Stationed in New York, Dubai, Atlanta, Paris, Ithaca, Forest City, Columbus, Evanston, Long Beach Island and Kyiv, Sun editors and staffers shone brightly in newsrooms across the globe this summer.
Over the summer, the paper’s content was largely driven by The Sun’s summer fellowship program, which funds Sun staffers to report for local news outlets. This fellowship program is funded by The Cornell Daily Sun Alumni Association, which accepts donations from the community.
Four Sun fellows worked downtown this summer at the Ithaca Times and The Ithaca Voice. Varsha Bhargava ’27 and Nathan Ellison ’28 worked at the Ithaca Times while Zeinab Faraj ’28 and Cereese Qusba ’27 worked at The Ithaca Voice.
Sunnies shared their experiences in journalism from the past summer.
Julia Senzon ’26, MSNBC / The Weekend: Primetime
Based out of New York City, Julia Senzon ’26, The Sun’s editor-in-chief, worked as a production intern for MSNBC / The Weekend: Primetime this summer.
“It is incredibly exciting to see the behind-the-scenes of broadcast journalism,” Senzon wrote. “My work involves pitching segments, researching guests, transcribing interviews and cutting clips for cross-platform publishing.”
Gabriel Levin ’26, The Associated Press
Far from Ithaca, Gabriel Levin ’26, The Sun’s investigations editor, worked as a Persian Gulf and Iran News reporting fellow in Dubai, United Arab Emirates this summer for AP.
“This summer, I filed real-time updates and covered the latest stories across the Gulf, including the 12-day Israel-Iran war,” Levin wrote. “One enterprise story I wrote was selected by editors as one of the AP’s best that week.”
Avery Wang ’27, CNN
Sun Senior Writer Avery Wang ’27 worked in Atlanta as an editorial operations intern for CNN this summer.
“I spent my summer working on CNN's daily morning news shows, where I learned how to apply my reporting experience to news production,” Wang wrote. “I also discovered there's nothing like editing footage or writing a script just minutes before it goes on air!”
Benjamin Leynse ’27, Reporters Économiques Associés
All the way in Paris, France, Benjamin Leynse ’27, who normally writes and edits as a news editor for The Sun, switched trades for the summer and worked as a photojournalist for RÉA.
“Typically I am a writer and so to be a photographer this summer was a new medium of work for me – however at its core it was all still journalism,” Leynse wrote. “As I covered French politicians, protests and the national assembly, the principles of finding and telling stories remained the same, though to do so in a foreign country was particularly exciting!”
Varsha Bhargava ’27, Ithaca Times
Remaining in Ithaca over the summer, Sun News Editor Varsha Bhargava ’27 worked as a reporting fellow for the Ithaca Times through The Sun’s summer fellowship.
“In the Times newsroom, I pursued human stories, pitched and picked up local impact pieces, deep dived into the world of writing style guides and fully appreciated the joys of journalism,” Bhargava wrote. “I loved speaking with people like Ithaca’s local bus drivers and New York athletes with intellectual disabilities — those conversations marked some of the most rewarding journalistic moments I’ve had thus far.”
Cereese Qusba ’27, The Ithaca Voice
Also in Ithaca for the summer, Sun News Editor Cereese Qusba ’27 worked for The Ithaca Voice as a reporting intern through The Sun’s summer fellowship.
“Getting to know the Ithaca community has been the most fulfilling part of my time reporting at The Ithaca Voice,” Qusba wrote. “As an off-campus news editor at The Sun, forming relationships with local leaders, residents and organizations has made me feel deeply rooted in the broader Ithaca area — connecting with the community beyond Cornell.”
Nathan Ellison ’28, Ithaca Times
Staff Photographer Nathan Ellison ’28 also worked for the Ithaca Times this summer through The Sun’s summer fellowship. Based out of Ithaca, he was a photography fellow.
“Interning at the Ithaca Times allowed me to branch out in my photography and experience the inner workings of a newsroom,” Ellison wrote.” I had a great time capturing important events across town and seeing people around the city reading our paper!”
Zeinab Faraj ’28, The Ithaca Voice
Based out of Ithaca, Features Editor Zeinab Faraj ’28 worked as a reporting intern for The Ithaca Voice through The Sun’s summer fellowship this summer.
“The Sun’s Summer Fellowship through The Ithaca Voice was such a rewarding experience as I got to grow as a writer, explore different sections and get to know Ithaca beyond Cornell — which is really valuable to me since I have three more years here!” Faraj wrote. “I’m grateful for the chance to contribute to both papers in a meaningful way and honored to have reported on important issues and unique local stories.”
