Business and Economic Reporting

Student Profiles

BER 12 Class

	Kim Bhasin earned his MBA in Strategic Management from the Lubin School of Business at Pace University in 2009. He was awarded his B.S. in Business Administration, magna cum laude, from the John F. Welch College of Business at Sacred Heart University in 2007. Kim worked as a marketing project executive at Strategic Positioning Consultancy from 2005 to 2009. An avid sports fan, he is especially interested in all the inner workings of sports business. Born in Singapore, he is a citizen of Canada.
	Michelle Cerone received her B.A. in Journalism and Media from Rutgers University in 2008. She is a freelance writer for both the Wyckoff and Montville editions of the AOL’s hyper-local website Patch.com and for the Princeton Packet. Previously, she worked as a writer and editor for the Daily Targum, the daily newspaper at Rutgers, and had an internship at the Home News Tribune in East Brunswick. Michelle is a citizen of the United States.
	Saabira Chaudhuri graduated magna cum laude from Mount Holyoke College in 2006 with a BA in sociology and philosophy. She spent her senior year abroad at the London School of Economics. Most recently, she worked as the multimedia editor for Mint, a New Delhi headquartered business publication that partners with the Wall Street Journal. Prior to this Saabira worked as the associate editor for FastCompany.com and before that as the associate content producer for Forbes magazine in New York. Saabira likes traveling and exploring new places, photography, dogs, yoga, and writing about issues pertaining to social enterprise and development. She is fluent in Hindi. She is a citizen of India.
	Vivian Giang earned her B.A. in Journalism from the University of Georgia in 2009. While she was at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, she wrote for the campus newspaper and interned at a local government campaign, Tuner Broadcasting and CNN. After undergrad, she moved to Colorado and snowboarded while working as a media consultant for a recycling company. Vivian enjoys writing, reading, old Hollywood movies, and good music.
	Christine Jenkins graduated with a B.A. in Economics from the University of Costa Rica in 2009. She has been enrolled since then in the post-graduate Economics program at the university while working as an intern at El Financiero, a weekly financial newspaper in Costa Rica. Previously, Christine worked for a non-governmental organization involved in micro financing projects in Latin America. She is a native Spanish speaker and is learning Portuguese. She is a citizen of Costa Rica.
	Dawn Lim blogs, has freelanced and interned for National Journal Group's NextGov.com and Government Executive Magazine, reporting in Washington, DC on the business of technology, infosecurity and employee privacy in the federal government. She has reported, shot and curated content for BQE Media, a collection of hyperlocal weeklies centered around Brooklyn and Queens in New York City. She reviewed dance for Washington Life Magazine and did photojournalism forWashingtonian.com. She interned at the Straits Times, a news daily based in Singapore, where she grew up. She majored in English at Cornell University.
	Chris Matthews graduated magna cum laude from The George Washington University in 2007 with a B.A. in English. After graduating he worked in the publishing industry in Washington, D.C. In 2009, Chris spent the year in South Korea teaching English and writing about his experiences there. Since returning he has taught English to adults at the ELS language center in Philadelphia. Chris has many hobbies and interests including writing fiction and music, and playing the guitar. In July 2010, he toured Europe and played music with a folk group he formed while living in Korea. He is a citizen of the United States.
	Thornton McEnery received his BA in English Literature/Creative Writing from Middlebury College in 2003. In the summer of 2000, he also attended the Middlebury Language Schools where he studied Italian before continuing his language study the following fall at The University of Florence. For the past year, Thornton has been a freelance contributing staff editor to several magazines, primarily at the Hearst Corporation. Previously, he was the editorial business manager at CosmoGirl Magazine. Thornton’s interests include theater, museums, restaurants, reading, movies, and the New York Mets. He retains “a rusting grasp of Italian.” Thornton is a citizen of the United States.
	Jessica McHugh completed her B.S. in Journalism with concentrations in business and magazine writing from the University of Florida in 2007. In her junior year she studied in Barcelona, where she became enamored of Spanish food, wine and big cities. She has lived in New York since 2008 and has most recently edited for The Wall Street Transcript. Previously, Jessica worked as a copy editor for Current Biography and Rodale, and in college she freelanced for Florida Today and The Gainesville Sun. Jessica enjoys running, reading, blogging, traveling, scuba diving and making jewelry.
	Bhuma Shrivastava received her M.A. in Economics from the Delhi School of Economics in 2005 and a B.A. in economics from Hansraj College, Delhi University in 2003. Over the last five years, she worked for two leading Indian business newspapers, Business Standard and most recently Mint. She covered the Indian pharmaceuticals, healthcare and media sectors as well as intellectual property issues. The Society of Publishers in Asia in 2008 gave her its award for editorial excellence in the public service category for a series on fake medicines in India. Bhuma loves to travel, cook, dance, paint and work on a potter’s wheel. She is fluent in Hindi, reads Sanskrit, and can nod along meaningfully when spoken to in Spanish. She is a citizen of India.
	Sara Sjolin completed her B.A. in Journalism in January 2010 from the University of Southern Denmark in the top 10 percent of her class. Since then she has been enrolled in the graduate journalism program at the same university. Sara works part-time covering business at a weekly online magazine called "Ugen"—"The Week" in Danish. Previously, she interned at the national Danish newswire Ritzau's Bureau, spending half her time at a subsidiary that is Denmark's leading financial newswire. Sara enjoys travel and is taking sailing lessons so that she can take advantage of the waters surrounding her country. She speaks Danish, and is a citizen of Denmark.
	Ella Zhang earned her B.A. in 2010 from Beijing Foreign Studies University with a major in Chinese Language and Literature and a minor in English. She also holds a B.A. in Economics from Peking University. In 2009, Ella worked as an intern for Hexun.com, one of the top websites specializing in business and economic reporting in China for two months, during which time she first came to know what journalism is really about. She enjoys traveling and experiencing cultural differences. Given her passion for Southeast Asian and East Asian culture, Ella’s career goal is to report on Asia. She is fluent in Mandarin. She is a citizen of China.

