Category: Staff

Corey Payne

COREY PAYNE

Corey earned his PhD in Science Education from the University of Florida studying issues of representation in STEM. He is currently a Postdoctoral Researcher at St. Mary’s College of Maryland leading a grant through the American Physics Society that targets professional identity and self-efficacy to increase the recruitment of K12 science teachers. His primary research interests include mentoring, developmental network analysis, and inquiry-based science education. During graduate school, he worked on an NSF-funded project to redesign the chemistry laboratory curriculum for engineering majors to increase the retention and performance of underrepresented students. Outside of his educational research interests he has also worked with the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center in the forest ecology lab studying canopy structures and their relation to global climate change. He has also volunteered at the Whitney Labs studying climate change and the effect of the northern expansion of mangroves into Florida. In his free time, he enjoys restoring vintage mountain bikes, tubing in the Florida springs, and swimming in the ocean with his dog Maple.

Rafael Suanes

RAFAEL SUANES

Photographer

A professional photographer with over 25 years of experience, Rafael has covered a huge gamut of events in the DC area. Ranging from private events of all sizes to Supreme Court nomination hearings, Rafael has covered it all. Specializing in college and professional sports, Rafael is currently the staff athletics photographer for both George Mason and Georgetown universities and has worked directly with every professional sports team in Washington, DC.

Eva Bramesco

EVA BRAMESCO

Counselor

Eva Bramesco is the Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions, and the Director of the University Scholars Program here at George Mason University. Beginning with her involvement in the admissions office at her alma mater, Eva has spent over a decade working with students and families of all backgrounds to overcome the various hurdles of the college admissions process. In her role as Associate Director, Eva supports students before they even apply, all the way through their decision making process. Eva is also responsible for Honors College enrollment and the university’s only full-tuition scholarship program, and loves working closely with Mason’s most motivated and ambitious students.

Prior to her time at George Mason, Eva worked in international development, first with the American Red Cross, and then for a consulting firm. Originally from Danvers, Massachusetts, Eva graduated with honors from Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pennsylvania with degrees in International Relations, Spanish and a minor in Latin American Studies, and received her Master’s in Public Policy from the Schar School at George Mason University. In addition to her work at Mason, Eva is a long-time mentor, tutor, and advocate for educational equity.

Sam Wolfe

SAM WOLFE

Account Manager for Digital Marketing, Google

am Wolfe is an account manager on the digital marketing team at Google in San Francisco. With clients ranging from family-owned businesses and startups to national brands like HBO and Warner Brothers, Sam builds custom solutions for advertisers around the world across all Google and YouTube platforms. He is also a coach on the Grow With Google team, which is dedicated to increasing access, awareness, and education for individuals and small businesses in marginalized communities. His love for journalism led him to attend WJMC in 2014, and he has worked at the conference wearing many hats since 2015. Sam graduated from George Mason University in 2019 with a degree in Communication and Public Relations, and he is ecstatic to be back home at WJMC this summer.

Nathaniel Aponte

NATHANIEL APONTE

Advance Team Member

Nathaniel Aponte is a senior at Christopher Newport University studying Marketing and Graphic Design. He hopes to pursue a career in digital marketing after finishing school. Nathaniel enjoys photography, museums, coffee shops, outings with friends, and listening to his favorite artist, Future.

Maija Robinson

MAIJA ROBINSON

Junior Faculty Advisor

Maija Robinson is a rising Junior at George Mason University and is majoring in Communications with a concentration in Public Relations. Aside from classes, she is an intern for Mason’s Washington ScholarS Program. Maija also enjoys attending school events and spending time with others. She aims to enter the field of Public Relations upon graduating. Maija attended WJMC in the summer of 2019 and she is more than happy to be able to experience it again this summer!

Jalen Thompson

JALEN THOMPSON

Junior Faculty Advisor

Jalen Thompson is a Music Composition Major at Colorado State University. He attended WJMC in 2019 and is ecstatic to come back. He has worked as a communications intern at CSU, researching and writing articles for SOURCE, the universities online newspaper. Furthermore, he is active in social justice issues and hearing other’s perspectives on them. He also enjoys watching basketball and finding new music!

Madalyn Godfrey

MADALYN GODFREY

Junior Faculty Advisor

Mady Godfrey is a rising sophomore at George Mason University within the Mason Honors College. Coming from a small town in North Carolina, Godfrey is attending Mason to pursue a B.A. in Communications with a concentration in Journalism and a minor in legal studies. Attending WJMC in the summer of 2019 as a rising Junior in high school, Godfrey remembers the positive impact the conference had left on her and looks forward to helping leave that same impact on the correspondents in their fun-filled week. Godfrey wishes for each correspondent to be able to leave the conference at the end of their week feeling inspired in their path of becoming future leaders of the world.

Stephanie Strange

STEPHANIE STRANGE

Faculty Advisor

Stephanie is the publications adviser at Steele High School near San Antonio, Texas. She advises the online newspaper, the weekly broadcast and the 300-page yearbook. She also teaches Journalism and Photojournalism. This is her 6th year teaching high school. Prior to teaching, she was a missionary in China. She believes the world is beautiful and tries to bring that view into her teaching. She is passionate about showing others the importance of true journalism and believes that everyone has a story to tell that must be told with integrity, honesty, and kindness. Stephanie has been married for almost 25 years to her high school sweetheart, a local pastor, and they have three daughters, one son-in-law, and two dogs. She believes in transparency and isn’t afraid to admit when she doesn’t know something, to accept when she is wrong, and to rejoice in the small victories of life.

Lukas Baines

LUKAS BAINES

Advance Team Member

Lukas Baines will be joining the advance team for 2022 and is looking forward to meeting and working with everyone. He is a sophomore at GMU and is double majoring in electrical and mechanical engineering. He interned at Lockheed Martin and participated in Washington Workshops Congressional Seminar. He spends his free time reading or playing with his dog and currently works at REI’s bike shop but looks for every chance to get outdoors.