School Stories is a publication produced by students at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. The site is overseen by LynNell Hancock and Barbara Kantrowitz, who teach a semester-long seminar on education reporting.
Alexandria Neason received her bachelor’s degree in communication arts from St. John’s University in Queens. An Army brat, she grew up everywhere from New York to Hawaii. Before coming to the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University, she interned for several organizations, including National Public Radio in Washington D.C., and taught high school English in Wahiawa, HI as part of Teach For America. She is a licensed secondary English language arts teacher and a lover of the Knicks, for better or worse. Connect with her on Twitter: @Mackisms, or at ann2115@columbia.edu.
Matt Collette is a reporter and radio producer spending the year at Columbia Journalism School. He works as an intern at WNYC’s business desk and as an education reporter embedded at DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx. Originally from Connecticut, he’s worked for publications across New England. Follow him on Twitter at @matt_pc or email him at mpc2159@columbia.edu.
Annette Konoske-Graf is a bare-footed Southern California native who loves writing, teaching, and scuba diving. After studying political science and Spanish at Berkeley, she moved to Miami, Florida, where she taught ninth and tenth-grade literature in Little Haiti. She was one of seven district finalists and runner-up for the 2012 Francisco R. Walker Rookie Teacher of the Year Award, and the winner from the Educational Transformation Office Region of Miami-Dade County. The Educational Transformation Office serves the twenty-seven high-needs schools within the District. Now, at Columbia Journalism School, she seeks to write about the most magical (and potentially disastrous) place in the world: the classroom. Contact her at akk2150@columbia.edu.
Madeleine Cummings grew up in Toronto and has a bachelor’s degree from McGill University, where she majored in Canadian Studies and English. She’s written for Exclaim!, City Limits, Manhattan Times, and Our Town Downtown, among other publications. She is also a lifelong distance runner, having competed for McGill, University of Toronto Track Club, and Toronto Olympic Club. Follow her @MadCummings, or email her at mjc2253@columbia.edu.
Aparna Alluri is a freelance reporter from India finishing up a graduate degree in journalism at Columbia University, NY. She grew up in Hyderabad in southern India. She has reported from Hyderabad and Delhi, and written a strange variety of stories, from auspiciously timed birth to water scarcity in slums. She will be reporting for School Stories about The Equity Project Charter school and a lot more. Email: aparnalluri@gmail.com. Twitter: @aparnalluri.
Oghene Oyiborhoro was born in Harlem, raised in Brooklyn, and spent some time on Long Island. He is a graduate of the George Washington University, where he studied History. His passion for writing is borne out of a sense that most people in society have stories they want told. Moreover, in this burgeoning social media era writing serves as an adept way to communicate across all platforms, media, and societies. Oghene graduates from Columbia University in May. Contact him at oo2173@columbia.edu .
Peggy Barmore is a product of New York City public schools and has a B.A. in English and Spanish from the State University of New York at Albany. She comes to the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism following more than two decades working for New York State United Teachers in Albany. This marks her return to journalism after an early career in Albany-area radio news and as a reporter for Capital Newspapers in Albany. She is embedded in P-TECH in Brooklyn, the nation’s first 9-14 high school where students graduate with an associate degree in applied science. Contact her at pb2540@columbia.edu or on Twitter: @PeggyBarmore.
José Luis a native of Del Rio, Texas, José earned a B.A. in economics and political science from the University of Rochester and a law degree from St. Mary’s University. After college, he taught 5th grade for Teach for America in Miami. Recently he practiced labor and employment law at a Houston-based law firm. Follow him on Twitter @joseluismunoz8 or email him jlm2271@columbia.edu
Annum Khan, 22, is a 2013 graduate of the University of California, Irvine where she majored in literary journalism and global cultures, with a primary emphasis on the Pacific Rim and secondary emphasis on Hispanic/US Latino studies. She has worked with high school and middle school aged children in mentoring and support service programs as well as home tutoring. She was the director of media and communications for the higher education policy blog, ucregentlive.wordpress.