'First Days in America'

Nichole Currie is a graduate student at Temple University Klein College of Media & Communication, where she developed her passion for radio and podcasting. She has since transitioned from a listener to a producer, and loves the process and effect of audio storytelling. She was the 2019 intern at PlanPhilly, WHYY’s urban planning-focused project, where she is currently the Community Engagement Liaison. Nichole also continues to file freelance stories at PlanPhilly and at the Germantown Info Hub. She earned her undergraduate degree at East Carolina University where she focused on TV/Broadcast. Radio, podcasting, and long-form journalism have allowed Nichole to connect with communities, learn their stories, and create news that directly reflects their experiences.

Rylee Meyer is the News Director for the award-winning radio station, Rowan Radio 89.7 WGLS-FM. There she rebuilt an inactive news department by recruiting a reliable news team and revamping the Rowan Report, a weekly news show. In addition to working as producer, editor, and host for the Rowan Report, she also actively commentates and audio engineers on-campus sports coverage. Rylee is currently pursuing her bachelor’s in Radio/Television/Film at the university. If you can’t find her in front of an editing screen, she’s either outside enjoying mother nature or at a movie theater.

Jill Patel is a fourth year BS/MS student at Drexel University. She is studying Journalism, while also double minoring in Justice and Human Rights, and Video Production. Since working on her high school newspaper, her journalism passion has only grown. She is a breaking news writer for Brown Girl Magazine, and just recently completed an internship with Philadelphia Style Magazine. Jill is also involved in an online blog that interviews South Asian trailblazers and works to create more representation for the South Asian community. Her career goal is to create influential content that makes a difference. Whether that be telling the stories of others or uncovering certain truths, she would like the content to convey messages and open up discussions. She hopes her work resonates with others and has the potential to make a change.

Ngozi Nwanji is a multimedia reporter based in Philadelphia. She’s a graduate from Klein College of Media and Communication at Temple University with a major in journalism. Nwanji was an editor of the Templar Yearbook, a staff writer for the Temple Tab, and an intern for lifestyle online publication xoNecole where she covered entertainment and pop culture stories. She began to take her writing seriously after being on the staff for her high school newspaper. Nwanji has a passion for connecting people of different backgrounds through personal stories. Nwanji who is Nigerian-American and grew up in Silver Spring, MD, blogs at her site, Z’s P.O.V, and tweets at @znwanji.

Luisa Suarez is a sophomore at Temple University, where she studies journalism and political science. She is a panelist, host and writer at Temple’s Latinx TV shows “La Charla,” “Lo Ultimo,” and “Update Ahora.”  Suarez immigrated to the U.S. from Medellin, Colombia at the age of six. Her love for reading quickly transformed into a passion for writing and journalism. Suarez hopes to one day create her own bilingual political talk show aimed at the Latinx community. She loves to celebrate her Colombian culture, and hopes to show the world just how beautiful her country really is.