BER 13 Class

	Anya Andrianova earned her MBA at West Texas A&M University in 2008 and received a Bachelor in Marketing at Moscow State Technical University in 2005. Anna worked as the Internet marketing department manager at EURO RSCG, Ecuador, from 2009 to 2011. She was responsible for identifying trends in online business and advertising in Ecuador and Latin America. More recently, she spent the summer of 2011 as an intern in the Moscow bureau of Reuters, where she earned several bylines. She enjoys mountaineering and her last big climb was the Cotopaxi volcano (19,344 ft). Anna is fluent in Russian and in Spanish. She is a citizen of the Russian Federation. (LinkedIn)
	Karl Baker has a received a B.A. in Political Science at University of Washington in 2005. Following a family tradition, Karl works part of the year as a commercial fisherman in Alaska, Washington State, and California. During this past summer, his boat brought in salmon at several locations off the coast of Alaska. He has also produced features for KBCS community radio in his hometown of Seattle, and has worked as an English teacher in Mexico City. While in Mexico he learned conversational Spanish but is not quite fluent. He plays saxophone in his spare time. Karl is a citizen of the United States. (LinkedIn)
	Chenille Chen graduated with a B.S. in Finance and a B.A. in English at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing in 2011. Chenille interned at China Daily, the state-owned English language paper, for six months in 2010. With a strong interest in intercultural communication, she worked at the Beijing Center of Chinese Studies teaching Mandarin to exchange students and professors. She has also taught English to senior citizens and helped provide translation services during the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008. In her spare time, Chenille enjoys cooking for her friends and traveling so that she can understand other cultures. She speaks Mandarin. Chenille is a citizen of China. (LinkedIn)
	Warangkana (Waan) Chomchuen earned her M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 2007 and her B.A. in English at Chulalongkorn University in 2003. Waan has worked for the last three years as the production coordinator at NBC News Bangkok where she field produced coverage of news and features in Asia. She also contributed multimedia packages of text, video and photography for the msnbc website. Waan began her career in journalism as a Bangkok-based researcher/reporter at NHK, Japan Broadcasting Corporation. She joins the BER program as the Wall Street Journal Asia Fellow at NYU. Waan enjoys movies, reading, photography and travel. She is fluent in Thai. Waan is a citizen of Thailand. (LinkedIn)
	Melanie Hicken earned a B.A. summa cum laude, in Journalism, History, and Political Science (triple major) at Syracuse University Newhouse School of Public Communications in 2009. Melanie has worked for the past two years as the Glendale City Hall reporter for the Times Community News division of the Los Angeles Times, where she produced both daily beat stories and enterprise work. Her passion is in investigative reporting, and she served as part of a three-member Los Angeles reporting team for an investigation into ties between an affordable housing developer under federal investigation for fraud and elected officials. She is a citizen of the United States. (LinkedIn)
	Kathryn Higbee earned her MBA in Finance at Columbia University in 1986 and her B.A. in Economics at SUNY Cortland College. Before starting a family, Kathryn worked as an analyst in Private Placements for Prudential Insurance Company and in commercial lending for Bankers Trust Company. Since 1994, she has served in a volunteer capacity as a board member and Treasurer of the Woodlea/PATH I Advisory Council, which helps children in group homes operated by Children's Aid and Family Services, a New Jersey nonprofit. Kathryn is a citizen of the United States.
	Regina Hing received a B.A. in Communications Arts at De La Salle University in 2003. Regina spent two years writing and editing for a pan-Asian health magazine, after which she went into corporate communications. Most recently, she served as senior communications manager for Standard Chartered Bank, heading global media relations for the Group Technology & Operations division. Regina enjoys cooking would could see herself competing for a spot on the show MasterChef. Regina is fluent in English, Tagalog and Chinese. She is a citizen of the Philippines and a permanent resident of Singapore, where she has been based for the past 6 years. (LinkedIn)
	Andrea Huspini graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. in Marketing and a Minor in Psychology at the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University in 2003. Following school, Andrea became an entrepreneur, launching a women’s contemporary store online. She oversaw all aspects of running the business. After six years, her business became a casualty of the current economic troubles. Then she went to work in the marketing department at Häagen-Dazs Shoppe Company, where she worked on point of purchase elements, publicity for franchisees, and budget analysis. Andrea volunteers for animal organizations and supports legislation punishing abuse. She enjoys yoga and the outdoors. Andrea is a citizen of the United States. (LinkedIn)
