CivicStory is thrilled to announce the members of the Ecology-Justice Student Reporting Fellowship, our sixth annual sustainability reporting project. All undergraduate students at New Jersey universities, these passionate young people are committed to amplifying civic actions taken to restore healthy ecosystems and a thriving, inclusive democracy. We’re delighted to work with them, and grateful to all applicants for contributing to such a strong candidate pool. 

Over the next few months, these Fellows will be attending professional development sessions touching on journalism, ecology, equity, democracy, community development, social justice, and more. As they dig into the issues they care about, they will be contributing to CivicStory.org and SRHub.org—through blog posts, stories, and maybe even some video reporting. Stay tuned!

Without further ado, please meet this year’s cohort: The Ecology-Justice Student Reporting Fellows.

Aalok Bhatt, a sophomore at Rutgers University, is an Eco Ambassador with the Center for Sustainable Development (CSD) at the Earth Institute at Columbia University. Concerned about the effects of climate change, he has worked to raise awareness about reducing plastic waste, meat consumption, and avoiding the use of toxic pesticides. In addition to his environmental activism, he has written an independent research paper on the Carlisle Indian Industrial School and its legacy of intergenerational trauma. 

Parisa Burton, a dedicated news writer and SEO blog contributor, currently serves as an SEO blog writer for the digital design agency Techdesigno. Starting out as a summer 2023 Web Design/Marketing intern, Parisa, a junior marketing major and journalism minor, continues to contribute blogs for clients. Alongside her digital design agency role, Parisa is a staff writer for The College of New Jersey’s newspaper, The Signal. While studying abroad in Milan, Italy, she contributed to an international student publication while taking journalism courses overseas.

Skye Frawley is a journalism and professional writing major at The College of New Jersey. A junior, she is the Station Manager for TCNJ Lions Television and Fashion and Beauty Editor for Her Campus Media. Skye is also pursuing minors in communication studies and law, politics, and philosophy. In her spare time, she loves to paint.

Myara Gomez is a junior at The College of New Jersey. She is a journalism and professional writing student with a minor in marketing. Myara is also a staff writer for The Signal, TCNJ's school newspaper. In the future, she is interested in writing about sustainability and the environment. 

Yvonne Yuqing Liu is a senior at Rutgers University, studying journalism and media studies and philosophy, politics, and economics. She is the Marketing Director and Staff Writer at The Rutgers Review, where she contributes arts and entertainment reviews and cultural opinions. An international student from Beijing, China with a specialization in global media, she will be studying abroad in Spain during spring break 2024.

Caroline Poskrobko is a senior Honors College student at Rutgers University who is double-majoring in environmental science and journalism and media studies. At Rutgers, she is a writer for the university's environmental magazine, RU Green Print. Caroline is also currently an Aresty Research Assistant working on a project that explores the relationship between artificial intelligence (AI) and climate change—specifically, how AI can help marginalized groups combat climate hazards. She comes from a family of environmental advocates and aspires to combine her passion for science, writing, and photography to effect change. 

Tristan Weisenbach is a junior journalism student at The College of New Jersey. He currently serves as the managing editor of The Signal newspaper, where he writes about music, entertainment, campus safety, and the college's administration. He has also previously written for The Borgen Project's blog as a writing intern during summer 2023. Outside of writing, Tristan is a violin player who enjoys cooking, traveling, and photography.