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Scotty Bara, Photo
Age: 22
Hometown: Palo Alto, California
Year: Senior
“I’m looking forward to capturing the whole world come together through competition. I can’t wait to see the athletes and teams participate in their respective sports. I’m also looking forward to experiences the Brazilian culture. I’ve never been to South America so this trip will be a very new experience for me!”
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Graham Bosch, Web Production
Age: 21
Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona
Year: Senior
“I’m excited about going to a new continent and witnessing a piece of history. I can’t wait to see the sights, meet some talented athletes and, hopefully, gain a better understanding of journalism.”
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Giselle Cancio, Video
Age: 24
Hometown: Miami, Florida
Year: Master’s Student
“I’m looking forward to covering sports I’ve never had the opportunity to report on, while meeting the world’s best athletes along the way.”
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Alexander Caprariello, Video
Age: 25
Hometown: Madison, Wisconsin
Year: Master’s Student
Undergrad: ASU – W.P. Carey School of Business
“I am looking forward to covering the elite athletes from around the world that have the opportunity to earn the title as the best on the planet in their respective sport. I am also looking forward to trying new foods and seeing the melting pot of cultures mingling together in one large city.”
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Jaclyn Chung, Photo
Age: 21
Hometown: Torrance, California
Year: Senior
“What I love about the Olympics is that athletes train for so many hours for years to just compete in this one event. I am most looking forward to interviewing and interacting with these athletes because they inspire me tremendously. I am excited to be in that atmosphere.”
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Ryan Curry, Video
Age: 21
Hometown: Pleasant Hill, California
Year: Senior
“I have always loved the Olympics. Growing up, I admired how the athletes were able to represent their countries and compete against the world. In my first year at Arizona State, I spent a lot of time covering the ASU swim and water polo teams for the Walter Cronkite Sports Network. Working with those teams only lifted my interest in Olympic sports. Now that I have the chance to go to the Olympics, I am looking forward to reporting on some of the top athletes in the entire world.”
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Katie Faller, Web Production
Age: 21
Hometown: Cave Creek, Arizona
Year: Senior
“I am looking forward to pushing my boundaries and working under some serious pressure on such a prestigious stage, along with my other very talented teammates. I’m eager to cover athletes who never before got a chance to shine while also checking out the beautiful Rio de Janeiro and everything it has to offer. Here’s to international reporting and putting another notch in my travel belt!”
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Langston Fields, Photo
Age: 22
Hometown: Chandler, Arizona
Year: May 2016 Graduate
“My name is Langston Fields, and I am a recent graduate of the Cronkite School. I was born in Chicago, Illinois but grew up in Chandler, Arizona. My focus and passion in journalism is video and long-form storytelling. I have always had a passion for sports so having the chance to report and work at the Olympics is a once in a lifetime opportunity. I am most looking forward meeting all kinds of different people from around world and being able to tell the athlete’s stories and experience Brazilian culture.”
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Tyler Fingert, Video
Age: 21
Hometown: Weston, Florida
Year: Senior
“I am looking forward to experiencing Brazilian culture. I also hope I get the chance to see a few Olympic events.”
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Katherine Fitzgerald, Photo
Age: 24
Hometown: Timonium, Maryland
Year: Master’s Student
Undergrad: UNC Chapel Hill
“I am so excited to cover the intersection of sports and social issues at the largest international sporting event in the world. “
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Ao Gao, Video
Age: 26
Hometown: Beijing, China
Year: Master’s Student
Undergrad: ASU
“I mainly want to produce impressive feature videos. It’s always a great pleasure to come back again and see the Olympics from a new perspective. Reunion with some old friends and teammates is another great thing I’m looking forward to. I have seen some parts of the city and want to continue to explore Rio and experience the culture. (Goal: eat acai everyday since the day before yesterday and swim in the morning, so I wouldn’t drown after going back to the desert).”
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Allison Gargaro, Digital
Age: 20
Hometown: Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Year: Senior
“On my journey to Rio, I am most excited to interview Arizona athletes, telling their unique story on how they reached their ultimate goal. Each Olympian has a huge passion for their individual sport and Team USA. I am excited to walk the beautiful beaches of Rio and see the stunning views from the mountain tops. I also can’t wait to try the acai bowls, these originated in Brazil and are my favorite healthy snack!”
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Jamee Lind, Digital
Age: 22
Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona
Year: Senior
“I am super pumped to see in person what the Olympics will be like in Brazil, especially since this is the first time that a South American country has hosted the Games. I have never gone to such a unifying competition in my entire life, and I am thrilled to be able to see so many countries come together and compete in Brazil.”
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Zuriel Loving, Video
Age: 23
Hometown: Woodbury, Minnesota
Year: May 2016 Graduate
“I believed that I would one day be competing in the Olympics, so it was a dream come true when I found out I would be going to Rio! I am most excited about covering Pac-12 athletes and their representation of the Conference of Champions. I am also thrilled to immerse myself in Brazilian culture and to share the Olympic experience with everyone in the States!”
