About Us

Meet The Vanguard E-Board

Kate Dempsey, Editor-in-Chief  

Kate Dempsey (she/her) is a Sociology major and Journalism minor. She was Vanguard’s Editor-in-Chief for the spring 2024 semester, and was previously Vanguard’s Managing Editor for fall 2023, and a staff writer for spring 2023. She contributed work to Hearst Media Connecticut from 2018-2021, publishing her work in The NewsTimes, The Hour, and the CT Post. She is the recipient of the Vanguard Prize awarded by alumni journalists, and won second place for the New York Press Association’s “Best News Story” for the year 2023. She loves to uplift student voices and raise awareness about issues that impact them. In her free time, you can catch her DJing, working on advocacy projects, and exploring New York City.

 

Paulina Gajewski, Managing Editor

Paulina Gajewski (she/her) is a major in Secondary Education, History, and Classics and is currently a senior at Brooklyn College. In her free time, she loves to read novels and history books (that gravitate towards Medieval and Ancient), which fosters her love for writing. She also loves to visit museums and garden!

 

Amira Turner, Layout Editor

Amira Turner (she/her) is a junior Journalism and Media Studies Major, and Film minor. She is currently the Vanguard’s Arts Editor. In her free time she enjoys making and reading zines, collecting stickers, skating and being on aux.

Jason Lin, Business Manager  

Jason Lin (he/him) is a junior majoring in Business Administration, focusing on Real Estate. He joined The Vanguard in spring 2023 and is now the Treasurer/Business Manager. Writing is more like an interest for Jason as he tries to take on different fields of experience. Other than writing, Jason loves to listen to music, cook, and is also a team player for the volleyball team.

Meet the Supportive Staff:

Emmad Kashmiri, Digital Editor

Emmad (he/him) is a Computer Science major in his final semester at Brooklyn College, and he is the Digital Editor of The Vanguard. Emmad can often be found exploring the city, playing video games, reading a book, spending time with friends in the library, or traveling somewhere outside of the country.

 

Tony Lipka, Photo Editor

Tony Lipka (he/him) is a Journalism & Media Studies major and is currently a senior at Brooklyn College. He is currently the Photo Editor for The Vanguard. Tony enjoys all kinds of photography, and likes to document the streets of Manhattan and Brooklyn whenever he has free time.

Nidhi Mahadevan, Social Media Manager

Nidhi Mahadevan (she/her) is a senior in Macaulay Honors at Brooklyn College. She is studying Anthropology on the pre-med track. Nidhi is currently The Vanguard’s Social Media Manager. In her free time, she enjoys reading books, listening to music, and doing puzzles from The New York Times.

Meet the Section Editors:

Daniel Afanasyev, News Editor

Daniel Afanasyev (He/Him) is a senior studying Philosophy and Political Science at Brooklyn College. Having joined the Vanguard as a staff writer in the spring of 2024, this semester he will be curating the paper’s news stories. In his free time, he enjoys reading, writing and cycling around the city.

T’Neil Gooden, Features Editor  

T’Neil Gooden (she/her) is a junior at Brooklyn College majoring in journalism and media studies and minoring in marketing. She joined The Vanguard in Winter 2023 as a staff writer and is now the Features Editor. Writing and storytelling is something that she is truly passionate about and is ready to learn more about it from being with The Vanguard. Other than writing, T’Neil enjoys playing video games, reading, cooking, and listening to music.

Jaida Dent, Arts Editor 

Jaida Dent (she/her) is a junior majoring in Journalism and Media Studies. After joining the Vanguard in the Spring 2024 semester as a staff writer, she now serves as the Arts Editor. Through her writing, she looks to explore and share the creations of Brooklyn College students and artists throughout New York City. Outside of school, Jaida enjoys pop culture, music, pro-wrestling, poetry, and rewatching her favorite tv shows.

Rami Mansi, Opinions Editor 

Rami Mansi (They/Them) is a sophomore at Brooklyn College studying Childhood Education. Working as a staff writer before becoming The Vanguard’s opinions editor, Rami loves writing about all things pop culture, music deep-dives and reviews. With hopes of becoming an elementary school teacher, you can always find Rami reading various works from children’s books to Shakespeare. When not reading or writing, Rami is picking out their outfits for the week, hanging out with friends, or having a sweet treat.

Manuel Polanco, Sports Editor 

Manny (he,him) is a junior at Brooklyn college majoring in TREM and minoring in political science. He joined The Vanguard as a staff writer in spring 2024 and is now the sports editor. Enjoyer of comic books, manga, and music, when he’s not writing he’s probably thinking of what to write or playing video games.

 

Yassir Azzam, Podcast Manager

Yassir Azzam (he/him) is a junior psychology major and minor in neuroscience & history. In his spare time, he likes to watch sci-fi movies, learn about chemistry, build legos, and last but not least, read a good book.

Khalailah Bynoe, Content Creator

Khalailah Bynoe is a sophomore majoring in Communications with a minor in Film. She joined The Vanguard as a staff writer and is now one of the Vanguard’s content creators. Her love for writing began when she was given her first journal at the age of 6. When she is not writing or reading, she is spending time with her friends and family, drawing and exploring New York City.

 

Key Jones-Ford, Content Creator

Key Jones-Ford (she/they) is a junior majoring in Communications. Having joined in the Fall of 2023 as a staff writer, they now work as one of the official content creators for the Brooklyn Vanguard. When not studying or working, you can find them crafting, writing ideas for video essays, or going out on a mini adventure with friends.

 

Staff Writers

Giovanni Ravalli

Eden Lawrence

Luis Angel Perez Martines

Michelle Castillo

Serena Edwards

Victoria Keraj

Hector Serrano

Avi Wizwer

Ezae Darby

Mars Marte

Danielle Dweck

Vanessa Cruz

Kira Ricarte

Noah Augustin

Nikita Chernin

Yuki Elkotby

Izabela Mscislawski

Nicolas Tapasco

Darlene Arvelo

Angelina Banek

 

Staff photographers

Mousa (@flixbymoe)

T Abbatemarco

Ren De Hoyos

Savanna Briehl

Anna Kitch