LPD Student Team
Spring 2019
Kiera Eriksen-McAuliffe
Research
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Kiera is a sophomore history and politics double major in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is originally from Norfolk, Virginia, but has lived in Southern California, South Florida, and most recently Denver, Colorado. Throughout high school she studied theatre at her arts school, but switched to history when she got to college. She still involves herself in theatre by working at a summer camp at NYU, she is involved in Model United Nations, and for the upcoming Empire MUNC conference she is serving as Director of Joint Crisis Committees. After college, she hopes to either work at a museum and eventually pursue a graduate degree in modern French history. Outside of school, she enjoys visiting museums, skiing in the winter, and hanging out with dogs.
Helen Bermudes
Editing & Writing
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Helen is a sophomore from Sacramento, California studying English Education with a minor in Global and Urban Education at Steinhardt. After undergrad she wants to teach middle school and high school English in New York City, but eventually move into education administration and education policy. Outside of LPD Helen works at Kumon Learning Center, the NYU Phonathon, at Noodles in Company. Helen is passionate about educational equity and the way in which self-expression empowers communities. Outside of school she also enjoys playing piano, singing, hiking, and visiting her siblings at home in California.
Emma Comrie
Photography & Communications
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Emma Comrie is a sophomore from Salem, Massachusetts. She attends NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study with a concentration in The Influence of Mass Media on Global Identity Formation With an Emphasis on Representation & Photojournalism. She is interested in exploring how the way people are represented throughout global media affects us all on social and structural levels. She is also passionate about using photography to document stories and share important narratives. In New York City, Emma works as a photographer for Gallatin and as an America Reads tutor at a public elementary school. She also worked as a Gallatin Orientation Leader during the fall semester. She enjoys taking photographs, exploring new places, eating good food, and playing with her two cats. As an LPD intern, Emma likes collaborating with the rest of the LPD intern team and learning more about important global issues.
Paggie Tan
Communications
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Paggie is a junior from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at NYU CAS majoring in Economics with an intended double minor in Math & Business Studies. Beyond a student, she is also an advisor to a non-profit, communications intern at La Pietra Dialogues, proud first-generation college student, advocate of accessibility to education and avid fan of strong women everywhere. From her experiences working in technology, media and telecommunications, Paggie developed a deep interest in exploring how technology and solutions can shape the future. In her free time, she is looking at pictures of her dog, nerding out on good films and exploring the city she is in.
Sofia Vorontsova
Digital Research & Videography
Sofia is a sophomore from Moscow, Russia studying Media, Culture, and Communications at Steinhardt. Currently choosing between Film and Producing minors, upon graduation she is planning to have a career in commercial/music video production. Sofia has previously interned for International Festival-School of Contemporary Art “Territory” and volunteered for “Strelka” Institute and MPC Social Services. In her free time she enjoys reading and travelling, but dedicates most of the time to photography and producing short videos. As an LPD intern, Sofia is excited to be involved in all the stages of video production: from idea and script to post production. She is looking forward to collaborating with other LPD members and learning more about SMM and media analytics.
Gabby Lozano
Writing & Reporting
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Gabby is a freshman at NYU in the Liberal Studies Core Program. She is hoping to transfer into the College of Arts and Science and major in Journalism. Because of her father’s background in the military, Gabby moved eight times growing up, but she has lived the longest in Northern Virginia. Before LPD, Gabby volunteered at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum for two years where she assisted visitors and Holocaust Survivor, Fanny Aizenberg. Gabby’s passion for writing, human rights, and international politics pushes her to become a journalist when she graduates. In her free time she likes to travel, try new foods, run, and spend time with her dog, Giove.
Tobbi Vu
Graphic Design
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Tobbi is a sophomore from NYU Abu Dhabi, majoring in Visual Arts. She was originally from Vietnam and studied high school in New Zealand. Tobbi has previously interned for Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi, NYUAD Art Gallery, and has worked for several illustration projects. She enjoys experiencing and making arts in different mediums, visiting galleries, reading novels, travelling, and playing with cats. As an intern for LPD, she hopes to work in a professional group and learn other skills from other interns. She also eagers to learn more about European and Italian culture through involving in LDP.
Lisa Cochran
Writing & Reporting
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Lisa Cochran is a freshman at NYU Florence in the Liberal Studies Core program. Ultimately, she will pursue a double-major in Journalism and the politics, rights, and development concentration within the Global Liberal Studies program. She is originally from Ames, Iowa where she was the Co-Editor-in-Chief of her high school newspaper – the Ames High Web– and had a paid internship with the Ames Tribune, a local newspaper. She enjoys literature, art, fashion, and disorganized travel plans. She is determined and enthusiastic about her work (an enthusiasm that can, most of the time, be attributed to the copious amounts of espresso she consumes). One day, Lisa hopes to become a foreign correspondent in war-torn nations to reveal political corruption and seek objective truth.
Rebecca Samet
Research
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Rebecca is a sophomore from Long Island, New York who just transferred into the Gallatin School of Individualized Studies from the Liberal Studies Program. At Gallatin, she hopes to create her own program of study that primarily focuses on studies in Fashion Business, Gender Studies, and Art History. Rebecca has previously interned for the Hal Bromm Gallery in Tribeca, New York and for an LGBTQ+ startup called GayStay. She is excited to work as a research intern with LPD because she is being enjoys being exposed to new topics and she hopes to become more aware of issues and topics outside of the United States. In her free time Rebecca likes to eat paninis at Panini Toscani, listen to music, and go on runs.
Michaela Wotorson
Writing & Reporting
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Michaela is a freshman at NYU in the Liberal Studies Core Program, pursuing the College of Arts & Sciences to major in International Relations and minor in Business Studies. Upon graduation, Michaela will have a career in international economic and entrepreneurial development, concentrating on sub-Saharan Africa. At LPD, Michaela is a Writing/Reporting Intern, a position she has held since early September. She raised between Woodmore, Maryland and Monrovia, Liberia, and currently resides in Farmington, Connecticut. In her free time, Michaela enjoys training in ballet and hip-hop dance, traveling the globe, reading the Economist and The Cut, and day-dreaming about venture capital and sustainable fashion.
