RAJI Students Year Three
year two students | year one students
Corynne Steindler is an undergraduate student New York University, majoring in journalism with a minor in gender and sexuality. Her writing experience includes contributing articles to NYU’s student newspaper and magazine. She hopes to pursue a career in magazine and freelance writing in New York.
Jason Boog is a graduate journalism student at NYU. In 2000, he graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.A. in Literature. He worked two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Guatemala before coming to New York City. After graduation, he will write in places where people speak Spanish. His writing has appeared in Newsday, Manhattan South, Villager and Newtopia.
Anna-Kaisa Walker is a graduate print journalism student at New York University. A native of Montreal, Canada, she earned a bachelor's degree in history from the University of Toronto in 2002. She recently wrote a short piece for Playboy magazine, and a feature that appeared on the cover of the Reader, a Canadian weekly. This is her second and most memorable trip to Russia.
Karl Palsgaard is a 3rd year journalism student at Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York. He lives in Athens, Georgia. He likes babies, puppies, apple pie and dancing. Word. He knows a lot about obscure things sometimes maybe, and claims he can find his way back home to the American South regardless of wherever in the world he is. He promises his parents that he won't stay in Russia long enough to "go native," but just long enough to write his weight in postcards. Thankfully, he only weighs a quarter-pound. Now, if he could only find postcards...Karl Palsgaard is in his third year at Ithaca College, where he studies convergence journalism. He works as News Director at 92 WICB, the campus station, and occassionally writes for the campus newspaper The Ithacan. Karl loves writing ledes and talking to people who don't speak English. He will miss Russia for its Russians, cherry juice and benches on the Pushkinskya.
Kate Sheppard is a junior journalism and politics double major at Ithaca College who grew up on a vegetable farm in southern New Jersey. At the age of 12, she orchestrated a protest at her elementary school. Later, she moved on to political campaigning
while trick-or-treating, but decided that she was better suited for the Fourth Estate. She is the editor of Buzzsaw Haircut, a student-run magazine, a researcher at Philadelphia Weekly and a staff writer at the Bridgeton News. She enjoys the color brown, road trips, salt-free saltines, and revolutions, not least excluding the Dance Dance Revolution. She will be studying in Nicaragua and El Salvador in the fall. The RAJI has taught her that there is no corruption in Russia. Nyet.
Liisa O'Neill is a junior at New York University pursuing majors in Journalism and Politics and a minor in Art History. She's interested in magazine journalism and interned at Interview Magazine, a pop culture and fashion magazine.
Melissa Aguirre is a student in the journalism department of New York University. She is determined to pursue a career in broadcast journalism. In Rostov she is reporting on the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Michael Calderone is completing an M.A. in Journalism at New York University. He holds a B.A. in English from Rutgers College and has worked on the staff of Artforum/ Bookforum. Articles have appeared in the Brooklyn Rail, Clamor, Maximumrocknroll, The Villager, and several online publications.
Noria Litaker is a junior journalism major at Ithaca College with minors in Spanish and sports studies. During the fall of 2003 she served as the assistant sports editor for Ithaca’s student newspaper, The Ithacan. Previously, she served as a staff writer and copy editor for the paper and covered the men’s soccer, men’s
swimming and diving and softball teams. Last summer, Noria was the publications intern at the Women’s Sports Foundation.
Varunan Ananda is a senior at New York University, double majoring in Economics and Journalism and double minoring in Mathematics and Politics. As a Pre-Law student, he spent his junior year interning at a Park Avenue media law firm that represents The Associated Press, The New York Times, Hearst Corp., and CBS, among others. Prior to attending law school, he intends to pursue a brief career in the financial services industry, perhaps as a financial analyst or financial writer, while freelance writing on the side.
Ashley Matthews is a graduate student of journalism at NYU. She earned her BA from Texas Lutheran University in Seguin, Texas, home of the World's Largest Pecan. After she earns her master's degree, she hopes to join the Peace Corps so she can save the world and avoid paying her mounting student loans.
Riva Froymovich
Elena Gracheva is a fourth year student at Rostov State University and she works for the radio station “Echo Rostova”. She has freelanced for a number of local publications.
Nastya Shvetsova I am a 5th year student at Rostov State University in the International Journalism Department. I am a
3rd year student of the Russian German Institute of Publizistik. I write for the youth magazine “Vash vibor” (your choice) and write pr-articles for traveling agencies. From 1998 to 1999 I was an exchange student in the USA.
Karina Shatalova I am a 5th year student in Rostov State University department of international journalism. I work at a local publishing house as a reporter and the editor of one of the newspapers.
Kirill Rozanov is in his third year at the Saratov State University. He has worked and freelanced for a number of local publications.
Yulia Manukian I work as a journalist and photographer for Rostov's youth city newspaper “Kaktus” and for a magazine called “Vash Vibor” (your choice) and as an interpreter sometimes. In June 2004 I graduated from the Rostov State University. Officially I’m an international journalist. In May 2001 and 2003 I participated in the international student festivals in Germany. In 2001-2002 I was an exchange student at the Missouri University, USA, and since 2002 I have been a student of the Russian German Institute of Publizistik.
Margarita Chernysheva is a fifth year student at Rostov State University, majoring in international journalism. She loves English and German and freelances for local newsmedia. She has a very definite plan for what she’ll do when she graduates, but keeps it secret.
Nadya Kolesnicova was born in 1981 in Sochi. In 1999 she entered the Sochi branch of the St.Petersburg Pedagogical Institute (now Sochi State University of Tourism and Recreation). In 2001 she transferred to Rostov State University Romance and the Germanic Department. Nadya Graduated in the summer of 2004. The same summer she entered RAJI, not having any previous journalistic experience save for one article published in 2000 in the local newspaper.
Natalia Doroshenko is a postgraduate student at the Stavropol State University. She works at the journalism department of Stavropol State University and freelances for local news outlets. She loves reporting and dancing.
Anastassia Pyary teaches at the Stavropol State University and freelances for local publications. As much as she enjoys RAJI and reporting with Americans, she still misses her husband and her baby.
Tatiana Gerashenko is a reporter from Saratov. She loves journalism, taking photographs and the Black Sea.
Irina Chizhikova is a journalist and postgraduate student at Krasnodar State University. She is inquisitive, go-getting and cheerful. She loves red color.
Zalina Suanova is a broadcast reporter from Nalchik, Kabardino-Balkarian Republic. In RAJI she will be a print student, just for a change.
