Emerson College Election Project 2008
Student Ambassadors
- Britni ASHKINAZY, Political communication '12
Britni was born in Memphis, Tennessee, but was raised in Atlanta, Georgia. She has been involved in various activities, such as karate and belly dancing classes. She managed her high school’s wrestling team for all four years and has a deep love for film and all things politics. She has been an international student ambassador and has seen most of the United States, having had the privilege to speak with representatives from multiple sides of major issues. She hopes to work on campaigns, with nonprofits, or in international relations.
- Aaron BACON, Political Communication '10
Aaron Bacon is a Junior Political Communication Major at Emerson College. Through his learning’s he founded BeAbsentee.org, the first web-based organization to promote Absentee Voting in the United States. Under Aaron’s direction BeAbsentee.org has gained wide attention for its effort to increase overall voter turnout through expanded Absentee Voting. Outside of the political sphere Aaron is a beach bum, working as an ocean lifeguard during the summer and sailing Hobie-Cats in his spare time. Aaron also is an aspiring Olympic speed skater, although he has yet to show any particular skill in ice skating or ability to skate quickly. He grew up in the beautiful Belchertown, Massachusetts, but now spends the majority of his time in Boston and Cape Cod.
Austin Crumpton is a Junior Political Communications major at Emerson College. He currently co-facilitates student groups in the Campus Conversations on Race program, designed by Professor William Smith, where students are able to explore both their feelings and the feelings of others concerning racial topics. Additionally, Austin interns in the Office of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, and works to resolve constituent issues concerning the IRS, Medicare Part D and constituent request letters. Having worked on Senator Obama's presidential campaign in the past, he hopes to work more in government and political communications in the future.
- Nada FARHAT, Communication Management '10
- Anuj GURUNG, Communication Management '10
- Randi HEYLEK, Political Communication '10
- Heather MARTYN, Communication Management '10
- Robert RYKOWSKI, Communication Management '10
- Efe SEVIN, Communication Management '10, Assistant to the Project Coordinator
- Tiernan CAHILL, Political Communication '12
- Monica CASANOVA, Political Communication '10
- Jennan AL-HAMDOUNI, Political Communication
- Violet IKONOMOVA, Broadcast Journalism '10
- Mary MALITO, Communication Management '09
- Sarah MONIZ, Communication Management '09
- Patrick ROSSO, Broadcast Journalism '10
- Will WEMER, Communication Management '10
Nada Farhat is from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Trained as a physician at King Faisal University, she is also a renowned artist in the Middle East. The interplay between medicine and art creates for Nada a complementary system, with one acting as a motivator while the other is a stress reliever. since coming to the United States, Nada has used her art as an advocate for piece. She is currently a graduate student in the Communications Management program at Emerson College and a Fulbright Scholarship nominee. With this program, she plans to juxtapose her art with public diplomacy to help educate and nullify the stereotypical images of the Middle east the west views today.
Anuj Gurung is currently a graduate student at Emerson College in the Communication Management Program. Originally from Nepal, Anuj completed his undergrad degree at Hiram College in Ohio. His journalistic experience includes an internship at an English daily during the summer of 2008. Upon graduation Anuj would like to work for Conflict Resolution and Development in developing nations.
Randi Heylek is a third year Political Communication major from Chicago, IL. She is the current president of Communication, Politics, and Law Association at Emerson College. She also heads the Pizza and Politics Speaker series and sits on the Election Day Committee. She works as the Communication Strategist for the absentee voting website, BeAbsentee.org. She has interned for the Museum of Fine Arts and wants to continue public relations work in the future.
Heather Martyn, originally from St. Augustine, Florida, received her undergraduate degree from Stetson University. Now a graduate student at Emerson College, she is working towards a Masters of Communication Management. While at Stetson University, Heather took part in the American University Washington Semester Program where she was able to live, study and intern in the nation’s capital. She has had broadcast news internships with FOX News in Washington, D.C. and NBC First Coast News in Jacksonville, Florida. Upon receiving her graduate degree, she hopes to work in the public relations sector of corporate communication.
Robert Rykowski is 24 years old and originally from Los Angeles, CA. After working for several years in information technology, he returned to school to earn a bachelors degree in Communication Studies from Emerson College in Boston, MA. He minored in Entrepreneurship and currently runs a small clothing label, Spirit Clothing. With aspirations in public diplomacy and human relations, Robert is currently a candidate for a master's degree in Communication Management, continuing at Emerson College.
Efe, from Turkey, completed his undergraduate degree in Middle East Technical University, with a B.Sc. degree in International Relations and a minor degree in Sociology. He has been involved in a variety of European conferences and trainings where he worked to spread the idea of Borderless Europe and the importance of cultural exchange. Deciding that he has spent enough time in Europe, he chose to continue his graduate studies in Boston, MA as a Fulbright scholar. He is planning to work in the fields of political communication and nation branding. You can reach his website by clicking here
Student Representatives
Videographers
© 2008 Efe Sevin | Original design by Andreas Viklund