By Jennifer Ward and Arlenis Marmolejos
Meet the Editors!
Editors of "The Purchase Phoenix" Arlenis Marmolejos (left) and Jennifer Ward (right) (Photo by Marah Lewis @lyrical.lenz)
Dear reader,
Welcome back! Here at “The Purchase Phoenix,” we’re dedicated to using our journalistic passions to cover everything that happens in the Purchase community. From our faculty and staff to your performances and sports games, to current pressing matters. We’re here for the student body and to give everyone a voice.
With this said, it’s only fair you get to know the people guiding “The Phoenix” this year.
Jennifer Ward Editor-in-Chief (Photo by Olivia D'Andrea)
My name is Jenn Ward (she/her), and I’m a senior journalism major and legal issues and society minor. I’m also the editor-in-chief of “The Purchase Phoenix” this year.
This is my fourth and final (which is a devastating sentence to write) year with “The Phoenix.” I’ve been writing for “The Phoenix” since the beginning of my freshman year and had the honor of being managing editor last year alongside Barb Kay as my editor-in-chief (love and miss you Barb!)
Alongside my time with “The Phoenix,” you may have seen me floating around my other responsibilities on campus. I’m a third-year residential assistant currently in Wayback (and two years in Central under my belt shoutout to my old staffs) and I’m also a tutor in the learning center. I have been a teacher’s assistant for two classes, and I have interned and written for other publications off campus as well. I also won the Mike McNickle Journalism Award for the School of Humanities in 2023.
A little bit more about me outside of academics. I’m from Long Island born and raised, and one conversation with me and you’ll definitely hear it in my accent. Anybody who knows me knows I am a major fangirl. I love going to concerts, listening to music, watching movies, and freaking out with my friends over a show we love. I am also the biggest reader and love being able to chat about it, I’m always willing to hear a book recommendation and ready to yap about my most recent read.
With everything I’ve had the privilege to be part of at this school, I can confidently say “The Phoenix” has been what I am most proud of. Personally, the reason I got involved in journalism has been to give those a voice who don’t have the means to speak for themselves. I firmly believe in standing up for what’s right, even if it’s not the easiest thing to do. Regardless of my insanely busy schedule (don’t you just love senior year) I’m dedicated to the student body and will do my absolute best as editor-in-chief. “The Phoenix” has been my safe space for the last three years, and I hope to help make it yours.
Managing Editor Arlenis Marmolejos (Photo by Arisleidy Marmolejos)
My name is Arlenis Marmolejos (she/her), but feel free to call me Leni. I’m an accelerated senior, double majoring in journalism and law and justice studies. This year, I’m honored to be serving as the managing editor of “The Purchase Phoenix.”
"The Phoenix" has been central to my college experience, providing a strong sense of belonging and community since my freshman year. As a first-generation Dominican college student and commuter, the newspaper and its dedicated staff have made "The Phoenix" feel like home to me. Inspired by the guidance of Professor Donna Cornachio, the service’s faculty advisor, I have consistently contributed to the newspaper, submitting numerous stories over the past two years. I’m grateful to have been recognized for my dedication and work with the Peter Keller Journalism Prize from the School of Humanities in 2023. These contributions paved the way for reporting and editing internships, where I had the opportunity to deepen my understanding of journalistic principles and apply them into practice.
Beyond being a journalist, I'm an adventure seeker with a love for learning and exploring new experiences—definitely a bit of an adrenaline junkie. Staying fit and active is important to me, whether it's through running, playing soccer or softball in campus intramurals, or trying my hand at boxing. Also, I find serenity in writing poetry and capturing moments through photography.
As a proud representative of my Dominican heritage, I serve as a mentor on campus through the Hispanic Federation’s CREAR Futuros peer mentorship program, where I support incoming students of color. I am passionate about communication and deeply value building connections with people while continually refining this skill in both my personal and professional life. Embracing my Hispanic culture has fostered a deep love for music, and I truly enjoy listening to and dancing to a wide variety of genres.
I am excited to take on this responsibility to showcase my potential and determination as one of your editors. I’m committed to continuing to tell meaningful stories that resonate with Purchase, ensuring they’re as fair and accurate as possible.
With introductions out of the way, it would feel wrong to end this letter by not mentioning how we left off.
Our team spent the end of the semester covering an ongoing pro-Palestine encampment on campus. This included us taking on an incredibly difficult task for the first time together. We watched those we share our community with be brutalized by police, spent multiple nights sleeping outside (rain and all), and did our absolute best to give everyone around us a voice.
Here at “The Phoenix” we are dedicated to covering the truth in every article we write and do our best to be a voice for the student body. We hope to bring you articles in every beat possible and do all that we can to create a fair and balanced environment.
We urge those in our community to work with us, as we learn with you how to navigate a stressful start to the year while still recovering from the end of the last one. As student journalists, we’re still honing in on our craft and hope to do this with your support.
With all of that said, we are so excited for this upcoming year! We’re aiming to expand our multimedia aspect, increase our social media presence, and cover every story we can!
We look forward to meeting you and enhancing our journalistic skills.
Our meetings are every Tuesday in CCN Room 0024 at 6 p.m. Feel free to stop by!
We're so excited to get to know you all! (Photo by Marah Lewis @lyrical.lenz)
All our best,
Jenn and Leni.
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