Lisa Goldberg dedicated her life to public service and believed strongly in the importance of ‘betting on people,’ especially talented young people. By providing critical scholarship support to promising new journalists, the Lisa Goldberg/Revson Foundation Scholars program at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY honors Lisa’s legacy. Since the Foundation established the program in 2018, 30 Lisa Goldberg/Revson Foundation Scholars have gone on to work in journalism.

Each year, the Revson Foundation supports partial or full scholarships to graduate students who are from first-generation immigrant families, and/or communities of color, and/or who express interest in public service journalism. The need for financial assistance far exceeds the supply at the Newmark J-School. About 75% of the class of 2021 receive some type of financial aid. Faced with the prospect of borrowing and then having to make loan payments while getting started in the modestly scaled but critically important journalism industry students may opt to avoid that challenge. The Lisa Goldberg/Revson Foundation Scholars program provides students with the opportunity to pursue their journalism education and helps to cultivate the next generation of diverse, public service oriented, great journalists.

The Foundation is happy to introduce the 13 Lisa Goldberg/Revson Foundation Scholars of the Class of 2021:

Clark Adomaitis, M.A. in Journalism

Clark Adomaitis received a bachelor’s degree in International Studies with a triple minor in Journalism, Theater, and Economics from the City College of New York in 2020. As an undergraduate student, Clark volunteered for the New York Public Interest Research Group, hosted his own radio show, acted in school plays, spearheaded a project to install new recycling bins on campus, and wrote lifestyle spreads for The Campus magazine. His pieces investigated the food landscape of Harlem, comparing options and prices at delis, coffee spots, and fruit stands. He wants to continue to analyze food landscapes in a socioeconomic context with an aim for food justice. Clark chose to study at the Newmark J-School because he wants to develop his reporting and writing skills, learn from professional journalists, surround himself with diverse and motivated students, and dive head first into the industry at a time when quality reporting is needed.

Jessica Brown, M.A. in Journalism

Jessica Brown received a bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies/Anthropology from Augusta State University (now Augusta University) in 2014. As an undergraduate, she was a member of the Anthropology Student Union, a student organization focused on research and experimentation in Archeology, Cultural Anthropology, and Linguistics. Following graduation, Jessica began working in resource development and fundraising at various nonprofit organizations serving disadvantaged populations. Over the past six years, she has led teams to raise money for missions such as substance use disorders, homelessness, and most recently, social justice issues in New York City. As a career changer, Jessica chose to study at the Newmark J-School because of its commitment to redefining journalism in the 21st century and the opportunity to develop her storytelling and research skills.

Moses Bustos, M.A. in Journalism

Moses Bustos received a bachelor’s degree in English from Fordham University in 2011. As an undergraduate student, Moses was a member of America Reads and Counts Challenge (ARCC), a joint effort between neighboring public schools and university students focused on promoting literacy and numeracy skills among middle-school students. Following graduation, Moses began working as a bi-lingual tutor throughout the five boroughs, followed by a similar role at a public school for special education through the NYC Teaching Fellows. As a career changer, Moses chose to enroll in the Spanish-language Program at the Newmark J-School, and was also attracted by the school’s focus on hyper-local news and its embrace of emergent technologies.

Naeela Djemil, M.A. in Journalism

Naeela Djemil received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film and Video Production along with minors in Journalism and English at the City College of New York. During her undergraduate years, Naeela was a member of the school’s Muslim Student Organization, and a College of Liberal Arts (CLAS) Senator in the Undergraduate Student Government. Both of these organizations focused on engaging the student body and empowering students as well as educating them. She also worked on a short documentary about mental health in the Muslim community for her senior thesis. The documentary won an award at the Miami for Social Change Youth Film Festival and was nominated for an award at Community Access Changing Minds Film Fridays. After graduating from City College, Naeela began an internship with Democracy Now!, a non-profit independent news media outlet. She worked with its archives, digitizing reels and cassette tapes, and organized over 5,000 books in its library. Naeela chose to study at the Newmark J-School because of its commitment to social justice and for its excellence in documentary journalism.

Brian Evans, M.A. in Journalism

Brian Evans graduated from the University at Buffalo (UB) in 2019, where he majored in English and minored in African American Studies. While pursing his degree, Brian was a member of the English club, the Debate Society as well as the student-run periodical The Spectrum. Brian joined the paper as a staff writer in the fall of 2017 and moved up to become assistant arts editor and, finally, senior arts editor for his last two years at UB. Following graduation, Brian began freelance writing and considered it a definite career path. Brian chose the Newmark J-School because of its rigorous program and exceptional faculty who are committed to training students to be well-rounded journalists ready for the new age of data and social media-driven sources of information.

Jason Gonzalez, M.A. in Journalism

Jason Gonzalez received his bachelor’s degree in Health Sciences from Long Island University sixteen years ago. As an undergraduate student, Jason interned and later worked as an Adapted Physical Education instructor, providing recreational services for adults with both physical and cognitive disabilities. This led him to a career in Special Education working as a paraprofessional in the New York City Department of Education. He was then chosen to join the New York City Teaching Fellows Program, where he worked as a teacher while concurrently completing a subsidized graduate program at Pace University. Jason chose to pursue a second graduate degree at the Newmark J-School in the Spanish-language Program primarily because of the school’s commitment to the Latino community and its reputation for sustaining the highest form of excellence in bilingual journalism. He has freelanced for a number of publications, ranging from Fightnews.Com to The Bronx Free Press. What initially started for him as a hobby, ultimately became his passion.

