ABOUT
We are The Beacon.
We are the staff and reporters for the news site of Palm Beach Atlantic University's School of Communication and Media. In addition to reporting on college-related news, we focus on localizing current issues, bringing attention to community events and highlighting stories from people who need to be heard.
Staff
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McKay Campbell
Co-Editor-in-Chief
McKay Campbell moved from Nashville, Tennessee in August 2020 to pursue a journalism degree. Now a senior, she enjoys writing people-focused pieces from around the West Palm Beach area and beyond. Campbell loves to travel and hopes to one day live abroad as a freelance journalist. While traveling, she enjoys documenting trips through portrait photography to capture different people from all over the world. Apart from journalism, she hopes to one day be on CBS’ Survivor.
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Madison Bakatsias
Copy Editor
Madison Bakatsias is a sophomore studying journalism. Originally from Sterling, Virginia, Bakatsias found her passion for journalism while working as the Editor-in-Chief of her high school's yearbook team. She hopes to one day have her own platform where she can travel to meet people and tell their stories.
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Jasmine Lien
Co-Editor-in-Chief
Jasmine Lien is a senior majoring in journalism. She assists with copy editing, manages the website and edits broadcast videos. Although Lien originally chose to study journalism because of her passion for writing, Lien currently appreciates how reporting gives her the opportunity to learn about different cultures and perspectives from within the community.
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Daniella Parra
Social Media Manager
Daniella Parra is a senior majoring in communications with a minor in journalism. Writing has always been a big passion of hers. Being a reporter for The Beacon Today has given Parra the opportunity to make connections with people and continue to develop a strong transmission suite that aligns with her outgoing personality. She has won awards in the areas of speech and video feature pieces. Parra focuses on local engagement and networking, as well as building trusted relationships with the community. She hopes to become a published author and grow as a news anchor.
Reporters
Reporters
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Luiza Desouza
Luiza Desouza is a student reporter at Palm Beach Atlantic University.
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Osvaldo Godoy
Osvaldo Godoy, originally from Argentina, is a junior majoring in journalism, with a minor in sports broadcasting. His goal is to one day cover a soccer World Cup, the Olympic Games, and/or a tennis Grand Slam. He hosted a ten-episode podcast on Spotify titled “Jóvenes Promesas,” in which he interviewed young promising athletes from Argentina. He also did an internship at Mundoalbiceleste.com, a website that covers Argentina’s soccer national team.
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Alisa Koryagina
Alisa Koryagina is a junior majoring in journalism. She loves doing interviews and getting to know people while learning their stories. She dreams of working in the gaming journalism industry, such as IGN, where she can combine her passion for video gaming and writing.
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Cooper Ray
Cooper Ray is a student reporter at Palm Beach Atlantic University.
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Grace Sigler
Grace Sigler is a junior majoring in English and minoring in journalism. She is passionate about writing, editing, storytelling, and hearing the stories of those in her local community. Grace is excited to continue writing for The Beacon Today and hopes to uplift others through sharing their stories and giving them a platform to voice their points of view. She enjoys writing about human rights-related issues and likes to focus on topics that empower and enlighten others. This year she hopes to gain more experience in her fields of interest and explore the various job opportunities available within the writing and editing industry.
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Veronica Vaughan
Veronica Vaughan is a sophomore from Denver, Colorado. She is a journalism major and intercultural studies minor. Veronica’s love for photography and writing lead her to want to pursue photojournalism. She hopes to do war photography and travel all over the world one day. Along with photojournalism, Veronica is also passionate about lifestyle videos and hopes to create content for YouTube channels such as Vox and VICE.
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Gianna D'Occhio
Gianna D'Occhio is a freshman from Watertown, Connecticut. She is a journalism major, and an English minor. D'Occhio loves to read and write, and is drawn to personal pieces here in West Palm Beach. She hopes to become an author or publisher of novels, and to travel the world to learn about different cultures.
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Hedda Jarhall
Hedda Jarhall is a sophomore from Sweden. She is majoring in journalism and plays soccer at PBA. She is passionate about hearing people's stories and sharing them through print pieces. She aspires to work at the United Nations and travel to many places worldwide as a journalist.
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Grace Mackey
Grace Mackey is a student reporter at Palm Beach Atlantic University.
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Leah Reger
Leah Reger is a student reporter at Palm Beach Atlantic University.
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Kalie Thacker
Kalie Thacker is a freshman from Lincoln, Nebraska. She is majoring in journalism with a double minor in graphic arts and communications. During her free time, she enjoys photography, trying new restaurants, listening to music on the beach and playing ping pong. She also loves to travel to new places and experience different cultures. Kalie hopes to eventually become a social media manager for a company or church.
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Jordan Wolfe
Jordan Wolfe is a senior from Northern Virginia majoring in journalism. She enjoys writing print pieces, as well as photojournalism. Wolfe aspires to explore the world and report for a travel magazine, such as Lonely Planet or National Geographic.
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Sarah Gale
Sarah Gale is a freshman journalism major and pre-law minor from East Texas. While interning for her town’s newspaper, the Jefferson Jimplecute, she discovered a love for writing. She is passionate about fashion, art, and food stories and editorials. Gale aims to use her future degree to help talented minorities gain exposure in the press.
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Ashlyn Knaebel
From Daytona Beach, Florida, Ashlyn Knaebel came to PBA with a major in education, but changed it to communications with a minor in journalism during her sophomore year. Knaebel has always enjoyed writing and cannot wait to use that love and passion for The Beacon Today. She also loves meeting new people, interacting with them and learning more from them than she would have ever learned on her own.
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Daniella Pacheco
Daniella Pacheco is a sophomore majoring in journalism with a minor in communications. Originally from Acworth, Georgia, she has a passion for hearing people’s stories and bringing them to life in print. Her love for writing peaked in high school, which lead her to pursue journalism in college. She hopes to travel the world and provide exposure to different people groups, cultures, and places.
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Matthew Sargent
Matthew Sargent is a senior from West Palm Beach, Florida. A double major in sports broadcasting and journalism, he aspires to work as an anchor on a sports network or beat writer in the sports media sector.
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Matias Valenzuela
Matias Valenzuela Matic is a junior from Santiago, Chile. He is majoring in journalism and is part of PBA's soccer team. He is interested in sports and enjoys listening and sharing people stories. He aspires to be a professional soccer player or a sports journalist.
Faculty Advisor

Jiehua Zhang
Dr. Jiehua Zhang is an assistant professor of journalism and communication at Palm Beach Atlantic University. She worked in the news industry for more than 15 years, including 11 years with the Wall Street Journal Chinese site.