	John Kapetaneas graduated with a B.A., Economics and a Minor in Film Studies at the University of Connecticut in 2011. John studied in the economics scholars program and completed graduate and honors coursework in economic law and economics writing. Concurrently, he worked in the Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, where he devised a marketing strategy for an upstart biochar company. In his free time, John helped manage his family’s restaurant business in Fairfield County. John speaks fluent Greek, and was active in the Greek community at UConn. He enjoys all sports and trains Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
	David Kaplan earned an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1985 and a B.A. in History and Economics at Brown University in 1981. David works for a medium sized broker-dealer, Cohen and Co., where he manages the firm’s non-agency mortgage securities trading activities. Previously, he held senior positions at other Wall Street firms. He has been an active Board member for the Westchester Chapter of the American Jewish Committee. He is fluent in French, enjoys reading 19^th century European history (especially Napoleonic), and when time allows, enjoys jogging, golf and sailing. David is a U.S. citizen but has lived abroad for extensive periods, both in England and in France. (LinkedIn)
	Doris Martinez earned a B.A. in Psychology and East Asian Studies from Wesleyan University in 2010. Doris worked this past summer as an intern in the corporate communications department at Moody’s Corporation. Earlier, she worked on the market strategy team at Moody’s Analytics, writing and editing brochures and newsletters. During her senior year of college, she studied abroad in Osaka , Japan. She is proficient in Spanish and also speaks some Japanese. Born and raised in the Bronx, Doris is a citizen of the United States. (LinkedIn)
	Iryna Neskoromna eanred a B.A. in Business Administration with concentration in Finance at Babson College in 2008. Iryna spent two years as an analyst at Goldman Sachs in its investment banking financing group. Prior to that, she worked at AdMedia Partners, a boutique M&A firm. At Babson, Iryna was a member of her college varsity tennis team for 3 years, earning a NEWMAC Academic All-Conference Team award. She spent her junior year abroad at the London School of Economics. She enjoys traveling, musicals, reading and exploring Manhattan restaurants. Iryna was born in Moscow and has lived in Ukraine and Hungary. She is fluent in Russian and modestly conversational in Spanish. As of March of last year, Iryna is a citizen of the United States.
	Mallory Russell earned a B.A, as a Phi Beta Kappa, in Communications with a Minor in Advertising at University of Southern California in 2007. Mallory worked for the last year and a half on the account management team at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, an advertising agency in San Francisco. Her major responsibilities included managing relationships with a major client, Cheetos, developing strategies for integrated marketing campaigns, and overseeing their production. For the last two years, she has sat on the board of directors of The Living Breath Foundation, an organization that supports people living with cystic fibrosis. She enjoys traveling, going to the theater and USC Football. Mallory is a citizen of the United States. (LinkedIn)
	Mark Strzepek earned a B.A. in English at the University of Exeter (U.K.) in 2011. Mark won recognition at the university for his achievements in academics, team building, and volunteer work. He represented the college in international competitions in Tang-soo-do, a Korean martial art, of which he has been a practitioner for three years. He hopes to obtain his black belt in New York. Mark is fluent in Japanese, and is currently studying Korean. He has run bilingual programs for both Japanese and Western children from the ages of 6 to 12. Mark is a citizen of both the United Kingdom and Japan.
	Anna Sussman received a M.S. Human Rights from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2008 and a B.A. in Comparative Literature at Brown University in 2004. At LSE, Anna used a travel grant to research her thesis on discrimination against women in the religious courts in Lebanon. She has continued reporting on human rights. With a grant from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, she reported from Turkey on legal brothels, women’s rights, and the disabled. Her stories have been published on the Pulitzer Center website, as well as in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The Nation. Anna likes riding bikes and eating ice cream. She speaks some French, Arabic and Italian. She is a citizen of the United States.
	Kin (Kandy) Wong earned a B.A. in Language and Communications at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong in 2002. Kandy has been a China business journalist for more than seven years at the South China Morning Post, an English-language newspaper, and the Chinese-language Hong Kong Economic Journal. She has traveled throughout China writing stories on topics including autos, energy, retailing, and politics. In 2007, she won the Hong Kong News Award in the category of Best Business News Writing (English). She is fluent in Cantonese (native) and Mandarin. She enjoys traveling, swimming, rock climbing and reading. Kandy is a citizen of Hong Kong. (LinkedIn)