Meet the Spring 2025 Ecology-Civics Fellows
CivicStory has selected its seventh cohort of Sustainability Reporting fellows – themed on ecology and civics. Throughout this spring, these reporters will focus on stories that impact the environment, civic engagement, and where these concerns intersect. Their work will appear both on the media platforms they report for as well as SRhub.org.
NAIM ALI-PACHECO
The Daily Targum, Rutgers Newark
Naim Ali-Pacheco is a senior at Rutgers University – Newark, pursuing a degree in journalism with a focus on storytelling through audio, video, and photography. He has contributed as a stringer for The New York Times, interned at WNYC/Gothamist as a Race & Justice Reporter, and reported for his school’s newspaper. Naim co-founded Grooverelly, an independent art and culture platform, and has produced narrative-driven podcast projects at Rutgers. His work centers on local communities in New Jersey and New York, exploring the issues that impact them.
SPENCER BRILHANTE
The Daily Targum, Rutgers Newark
Spencer Brilhante is a student journalist currently attending Rutgers University-Newark. Born and raised in the Ironbound section of Newark, NJ, Spencer grew up in a closely-knit community full of immigrants from Portugal and Latin America. He attended private school all the way up until college, and has a passion for writing, reporting, and the multimedia landscape. Being a nature/animal lover his entire life, he is devoted to writing and sharing stories about the environment, hoping to make a positive change within the Garden State.
ALEX CONNELL
TAPint0 Hoboken
Alex is a journalist from Dublin, Ireland who relocated to New Jersey eight months ago. Her passion for the environment, and particularly wildlife conservation stems from her green upbringing, spending weekends of her childhood on the Irish West Coast at her uncle’s farm. She has seen firsthand the impact of nurturing the land around you and hopes to continue to contribute to this concept through her reporting.
ISSABELLA DARCY
The Signal – The College of New Jersey
Isabella is a junior at The College of New Jersey, where she is studying journalism and professional writing. She is a Managing Editor at TCNJ’s student-run newspaper, which she has been reporting for since 2022. She has also been published in numerous Central Jersey newspapers. Isabella aspires to be a television field reporter for a local news station, and loves creating packages that tell interesting stories. When she is not reporting, Isabella enjoys listening to music, watching funny movies, and spending time with her friends and family.
CAROLYN JONES
TAPinto Princeton
Carolyn Jones is a freelance reporter based in Princeton. She covers the climate and environment beat for TAPinto Princeton Community News. She writes about floods, heat, shade, water quality, bird migration, and pedestrian safety. Before moving to New Jersey, Carolyn was a freelance reporter in Texas where she wrote about women’s reproductive health. Born and raised in Zimbabwe, Carolyn has never given up hope of one day writing about her homeland, too. Here is her Homepageand she’s on Bluesky @carolyn-jones.bsky.social
ARWA OUALI
The Vector – New Jersey Institute of Technology
Arwa Ouali is an aspiring chemical engineer with an interest in environmental sustainability. She conducts research relating to determining how to remove and eradicate plastics from the water systems. Through her primary years of education, she was greatly involved with her school’s garden where she harvested food for food banks and saw devastating effects on the land through municipality actions. Her goal through writing is to spread awareness of the hope urban gardens hold for neighborhoods and increase support for legislation to conserve the elements of nature that remain central to the health of the community.
RAEANNE RECAGNO
The Signal – The College of New Jersey
Raeanne Raccagno is a junior at The College of New Jersey majoring in journalism and environmental studies, with a minor in marketing. She is the current copy editor for The Signal newspaper writing articles for the news and features section. Outside of school, she volunteers frequently and values the community outreach portion of journalism. Raeanne has her Associate of Arts in journalism from Bucks County Community College. After receiving her undergraduate degree, she plans to write environmental stories and help sustainable nonprofit organizations and businesses get their work out to the public through her writing.
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