Guatemala 2024

Cameron Levasseur is a senior journalism student from Northern Maine who specializes in sports reporting. His previous experience includes coverage of more than half a dozen NCAA Tournaments, including the 2023 Frozen Four.

Zach Carter is a senior journalism major and Spanish minor from Cranford, New Jersey. Zach studied abroad for the first time in Guatemala and is excited to share the stories he has heard during his time there.

Aidan Sheedy is a senior Spanish and Latin American Studies major with a journalism minor. He will be entering Quinnipiac’s elementary education graduate program to begin student teaching. This was his second visit to Guatemala after joining an education course in 2023. He’s excited to share his research and continue to learn more about other Spanish-speaking countries.

Billy Burke is a journalism graduate student from Long Island, New York. With a passion for traveling, Billy found Guatemala to be a unique experience that has helped shape his understanding of the Indigenous Maya. He hopes to travel to Europe to report internationally someday.

Leslie Virostek is a freelance writer with a special interest in environmental journalism. Among other topics, she has written about food webs in the Gulf of Maine and the Connecticut scientists who are monitoring populations of the invasive southern pine beetle.

Colin Majeski is a sophomore journalism student from Cheshire, Connecticut, who loves traveling and experiencing other cultures. His mother, who instructed a study abroad program in Nicaragua, encouraged him to travel during school. Since then, he has made his own journey to Central America. 

Dylan Tse is a sophomore journalism and media studies 3+1 student from Staten Island, New York. As a child, Dylan frequently traveled and became interested in expanding her knowledge of other cultures and traveling. Her love for media and journalism inspired her to explore and write about Guatemala.

Ismaeel Zafer is a Saudi journalist and international student in Quinnipiac University's Master of Journalism program. He works as editor-in-chief of Al-Weam newspaper in Saudi Arabia. He is a faculty member at the College of Media and Communication at Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University in Riyadh.

Margarita Díaz is a native of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Before joining Quinnipiac in 2003, she worked as a journalist in New York City. She has traveled with students to Nicaragua, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica and Guatemala.

Olivia Barrios-Johnson is a graduate student of journalism from The Bronx, New York. After studying abroad in Cork, Ireland for a semester, Olivia’s passion for global education grew immensely. She enjoyed her experience traveling to San Lucas Tolimán, Guatemala, to use her journalism and reporting skills to develop a personal reflection piece.

Jack Spiegel is a senior journalism student with a focus in photojournalism from Denver, Colorado. He has photographed events like the State of the Union, executive order signings at the White House and the 2023 U.S. Amateur Golf Championship. Jack has a particular interest in narrative storytelling, using visuals to aid in the process.

Kieran Boyle is a freshman mechanical engineering major who enjoys traveling. This was his first trip to Guatemala and he is grateful for his chance to experience their culture. 

Grace McGuire is a journalism graduate student from Plymouth, Massachusetts. She has traveled internationally before, but she has never felt so comfortable within a foreign community as quickly as in San Lucas Tolimán. After graduation, she hopes to continue telling the stories that often don’t get told.