The Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) is excited to announce its 2025 JCamp cohort.
JCamp 2025 is taking place from July 26-Aug. 1 in Seattle, Washington. Students will be able to attend the camp at no cost to their families, thanks in large part to the support of generous donors such as the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Ford Foundation, and other dedicated sponsors.
More than 850 students have graduated from JCamp since the inaugural program in 2001. Professional journalists serve as faculty mentors throughout the week and provide students with hands-on training in writing, reporting, photography, broadcast and online media. JCamp instruction prioritizes the program’s core values: The importance of diversity in the newsroom and in media coverage; the value of cross-cultural communication skills, networking and media ethics; and the fundamentals of leadership, inclusion and collaboration.
“JCamp 2025 will bring together some of the most talented young journalists in the country from communities small and large, representing the beautiful broad diversity of this nation,” Arelis Hernández said. “They will learn not only how to improve their craft but also to probe deeply and ethnically about the big questions we as a democratic people are facing and the responsibility we have to each other. They may even find solutions for that future.”
Hernández, a Texas border correspondent at The Washington Post and 2004 JCamp graduate, returns as the program’s co-director alongside Ben Bartenstein, London-based correspondent at Bloomberg News and 2011 JCamp graduate; Timmy Huynh, operations director and photo editor at The Wall Street Journal and 2005 JCamp graduate; and Will Schick, AAJA director of programs and partnerships.
This year’s volunteer faculty also includes: Alex Lo, breaking news assignment desk editor at NBC News and 2014 JCamp graduate; Clare Ramirez, senior designer at The Hollywood Reporter and 2012 JCamp graduate; Neal Justin, TV critic at the Star Tribune and JCamp co-founder; Taylor Mirfendereski, multimedia investigative journalist and 2007 JCamp graduate; and Taylor Turner, senior editor at The Examination and 2010 JCamp graduate.
JCamp 2025 will coincide with AAJA’s National Convention, held in Seattle, Washington from July 30-Aug. 3.
AAJA is proud to accept the following students to JCamp 2025:
Akshan Ranasinghe – Ellicott City, Maryland (Marriotts Ridge High School)
Alaia Aulachong – Daly City, California (Terra Nova High School)
Allie Chung – Sarasota, Florida (Pine View School)
Anthony Ortega – Elizabeth, New Jersey (Deerfield Academy)
Arianna George – Passaic, NJ (Immaculate Heart Academy)
Ashley Han – Ann Arbor, Michigan (Skyline High School)
Caden Choi – Irvine, California (Orange Lutheran High)
Emily Hu – Ann Arbor, Michigan (Ann Arbor Huron High School)
Emily Nguyen – O Fallon, Missouri (Liberty High School)
Fernando Leiva – Van Nuys, California (Ulysses S. Grant High School)
Jay Fernando – Virginia Beach, Virginia (Norfolk Academy)
Jeffrey Heng – Berwyn, Pennsylvania (Conestoga High School)
Juman Alyousif – Chapel Hill, North Carolina (East Chapel Hill High School)
Kate Song – Claremont, California (Claremont High)
Kelsi Lo – Issaquah, Washington (Issaquah High School)
Lincoln Miller – Parkland, Florida (Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School)
Nick Sota – Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ (Mountain Lakes High School)
Rishi Janakiraman – Raleigh, North Carolina (Stanford Online High School)
Roman Bostick – Glenside, Pennsylvania (Springside Chestnut Hill)
Ruiyu Tang – New York, New York (Hunter College High School)
Sara Ortiz – Guaynabo, Puerto Rico (Colegio Puertorriqueño de Niñas)
Sarah Wang – Johns Creek, Georgia (The Westminster Schools)
Sarah Yao – Ames, Iowa (Ames High School)
Satvika Ramanathan – Ann Arbor, Michigan (Huron High School)
Serena Mackay – Manchester, New Hampshire (The Founders Academy Charter School)
Sonia Qiao – Vienna, Virginia (Langley High School)
Sylvie Nguyen – Los Altos Hills, California (Henry M. Gunn High School)
Vincent Hsiao – Saint Louis, Missouri (Ladue Horton Watkins High School)
Winston Lin – Dallas, Texas (St. Mark’s School of Texas)
