The Washington Journalism and Media Conference

Olivia Dapolite

Olivia Dapolite is a senior at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh, North Carolina. Olivia loves going to the beach, traveling, and taking fun pictures/putting together videos with her friends. Most of her spare time is spent training with her horses, one of which she holds a Reserve World Title with. Olivia attended WJMC 2019 and had an absolute blast. She is thrilled to be able to make this experience just as amazing for others as it was for her!

Sylvia Cassidy

Sylvia went to WJMC during the summer of 2019 and is a proud red group member from Louisville, Kentucky. She is a junior at duPont Manual High School. Sylvia is an active member her school’s journalism and communications magnet. She is an assignment editor for On the Record magazine, a city-wide publication by and for the youth of her community.

Liliana Carey

Liliana Carey is currently a junior attending John Jay High School in Cross River, New York. She attended WJMC 2019, an experience which has inspired her to pursue journalism and political science in the future. In her free time, Lily runs for her school’s varsity cross country and track teams, plays in jazz ensemble, and volunteers at a local farm. She is very excited to be a part of the Youth Advisory Board and hopes to channel her passions for writing and leadership into making WJMC 2020 the best possible experience!

Gabby Bicknell

Gabby Bicknell is a senior at Henry Ford Academy in Dearborn, Michigan. Gabby attended WJMC in 2019 and it was the best week of summer. Gabby is a National Honor Society student, Link Crew Member, participated in a German Exchange Program, and a youth leader for the Gender and Sexualities Alliance. Gabby loves to read, write, and take pictures of the world throughout traveling.

Paloma Pinto Ribeiro Coelho

Paloma is a senior at Coral Gables Senior High School in Miami, Florida. She was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and moved to Miami during the summer of 2016. At her school, she is the historian and treasurer of the Academy of Finance. WJMC 2019 was one of the best experiences in her life, and she can’t wait to be a part of WJMC 2020!

Jillian Murphy

Jillian Murphy is currently a senior in Normal, Illinois. She is planning to double major in Journalism and Sports Management with a minor in political science next year in college. She enjoys baseball and being outdoors. Jillian can’t wait to be a member of the YAB this year!

Maggie May

Maggie is a junior at Thomasville High School who is involved with the school’s Cross Country Team and Junior Classical League. In her free time, she is an avid runner who also enjoys baking for friends and family. She loves writing whether it be for school publications or poetry contests. She is also a multiple time winner for photography at the Thomasville Rose Show and sings in her church’s adult choir.

Jack Martino

John “Jack” Martino is from the Washington D.C. area. Jack stayed “local” to attend WJMC in 2019 and had a truly wide-ranging experience networking with correspondents from around the country as a member of the teal group. He looks forward to working with WJMC alumni to help expand the conference experience for future correspondents. Jack plays varsity ice hockey, writes music and is proud to be the Editor-in-Chief of his high school newspaper.

Griffin Knipp

My name is Griffin Knipp and I was a National Youth Correspondent from WJMC 2019. Growing up, I was raised on a farm in Southern Ohio until I moved with my family to Maryland where I started changing my life. I lost a bunch of weight and grew a new passion for running when I joined Cross Country and Track; there was when I found many forever friends and family! I like to spend my days bettering myself and working on projects for school that I can truly get passionate about!

Gabe Jacobs

Gabe Jacobs is a junior at Profile High School in Northern New Hampshire. Outside of school he plays club soccer and represents his state on the State Team. He spends his downtime reading and hanging out with his friends and family.