Emani De’Andre Mack, M.A. in Journalism

Emani De’Andre Mack is a 2020 graduate from Marymount Manhattan College with a Bachelor of Arts in both Dance & Digital Journalism. He is originally from Los Angeles, where he developed his passion for dance, media, and writing. As an undergraduate student, he was the founder of The Throne, the largest student organization there to date with a mission of promoting diversity, culture, and inclusion through performance. New York City exposed him to the indispensability of journalism, which inspired him to enroll at the Newmark J-School. Emani intends for his work to serve as a bridge to opposing parties, as it highlights artists of all forms, and provides underrepresented communities with a voice.

Anthony Medina, M.A. in Journalism

Anthony Medina received a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from CUNY’s York College in 2018. As an undergraduate student, Anthony served as editor-in-chief of Pandora’s Box, the student run newspaper, and received the Steven Weitzner Excellence in Journalism Award in 2017 for his work. He also developed an interest in photography and communications technology during his undergraduate years. Following graduation, Anthony began working as a freelance reporter for a hyper-local online news organization called the Bushwick Daily, followed by a similar role at The Wave newspaper. Anthony chose to study at the Newmark J-School to master the craft of journalism, learn to tell stories using innovative new technologies, and eventually, help other journalists in their careers.

Sarah Molano, M.A. in Journalism

Sarah Molano received a bachelor’s degree in English with concentrations in Rhetoric and Global Culture from Binghamton University in 2019. As an undergraduate, Sarah held various leadership positions with Pipe Dream, the student-run newspaper, such as copy desk chief, opinions editor and co-founder and editor of the monthly multicultural magazine, PRISM. She also co-hosted a weekly public affairs radio show centered on social and political issues from the perspective of progressive students of color.Following graduation from Binghamton University, Sarah deferred her acceptance to the Newmark J-School for a year, in order to work to support her family and her graduate education. She chose the J-School to hone her existing skills and passion for journalism, taking advantage of the school’s faculty and its resources in audio and documentary journalism.

Emily Nadal, M.A. in Journalism 

Emily Nadal received her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from New York University (NYU) in 2020. During her time as an undergraduate student, she worked as a park ranger for the National Park Service at several different sites around New York City. During her senior year at NYU, she participated in a summer internship with WNYC working on a podcast. It was there that she decided that journalism was the route she wanted to take as a career. Emily wrapped up her time at NYU as a mentor to two college seniors, seeing them through the college process. As someone who decided to change careers, she knew the Newmark J-School was right for her because of its commitment to generating future journalists with well-rounded knowledge and experience. She also appreciated the school’s deep roots in New York City.

Rommel Ojeda, M.A. in Journalism

Rommel Ojeda received a bachelor’s degree in Journalism & Creative Writing from CUNY’s Baruch College in 2019. As an undergraduate student, Rommel was a contributor to Dollars & Sense, an on-campus, student-led, award-winning magazine. He was awarded the Harnisch Foundation Scholarship for outstanding students committed to careers in Journalism and the 2019 Roslyn Bernstein prize for Cultural Reporting. Rommel was also an honoree for the SABEW19 BIB award for best collaboration in reporting. Following his graduation from Baruch College, Rommel became a contributor at Bklyner, where he covered arts and culture and small businesses. His short film  “RECOLLECTION,” an interpersonal piece exploring the anxiety in New York brought by the COVID19 pandemic, is an official selection for the San Diego Consortium Quarantine Film Challenge. To further his career goals, Rommel chose to study in the Spanish-language Program at the Newmark J-School because of its commitment to social justice and excellence in data journalism.

Mariah Thomas, M.A. in Journalism

Mariah Thomas received a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from SUNY Purchase in 2020. As an undergraduate student at SUNY Purchase, Mariah interned with the school newspaper, The Purchase Phoenix. She was also a social media intern at the Career Development Center and later became the social media marketing assistant in her senior year. While an undergraduate student, Mariah interned with a variety of organizations, including Working Mother Media, Westchester Magazine, and Be Heard Radio on 90.3 FM-The Voice of Harlem. During her sophomore year, she interned in London as an editorial intern for the Nursing Times, the largest nursing news website in the United Kingdom. Mariah is the self-published author of “Heart and Soul: Poems of Thoughts & Emotions,” a poetry book focused on self-love, life, and positive reflections of a modern woman. She chose to study at the Newmark J-School because she wants to gain more confidence in her reporting. Mariah wants to branch into arts and culture coverage, with a specialty in print and broadcast. Her inspiration is Elaine Welteroth, the former editor-in-chief of Teen Vogue. She yearns to use her craft to tell the stories of creatives making positive change in their communities.

Keith “Jared” Wright, M.A. in Journalism

Keith “Jared” Wright received a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Government with a minor in Africana Studies from the University at Albany (UAlbany). Jared has been working in New York State government since graduating from UAlbany in 2010. He worked for the Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery assisting small businesses who suffered losses as the results of storms. Currently, Jared serves as a project manager with Empire State Development (ESD) while attending the Newmark J-School full-time. Jared is also a freelance wrestling writer for Valnet and a contributor to FanSided.  He holds a Certification in Sports Industry Essentials, Sports Management from Columbia University.

The Newmark J-School is the only public graduate school of journalism in the northeastern U.S. It was launched in 2006 to address a need for an affordable graduate school in the heart of the nation’s media capital to serve a diverse student population and advance the digital transformation of the industry. Their mission is to serve the public interest – by training new journalists, by advancing the skills of mid-career journalists, by preparing newsroom leaders to adopt fresh approaches, and by partnering with media organizations to find new paths to excellence. The school is committed to producing the next generation of skilled, ethically minded, and diverse journalists.