Eli Fastiff ’26, Forest City Owls
In Forest City, North Carolina, Eli Fastiff ’26, a senior editor for The Sun, worked as a broadcaster for the Forest City Owls baseball team over the summer.
“As the play-by-play broadcaster for the Forest City Owls — a collegiate wood bat summer league baseball team — I called all 48 of the team's home and road games on TV and radio,” Fastiff wrote. “I had a ton of fun while also learning a lot about what it is like to work for a sports team for the entirety of a season.”
Jane McNally ’26, Columbus Blue Jackets
Sun Senior Editor Jane McNally ’26 worked as a journalism intern for the Columbus Blue Jackets ice hockey team in Columbus, Ohio this summer.
“[The internship was] such a rewarding experience — I assisted with all things related to covering an NHL team, including interviewing general managers and NHL athletes/prospects and telling their stories,” McNally wrote. “I covered the NHL Draft, NHL free agency, Blue Jackets prospect development camp, and wrote many more feature stories. Basically my dream job!”
Alexis Rogers ’28, Evanston Roundtable
This summer, Sun Sports Editor Alexis Roger ’28 worked as a reporting intern for Evanston RoundTable in Evanston, Illinois.
“Being a part of a local newsroom is such a challenging, rewarding experience,” Rogers wrote. “I had the opportunity to cover everything from art fairs to city council meetings and learned so much in the process.”
Angelina Tang ’28, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology
Based in Ithaca this summer, Angelina Tang ’28 worked as a student editorial assistant for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Living Bird magazine.
“Working for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology has allowed me to combine my passion for writing and animals into one,” Tang wrote. “I’ve learned so much and could not have asked for a more amazing summer!”
Jane Haviland ’28, The SandPaper
Jane Haviland ’28, a features editor for The Sun, worked in her hometown, Long Beach Island, New Jersey, over the summer as an arts & entertainment writer for The SandPaper newsmagazine.
“Reporting for The SandPaper this summer gave me the opportunity to appreciate the local charm of my hometown,” Haviland wrote. “I enjoyed getting to write about the island’s food scene & get to know local small business owners!”
Leah Badawi ’27, Ithaca Times
Sun Opinion Columnist Leah Badawi ’27 worked in Ithaca this summer, writing as a reporting intern for the Ithaca Times.
“Writing for the Ithaca Times offered me a better understanding of the many experiences unfolding across the city and the critical efforts that combat challenges people face day-to-day,” Badawi wrote. “From attending heated town hall meetings where residents and legislators clashed over affordable housing, to visiting a Jail Garden and speaking with coordinators who wished to dismantle the harm of the carceral system from within, I witnessed Ithaca in both its glory and its shadow, and saw a clearer picture of what unity, collaboration, and community look like.”
Shubha Gautam ’28, Ithaca Times
Also at the Ithaca Times, Senior Writer Shubha Gautam ’28 worked as a reporting intern in the Times’ downtown Ithaca office.
“It was fun to work on multiple pieces at the same time and get involved in the more mundane aspects of journalism, like writing captions for print or covering press releases,” Gautam wrote. “I made so many great friends at the office, who now are forcing me to join Cornell's Badminton Club!”
Christine Savino J.D. ’28, JURIST
Based out of Kyiv, Ukraine, Sun Staff Writer Christine Savino J.D. ’28 interned with JURIST as a reporter.
“I reported on the Russo-Ukrainian war, particularly the recent uptick in night bombings, for JURIST legal news,” Savino wrote. “It was enriching to provide a lens to the public on what the war is like for civilians on the ground.”
Jake Zajkowski ’26, AgDaily, Farm and Dairy, Langs de Melkweg, Offrange
Sun Staff Writer Jake Zajkowski ’26 worked across Europe and North America as a freelancer for multiple organizations this summer. He contributed to AgDaily, Farm and Dairy, Langs de Melkweg and Offrange.
“It's exciting to visit farms, speak with farmers, and seek out international stories for an American [audience],” Zajkowski wrote. “This year I broke stories on intensive farming systems, U.S. budget cuts impacting European weather models, and food chain sustainability. I think food and agriculture is becoming a very popular beat that more audiences are reading, and investing in.”
Varsha Bhargava is a member of the Class of 2027 in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. She is a news editor for the 143rd Editorial Board and can be reached at vbhargava@cornellsun.com.
