Graduate students in the Business and Economic Reporting program at New York University’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute traveled to Scranton, Pennsylvania, at the end of October 2024, a week and a half before the election, to report on the economy, immigration, culture, and local and national politics. Pennsylvania is one of the key battleground states in the 2024 elections.
This year is the fourth time students enrolled in NYU’s Master of Arts program in Business and Economic Reporting reported on Scranton’s economy and politics. The first class of students went ahead of the elections of 2016. Two years later, in 2018, a new class of graduate students returned to spend 48 hours in Scranton and report on the political climate as it relates to all aspects of life in Scranton during the midterm season. And again, in 2022, students spent 48 Hours in Electric City.
Journalist Bios
Julaiza Alvarez graduated Cum Laude with a B.A. in Mass Media Arts from Clark Atlanta University in 2023. As a contributing writer, she wrote features, op-eds, and profiles of Black women-owned businesses and their founders as well as the entertainment business and social justice. Her work was published in Black Enterprise, REMEZCLA, and YR Media. Previously, she interned at CNNE as an Associate Producer Intern producing three Spanish-speaking news programs and worked at Forbes Media as an editorial intern creating evergreen social media content. She was also the first TV/News intern for the Creative Artists Agency, supporting clients and creating visibility for prospective Black talent. Recently, she was a Production Assistant for the CNN 9p primetime show, “The Source With Kaitlan Collins. Julaiza wants to cover Minority owned start-ups, venture capital funds and the beauty and fashion retail market. In her free time, she enjoys watching crime documentaries. Julaiza is a citizen of the United States. Portfolio
Jessica Brand graduated with honors from the University of York with a B.A. in music in 2004. She spent two years working in Westminster as a researcher and press secretary for a UK Member of Parliament. In 2006, Jessica moved to Washington D.C. where she has lived and worked since, taking on progressively senior policy communications roles. Jessica’s communications career includes working as a consultant to the World Bank and nearly seven years on staff at World Resources Institute where she focused on the nexus between the economy and the environment, including issues such as energy, industry, transport, agriculture and climate mitigation. In future, she hopes to cover these issues as a journalist. Jessica lives in D.C. with her husband, two children and one dog. She enjoys movies, train travel and the sea. Jessica is a citizen of the United States and the United Kingdom.
Ceylan Ersoy is a 2020 Magna Cum Laude graduate of UC Berkeley with a BA in Psychology. Her passion for social media and journalism led to a senior year internship at NBC and multiple freelance roles producing social media content for startups. After graduation, Ceylan returned to Turkey and worked at Harvard Business Review, launching and developing its social media channels. Later, she moved to New York to join Brut Media in a digital content and strategy role, further deepening her expertise in business new media. Ceylan has been working for VaynerMedia for the past year, focusing on creative content and brand storytelling. She plans to leverage the NYU BER program to further her career as a business journalist, using new media to write compelling narratives. Ceylan is a citizen of Turkey. Twitter | Portfolio
Isabela Fleischmann graduated with a B.A. in Journalism from UEL – State University of Londrina in 2018. She also earned a postgraduate degree in Communication and Political Culture from the same institution in 2019. In 2022, she started working as a reporter at Bloomberg Línea, covering startups, technology and venture capital in Latin America, as well as hosting the podcast “Sucessores” (Successors). She was also a temporary assistant to Financial Times reporters in Brazil and worked at LABS (Latin America Business Stories) and Folha de Londrina. She was a trainee for Estadão’s Business Journalism program where she covered the Covid-19 Omicron. She is interested in data journalism and started studying the subject at Insper in 2021. Outside of journalism, Isabela volunteers teaching English remotely to underprivileged Brazilian children through the NGO Cidadão Pro Mundo. She is fluent in Portuguese, English, and Spanish.
Judy Lagrou graduated from Harvard University with an M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration, after earning a B.A. in American Studies from Stanford University. She is currently an Editorial Intern at CNBC for the 2024-2025 academic year. Before joining the BER program, Judy built a successful career in finance with roles at global firms such as Morgan Stanley and Morningstar. While on Wall Street, Judy earned four FINRA licenses (Series 7, 52, 63, and 79). She has also passed Level 1 of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exam. In her free time, Judy studies and performs comedy, gracing the stages of theaters such as The Second City, Magnet Theater, and Upright Citizens Brigade. She enjoys using observational humor and social commentary to captivate and engage diverse audiences. Judy is a dual citizen of the United States and Nigeria. LinkedIn. Website.
Esther Luz graduated with a B.F.A. in Apparel Design from Rhode Island School of Design. She began her career as a headhunter for hedge fund clients D. E. Shaw and Citadel before transitioning to a role in HR and business development at a leading hedge fund. She has interviewed major players in many industries including financial services, and finds it fascinating to examine the patterns behind stories. Currently, Esther authors a monthly newsletter on financial recruiting and market trends, sharing detailed industry analysis with over 19,000 subscribers. She is passionate about freedom of speech and is dedicated to uncovering complex financial stories. Outside of her professional life, she has spent years immersed in comedy improv, enjoying good humor by digging deeper into topics. She is fluent in Mandarin and Cantonese, and conversational in Russian and French. She is a citizen of China and a permanent resident of the United States.
Nino Paoli graduated Summa Cum Laude with a B.A. in Creative Writing and a minor in Journalism from Oregon State University in 2023. His love for journalism blossomed when joining OSU’s student newspaper, The Daily Barometer, his senior year, where he covered student government decisions such as student fee increases. He was voted by his editors at the paper as the 23’ Most Valuable Person. As a University of Oregon Charles Snowden Program for Excellence in Journalism Fellow, he worked at a local newspaper in Eastern Oregon after graduation, covering senate bills and breaking news. He was an editorial intern at Marketplace, the business and economics news podcast heard on national public radio. His mission is to unveil the effects of economic policy and legislation and dissect their disparate consequences based on one’s socioeconomic status. He enjoys playing soccer. Born in Medellín, Colombia, and raised in Missoula, Montana, Nino is a citizen of the United States. Portfolio.
Aparajita Shukla graduated from the University of Lucknow in 2022 with a PhD in English after earning her B.A. and M.A. there. An ardent scholar, her thesis explored the prevalent folktales and performances in Uttarakhand. She studied oral traditions as intrinsic to broader expressive traditions in South Asia. During her field work she extensively interviewed people in marginalized communities and documented their lives at the periphery, developing a keen interest in understanding economic policies and their impact on existing healthcare and social structures of power. She has worked as an English Lecturer (Ad Hoc) at Lucknow Christian Degree College, where she taught SAARC literature, postcolonialism and American literature to students at the graduate and postgraduate level. At NYU, she wants to learn about important economic and financial trends, and she aspires to become a foreign news correspondent. She is fluent in English and Hindi and conversational in Bengali. Aparajita is a citizen of India.
Nathaniel Wolf graduated with high distinction from the University of Virginia in 2018 with a B.A. in Political Philosophy, Policy & Law. As a student, he copyedited for The Daily Cavalier and a political science journal, produced documentaries for a local culture magazine and covered professional sports and sports business across print and audio platforms. Since graduating, Nate has worked in Washington, D.C. and New York as a communications consultant for nonprofits, major financial institutions and foreign embassies. He most recently managed media outreach at data and research firm Morning Consult, leading economics-focused media partnerships with Axios and Bloomberg News—an experience that solidified his interest in business reporting and led him to NYU. As a journalist, he hopes to cover the labor market and shifting dynamics between employers and workers. Nate enjoys reading, cooking and producing music in his spare time. He is a proud Maine native and a citizen of the United States.