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Logan Newman, Digital
Age: 20
Hometown: Chandler, Arizona
Year: Senior
“I’m excited to experience a new culture, new food and meet new people. “
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Courtney Pedroza, Photo
Age: 20
Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona
Year: Senior
“Being able to photograph in Rio de Janeiro for the Olympic Games is such an incredible opportunity. History unfolds around us as the world comes together, and I am so excited to be a part of it. “
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Asia Poole, Web Production
Age: 22
Hometown: Antioch, California
Year: May 2016 Graduate
“I am most looking forward to seeing all of the culture Rio has to offer blend with all of the cultures the Olympics brings together.”
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Rochelle Romero, Digital
Age: 26
Hometown: Newark, California
Year: Master’s Student
Undergrad: San Francisco State University
“I’m looking forward to covering women’s soccer or “fútbol” in the first South American Olympics.”
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Jonathan Saxon, Digital
Age: 25
Hometown: Bowie, Maryland
Year: Master’s Student
Undergrad: Morehouse College
“I look forward to immersing myself in Rio and applying the skills and tricks I’ve learned at Cronkite to a real world setting. I also look forward to meeting and speaking with some of the greatest athletes in the world in order to bring their stories to a broader audience and to sharing the sights and sounds of Rio with the folks back home. “
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Louisa Stanwich, Web Production
Age: 20
Hometown: Oakton, Virginia
Year: Junior
“I’ve always wanted to take part in the Olympics and am so grateful for the opportunity to combine my interest in story-telling and the culture surrounding the Olympics.”
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Haley Stesiak, Digital
Age: 20
Hometown: South Bend, Indiana
Year: Junior
“Hearing about the group of Cronkite students that went to the 2012 Olympics in London was one of the big things that drew me to ASU. It’s so surreal that I now have this opportunity to make my own mark on Cronkite’s Olympics coverage. I can’t wait to learn from the faculty and other students, develop my own skills further, and tell the stories of some of the best athletes in the world!”
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Miranda Tomlinson, Web Production
Age: 21
Hometown: Columbus, Ohio
Year: Senior
“This will be the 15th country that I have visited and I am excited to see what the culture of the city is like, but I am most excited to see how the culture works in Rio when all 196 nations come together for the games.”
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Nicole Vasquez, Digital
Age: 21
Hometown: San Bernardino, California
Year: Senior
“Rio de Janeiro marks my first time ever stepping foot outside the U.S. I am looking forward to the adventure of crossing paths with other cultures and covering the Games that I never dreamed I’d be a part of.”
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Kristina Vicario, Video
Age: 21
Hometown: Duxbury, Massachusetts
Year: Master’s Student
Undergrad: Arizona State University
“To me, the Olympics is the culmination of nearly every athletes’ multi-year career dreams. To be in the absolute epicenter of that, with thousands of hyper talented individuals, each with endless stories that are yet to be told is the most exciting thing to me.”
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Sammy Witherwax, Video
Age: 20
Hometown: Phoenix, Arizona
Year: Senior
“I think this is a once in a lifetime experience and I am excited to learn about another country’s culture and environment. I am looking forward to getting the opportunity to talk to the athletes and hear their stories. They’ve been working their whole lives to get here, which is incredible, and I feel lucky to be given the chance to hear their stories first hand. Overall, I think this is going to be an amazing experience and I am honored to be part of the group representing Arizona.”
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Meet our editors
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Mark Lodato, Assistant Dean at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Communication; Associate General Manager for Innovation and Design
Hometown: Menlo Park, California
As assistant dean Mark Lodato supervises the Cronkite School’s broadcast and sports curriculum. As a member of the leadership team, his duties also include enrollment management and establishing new media partnerships and development. He previously led a group of students to London to report on the 2012 Summer Olympics. His journalism career includes more than 16 years as a television reporter in Washington, D.C., Arizona and Florida. He joined the Cronkite School in 2006.
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Brett Kurland, Director of the Phoenix Sports Bureau at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Communication; Professor of Practice
Hometown: Melville, New York
Brett Kurland is an Emmy Award-winning sports producer and multimedia entrepreneur with more than 16 years of experience producing content across a variety of platforms, ranging from mobile phones to broadcast television networks. Kurland’s work has included documentaries, features, live events and studio shows for networks, including ESPN, CBS, FOX, NBC, ABC, NFL Network, Big Ten Network, FOX Sports Net and NHL Network. He has worked at the Walter Cronkite School at ASU since 2012.
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Sarah Muench, Faculty Associate at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism & Mass Communication
Hometown: Cape Girardeau, Missouri
Sarah Muench is an Emmy Award-winning interactive video producer, digital media publisher, editor, journalist, entrepreneur and faculty associate at ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. With more than 11 years of experience in journalism and communication, Muench has worked as a reporter for La Voz and the Arizona Republic, an editor for Gannett and a communications consultant and director for the Mayor of Phoenix, state legislature and a Congressional campaign. She is the owner and publisher of the largest cycling events website in the nation, clippedin.bike, which features news and resources about bicycle racing in the U.S. A proud Sun Devil, she holds a Master of Science in global technology and development and Bachelor of Arts in journalism – both from ASU. She completed her Master’s thesis by traveling to Cuba in 2014 to research media development of the island nation before the normalization of relations with the U.S.
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