50 years after 13 seconds that changed Kent State forever, we reflect
Through this project, we, current students of Kent State, relay our own views of the May 4th shootings through words, photographs and videos.
When we took on this project, we wanted to connect to the fearless protesters of 1970. And we wanted to tell stories that haven’t been heard before.
As the 50th anniversary of the day the National Guard killed four unarmed students on our campus nears, we realize we’re shifting further and further from such a pivotal era in American activism. Time moves so quickly and quietly, and we cannot risk forgetting a tragedy like this. It’s one we still seek answers to today. We want to be the keepers of history, to pass this story on.
Meet Us
Valerie Royzman lives in Kent, Ohio, where she studies journalism and writes poetry at Kent State. She enjoys longform stories and personal essays, and hopes to pursue more of them after she graduates.
Mariah Hicks, a recent graduate of Kent State University, is a passionate and enthusiastic creative. She’s a self-published author of a poetry book and hopes to continue weaving words together to tell stories around the world. She aims to heal others through the work she creates.
Nathaniel Bailey is a student at Kent State, where he studies photojournalism. He loves telling long-term stories through photographs. When he doesn’t have a camera in hand, you can typically find him outdoors either on foot or on a bike.
Taylor Patterson is a multimedia storyteller, teacher and poet currently based in Northeast Ohio. She graduated from Kent State in May 2019. She can be reached at tleepatter@gmail.com
Faith Riggs is a Detroit native who loves to write and report on fashion, culture and women. In her free time she loves creating content for her site, festivelyfaith.com.
McKenna Corson is a recent Kent State graduate and aspiring international reporter. She hopes to travel the world and find a job doing something she loves and makes her happy.
Abigail Miller lives in Kent, Ohio where she studies journalism, public relations and fashion media. In her free time, she loves to spend time with friends, read books and listen to music. 
Nicole Novak 
Hailee Carlin, a recent graduate from Kent State University, is an avid reader of fashion and beauty magazines and hopes to work for one. She hopes to move somewhere that’s always above 60 degrees.
Chad Flannery is a recent Kent State graduate and writer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is passionate about sports and will be pursuing a career in sports media.
Lyric Aquino is a journalist and anthropologist. She strives to bring truth and knowledge to the public and enjoys the craft of writing. 
Megan Ayscue, a recent Kent State graduate, love to write and tell stories about unique people, places and experiences. After four years reporting at Kent State, she is moving on to tell narratives of the world. 
Austin Mariasy is a multimedia storyteller with experience in podcasts, written stories, photo projects and more His passion is in sports but he has experience with multiple other subject matters. He graduated from Kent State in May 2019.
Devon Keller 
Zack Davis is a student at Kent State studying journalism. He loves telling stories visually through photographs and videos. He loves driving his car and traveling, and is all about spreading positivity to those around him. 
Kathryn Monsewicz is a self-published author and practicing journalist from Northeastern Ohio. Her passion lies with the beauty in art and the power of storytelling.
Henry Palattella is a recent graduate from Kent State’s school of journalism. He is a sports reporter who enjoys telling athlete’s stories in a longform format. He is also a big fan of Raising Cane’s. 
Alina Howard 
Cameron Hoover is a recent Kent State graduate. He loves to write about sports, movies and the people who make those things possible.
Adriona Murphy is a storyteller and recent Kent State graduate. She will be moving to Florida to pursue a career in public relations.
Nick Cammett 
Allie Sarachene studies journalism and fashion media at Kent State University. She has written for A Magazine and CollegeFashionista. After graduation, she will move to New York City to work in communications for New York & Company. 
Shelbie Goulding is a recent Kent State graduate and writer from Indiana. She is passionate about feature-style reporting and loves to travel.
Ashley Torres is a recent graduate from Kent State, earning her master’s degree in magazine journalism. When she’s not drinking coffee, you can find her getting to know people and telling their stories. 
Jeremy Brown is a photojournalism student with an emphasis on creative writing, photography and videography. He aspires to present people with new insights into the world of travel.
Kristen Jones is a Mantua, Ohio native who graduated in May 2019. She lives in Columbus, Ohio and has pursued a career in boudoir photography and women’s rights documentary work.
Samantha Karabec is an undergraduate Kent State University student. She’s interested in photography and storytelling through all different types of media.
Jared Mullen is a student at Kent State studying Digital Media Productions. He is interested in working on set for feature films, tv shows and music videos. Jared loves storytelling and creating in many different types of mediums, next to film he also enjoys photography, motion graphics, and visual arts.
Anu Sharma is a recent photojournalism graduate. Her latest project includes documenting a local drag queen. When she’s not out shooting she’s finding new music on Spotify and making memes with Adobe Creative Cloud.
Tyler Haughn is a Kent State undergraduate student majoring in journalism and anthropology. He aims to one day work as a professional science communicator/writer .
Cameron Gorman is a poet, writer and journalist living in Ohio. She is a recent graduate of Kent State University and is pursuing her MFA at The Ohio State University.
Not pictured:
Taylor Robinson is a Kent State senior studying journalism. She is passionate about creative writing and feature magazine writing.
Portraits by Kristen Jones
Also not pictured:
Miranda Kiner is a recent Kent State graduate. She is moving to Florida where she plans on pursuing a career in communications and photography.
Sara Donato is a Digital Media Productions major at Kent State University, minoring in photojournalism and advertising. She plans on graduating Spring 2020 and dedicating her life to helping people in anyway she can.
Hailey Coles is a Photojournalism minor and Fashion Design Major at Kent State University. She loves photographing motocross racing, sports, portraits and her rescue dog Peppa. She is a bubbly outgoing person who enjoys being outdoors at all hours of the day.
Jermaine Jackson is a senior photojournalism student at Kent State University. Jackson is from Chicago, Illinois and uses photography to express emotion while putting an emphasis on color and space. Portraits are his forte but is able to photograph almost anything.
Jon Sepchinski is a Photojournalism major at Kent State University. He loves photography and he wants to further his career in Sports Journalism and Freelance work.
Nyla Henderson is a senior Journalism major with a Pan-African studies minor. She is an up and coming rap artist from Youngstown, Ohio who uses her afrocentric roots and journalist talents to merge both art and passion into any of her endeavors. Nyla served as a videographer and video editor for the May 4th project.
John Conley is a junior at Kent State University, studying Journalism. He enjoys sports and wants to continue his career in sports journalism. He found an interest in photography at Kent State and wants to combine that along with journalism.