Ryan is a rising senior at Princeton University majoring in Public and International Affairs. He is particularly interested in transportation and infrastructure policy as well as urban history. Outside of the classroom, Ryan is involved with student journalism on campus and enjoys exploring new cities, playing trivia, going to the beach and taking long walks.

With Midstory, Ryan looks forward to writing articles about urban renewal and redevelopment in the Midwest’s major cities, with a particular emphasis on using oral history and graphic design to tell these stories. He also hopes to learn more about storytelling through multimedia and web design to make already-captivating narratives even more compelling.

Bonus Fact: Ryan is a huge fan of trains and has traveled over 15,000 miles on North America’s passenger rail network.

Tyler is a recent graduate of Anthony Wayne High School and has spent his whole life in Toledo, Ohio. Next year, he will be attending Princeton University to study Mathematics. He is particularly interested in the application of math in economics, data and machine learning. Outside of the classroom, he enjoys cooking, practicing martial arts, lifting, watching sports, skiing and being with his friends.

With Midstory, Tyler is excited to research various issues affecting the Midwest, his home area, and convey these issues through a storytelling and multimedia format. Particularly, he is interested in researching how issues such as COVID have impacted the local economy, and in turn how these economic impacts have impacted people socially. He is also excited to do this research and storytelling with like-minded peers.

Bonus Fact: Tyler is a first degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and has been training in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu for over 4 years.

Annie is a rising sophomore at Princeton University, who intends on majoring in Anthropology while also pursuing minors in Environmental Studies and Creative Writing. She is from Columbus, Ohio. Annie is an Assistant Editor for the Prospect section at The Daily Princetonian, which reports on arts and culture at Princeton. In her free time, she enjoys running and reading.

With Midstory, Annie hopes to actively engage with different and diverse Midwest-oriented narratives, spanning from the arts to environmental issues, presented in captivating multimedia formats.

Bonus Fact: Annie is originally from West Virginia, having only moved to Ohio last fall.

Abigail is a rising senior at Princeton University, pursuing a major in History and minors in Humanistic Studies, Medieval Studies, and French. She is interested in intellectual history and exploring the development of modern conceptions of sovereignty, justice and individual identity. Supplementing her studies, Abigail explores cultural and political issues related to education in her work as a columnist, and is involved with Jewish community leadership. She is from Cambridge, MA, and enjoys playing the viola, frequenting bookstore-cafes and going on runs.

At Midstory, Abigail is excited to combine historical research with forward-thinking visions for cultural revitalization to report on the barriers faced by Midwestern communities in achieving development goals. She also looks forward to joining a dynamic and creative team and learning how to make written work exciting and accessible to diverse audiences.

Bonus Fact: Abigail is an avid reviewer on Goodreads, and is eager to discuss works of historical fiction or alternative histories.

Ruby is a second-year student at Northwestern University from Langhorne, Pennsylvania. She is majoring in Journalism and Environmental policy, with a minor in Spanish. Her interest lies in environmental journalism and reporting on communities impacted by climate change. Outside of academics, Ruby loves to spend time outside and explore new places. She particularly enjoys hiking, swimming and paddle boarding.

With Midstory, Ruby looks forward to engaging more with midwestern communities while also sharpening her long-form reporting skills. She is also excited about getting to know the other interns.

Bonus Fact: Ruby’s first time reporting outside her high school was when she backpacked the Triple Crown section of the Appalachian Trail and interviewed thru-hikers. She hopes to complete the trail herself someday.

Casey is a sophomore at Northwestern majoring in Journalism and Political Science from Hangzhou, China and Annapolis, Maryland. In college, Casey has written and edited for various campus publications, including The Daily Northwestern, where he most recently served as print managing editor and city editor, and Medill News Service, where he reported on tech policy from Washington D.C. Outside of journalism and academics, Casey enjoys reading, doing landscape and street photography and making and drinking a lot of coffee.

At Midstory, Casey hopes to research and produce stories about the impact of technologies and a globalized economy on the Midwest. He is also excited to experiment with incorporating interactive and multimedia elements into his storytelling.

Bonus Fact: Casey is obsessed with the TV show “The West Wing” and has rewatched the series thousands of times (that might be a bit of an exaggeration, though he can’t stop talking about the show).

Vitus is a sophomore at Princeton University majoring in Computer Science and minoring in Journalism. Outside of academics, Vitus enjoys sculpting ceramics, writing for the Daily Princetonian, thrifting, sewing and relaxing on the sandy beaches of his hometown of Pensacola, Florida.

With Midstory, Vitus is excited to research and report on urban environments, intersectional identities and changing cultures in the Midwest. Vitus is also looking forward to creating engaging audio content with the Midstory team.

Bonus Fact: Vitus has a twin brother and both have two middle names.

Lucas is a rising junior from Case Western Reserve University majoring in English with minors in Computer Science and Film. He loves making graphics for Case's newspaper, The Observer, competing on the mock trial team, and watching competitive figure skating. When he's not hard at work watching movies for school, you can find him swimming or climbing fake rocks.

Bonus Fact: He was once ranked #7 in the world for Taylor Swift 2048!

Anna is from Atlanta, Georgia, and is a rising senior at Emory University studying English & Creative Writing and Anthropology. Outside of class, she writes for her college’s satire magazine.

