

Jordan has worked with Communities of Hope since the fall of 2021, where she's enjoyed different sides of the organization: producing original designs, working with new people, and uplifting the voices of underrepresented communities.

 

Outside of her work, she is a dancer and a member of RWU's dance club and dance team.

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Sam Elwell

Copyeditor and Ecotalk Host 

Senior Journalism major and Sustainability Studies minor

Sam is one of the co-hosts of the EcoTalk in addition to being the host of his own radio show on WQRI and an editor for the Hawks' Herald. 

 

He joined the Communities of Hope team to get experience in environmental reporting. He hoped to become an environmental and sustainability reporter, to get involved with the community, and to help others.

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Jocelyn Jackson

Multimedia Journalist

Junior Journalism major and Film minor

Jocelyn is very passionate about social justice and plans on advocating for awareness through her reporting. She was drawn to Communities of Hope by the opportunity to support individuals who are impacted by societal issues.

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Her goal is to make positive changes for local communities and after graduating from college, she plans to become a photojournalist and to document the stories that shine a light on the problems people consistently choose to ignore.

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Solutions Journalism Researcher and Reporter

Junior Journalism major and French minor

Jeannette White

Jeannette is a part of Solutions Journalism for Communities of Hope. She is from Fall River, Massachusetts and she is majoring in Journalism.

She joined Communities of Hope to be a part of the community and gain experience in the field of journalism.

Her current favorite memory with Communities of Hope is getting on the front page of the Hawks Herald with her article about Native American Mascots.

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Annika Irene

Senior Graphic Design and Spanish double major

Graphic Designer

Annika is a member of our Creative Team where she has produced original designs, logos, and promotional materials. She joined Communities of Hope to collaborate with other designers and use her passion to help people's voices be heard.

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When she has free time, she enjoys walking around the local parks and sailing in the Mount Hope Bay.

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Grace McCarthy

Graphic Designer

Sophomore Public Relations major and Graphic Design minor

Grace joined Communities of Hope because it was a space that allowed her to do what she loved alongside likeminded people who want to change the world just like her.

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She hopes to design websites for fashion companies once she graduates.

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When she's not working, she enjoys walking on the bike path in downtown Bristol.

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Mary Drasheff

Social Media Marketing Manager

Senior Communication and Media Studies major

Mary is the Social Media Marketing Manager in Communities of Hope. She is from Hasbrouck, New Jersey and is majoring in Communications and Media Studies.

She joined Communities of Hope because she loved the message and wanted to be a part of all the great things that Communities of Hope has to offer.


Aside from Communities of Hope ​She also manages the plays at Roger Williams University.

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Maya Ponomarenko

Journalism major

Reporter

Is a new member to Communities of Hope and is ready to make a big impact!

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Kayle Messier

Public Relations Associate

Senior Public Relations major

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Claire Kelley

Reporter

Freshman Journalism major

Jeannette is a part of Solutions Journalism for Communities of Hope. She is from Fall River, Massachusetts and she is majoring in Journalism.

She joined Communities of Hope to be a part of the community and gain experience in the field of journalism.

Her current favorite memory with Communities of Hope is getting on the front page of the Hawks Herald with her article about Native American Mascots.

Kayle does public relations for Communities of Hope. She is from Albany, New York, and is majoring in public relations. She also is minoring in cultural studies and communications

She joined Communities of Hope to gain more experience in her major. Her favorite memory with Communities of Hope has been planning fundraisers and social media campaigns.

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has traveled to 5 countries and is looking forward to traveling more in the future.

Claire is a part of the solutions journalism in Communities of Hope. She is from Willimantic, CT and is majoring in Journalism.

She joined Communities of Hope to get more experience in the field of journalism. Currently, her favorite memory with Communities of Hope is doing interviews for documentaries.

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Kyle Villella

Senior Secondary Education and Spanish major

Spanish Translator/Interpreter

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Aidan Bowen

Graphic Designer

Senior Communication and Media Studies major; Graphic Design and French Minor

Is a new member to Communities of Hope and is ready to make a big impact!

Kyle is one of the Spanish translators for Communities of Hope. He is from Barrington, Rhode Island. He is majoring in secondary education and Spanish.

He joined Communities of Hope to help communicate the needs of various communities in Rhode Island. His current favorite memory with Communities of Hope is getting to work with the team.

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Alexandra Hall

Visual Artist and Marketing Associate

Communication and Media Studies major


Lexi is a part of the creative team in Communities of Hope. She is from Massachusetts and is majoring in Communications and Media Studies.

She joined Communities of hope because she believed that the values that Communities of Hope stands for are something that more people need to know about. She also wanted to have the opportunity to help minority groups which she believed could be impactful.


 

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Leena Dolabany

Criminal Justice major and Psychology minor

Legal Research Team

Leena is a part of the legal research team for Communities of Hope. She is from Westwood, Massachusetts and is majoring in criminal justice and minoring in psychology.

She joined to serve and shed light on issues that impact marginalized communities and develop her skills and knowledge. She has a strong desire to make a difference and find solutions for communities in Rhode Island.

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Sam Filiaggi

Legal Research Team

1st Year Law Student and Candidate for Juris Doctor

Sam is a part of the legal research team for Communities of Hope. He is from Batavia, Illinois and is a first year law student. His interests involve environmental justice, land use, and public interest law.
He joined Communities of Hope to help tackle the many issues facing Rhode Islanders.  He believed in Communities of Hope’s mission to uplift untold stories in the media.
His current favorite memory with Communities of Hope is  meeting the team and seeing how everyone works together to create something transformative.

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Wren Rodrigues

Legal Research Team

Law Student and Candidate for Juris Doctor

Professionals

Kaylee Pugliese

Director of Audiovisual Production

EcoTalk Podcast Editor

Dr. Bernardo H. Motta

Roger Williams University - Communities of Hope Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ)

Solutions Journalism Network (SJN)

Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ)

Founder

Colleen Cronin

Program Coordinator - Hope Squad

EcoRI News, Report for America

Contributors

Jack Aviles

Multimedia Journalist

Junior Journalism major and Graphic Design minor

Jimmy Sadowski

Multimedia Journalist

Journalism major

Elena Trevithick

Multimedia Journalist

Journalism major

Kristen Dansereau

Multimedia Journalist

Journalism Major and Sustainability Studies Minor

Will Nichols

Documentary Producer

Junior Film Intermedia major and Sustainability Studies minor

Matthew Mercado

Spanish Interpreter/Translator

Senior Psychology Major

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