With Midstory, Anna is looking forward to using her skills in conducting ethnographic interviews.

Noa is originally from Newton, Massachusetts. She is a freshman at Princeton University with a prospective major in English and a prospective minor in Psychology.

Apart from academics, she loves gardening and reading. She is also making a docuseries on her family! Noa is thrilled to join Midstory and combine her passion for visual arts with journalism to create something fresh and unconventional.

Bonus Fact: Noa’s favorite fruit, color and artificial flavor is orange!

Chinmayi is a rising junior studying International and Public Affairs at Brown University. She is an international student, originally from Mumbai, India. She graduated from Luanda, Angola before coming to the US for university. She enjoys watching plays and listening to old Hindi songs.

With Midstory, Chinmayi hopes to improve her skills on audio journalism and graphic design. She also wants to explore critical issues such as the privatization of natural resources, in the Midwest and globally.

Bonus Fact: Last semester, Chinmayi studied human rights abroad in Nepal, Jordan, and Chile.

Karishma is a sophomore from Piscataway, New Jersey, studying English and French at Oberlin College. Her work and course interests have often gravitated towards a feminist lens, a perspective she found through her favorite authors: Dorothy Parker, Toni Morrison, Warsan Shire and Eve Babitz. In her more personal writing, Karishma loves to explore themes of music and its impact on our culture, art in conversation with the artist and developing one's identity through literature. Currently, Karishma works as a writing associate within Oberlin College's writing center where she aids other students in the writing process. In her spare time, Karishma enjoys reading, cooking with family, painting, reading up on historical fashion and dancing.

Karishma is looking forward to exploring Ohio and writing about her experiences in Midstory. She anticipates these stories serving as an exploration of community and expression.

Bonus Fact: When she needs to wind down, she watches the movie Cars by Pixar, a film that she can recite from memory.

Amber is a first year student at Brown University double majoring in International and Public Affairs along with Modern Culture and Media. She is interested in a wide range of topics surrounding the environment, human rights and policy, and she has multimedia experience in marketing, journalism and graphic design. In her free time, she enjoys going on walks exploring the city, dancing, watching Asian dramas and scrolling down an endless rabbit hole of inspiration on Pinterest.

This summer with Midstory, Amber looks forward to uncovering stories of culture, art, and human experiences through combining graphic design with journalism. She is excited to experiment with different modes of storytelling and grow as an artist.

Bonus Fact: Back in her hometown of sunny Los Angeles, California, Amber has a pet turtle named Speedy.

Julia is a second-year student at the University of Chicago, majoring in Math and Computer Science. She was born in Warsaw, Poland but went to school in California, near the Bay Area. Outside of academics, Julia’s hobbies include painting, hiking, running and collecting clothes.

With Midstory, Julia is most excited about working in a collaborative environment on projects that make a real impact this summer. Additionally, she is excited to apply some of the skills she has learned in school the last two years.

Bonus Fact: Julia knows how to make lace.

Judy is a rising junior at Northwestern University studying Journalism and MMSS (Mathematical Methods in Social Sciences). She grew up in the Bay Area in California, and she enjoys dancing, journaling and playing cozy games. (Most recently, she got into Stardew Valley.) One of her lifelong goals is to build community and identity in Asian American spaces through education and leadership. On campus, she's an audio & video contributor for North By Northwestern and President of Kappa Phi Lambda Sorority - Nu chapter.

With Midstory this summer, she looks forward to trying data journalism, working on audio projects, and learning about the people and stories of the Midwest.

Bonus Fact: Judy owned 2 pet chickens.

Cydney is a rising fourth-year at University of California, San Diego majoring in Literature and minoring in History. She writes for the student-run digital newspaper, The Triton, and also is a writing facilitator at her college. Cydney's career goals are to become a book editor to help future writers and authors present their best work for their target audience. Outside of school, Cydney enjoys spending time with close friends and talking on the phone with her family when she has the chance. Additionally, she enjoys discovering new places when she can.

For Midstory, Cydney hopes to strengthen her writing skills in a professional setting and to gain more experience with the publishing process.

Bonus Fact: Cydney loves to try new hobbies including crocheting, cooking and running.

Riley is a junior at Brown University from Ashland, Oregon. Riley majors in English and is particularly interested in creative nonfiction writing. He just finished a research project with two English professors focused on sea level rise and community organizing in Warren, Rhode Island. Outside of academics, Riley enjoys getting outdoors and playing the violin.

With Midstory, Riley hopes to write and edit articles and conduct research about environmental issues in the Midwest and their social impacts. He is also interested in writing about the arts in Toledo and the greater Midwest. And, he looks forward to learning about all the other creative ways it is possible to tell stories as an intern at Midstory.

Bonus Fact: Riley is a triplet. He has an identical twin brother and twin sister.

Sasha is a second-year at the University of Chicago majoring in Sociology. She is particularly interested in social and political theory, as well as creative writing, and is on the editorial boards of two undergraduate journals on campus. Outside of academics, Sasha loves playing the piano, reading, going on adventurous camping trips, and learning languages. She grew up in Westport, CT.

This summer at Midstory, Sasha is looking forward to delving into journalistic writing; she hopes to employ her background in ethnographic research to learn about Ohio’s communities and tell their stories. She also looks forward to exploring all kinds of multimedia production!

Bonus Fact: Sasha was almost born on a leap day!