Meet the Team

You can contact us with feedback or story ideas at storybench@gmail.com

Senior staff

Marian Siljeholm

Editor

Marian Siljeholm is a second year Master's student in the Media Innovation & Data Communication program. Her background is as a multimedia storyteller whose career has spanned documenting humanitarian aid efforts around the world, helping businesses small and large throughout New England share their unique stories, and capturing life’s most meaningful moments for families and couples.

Dan Zedek

Faculty Advisor

Dan Zedek is a Professor of the Practice at the Northeastern University School of Journalism where he leads the Media Innovation Studio. The former design director of The Boston Globe, he runs a design and content strategy studio.

Assistant editors

Vivica Dsouza

Vivica Dsouza is a grad student at Northeastern's Media Innovation program. She has a background in public relations and communications. She is passionate about the AI and journalism space, and data/ digital journalism. Lately, she has been reporting on the underserved community in Boston. She enjoys naps and hiking.

Namira Haris

Namira Haris is an assistant editor at Storybench, where she reports on the tools, practices, and ideas shaping digital storytelling and data journalism. Her work focuses on the intersection of visual design, technology, and editorial decision-making, with a particular interest in how audiences perceive credibility and trust in data-driven stories. She is a graduate student in Media Innovation and Data Communication at Northeastern University. Outside of journalism, she enjoys cooking and gaming, and is especially interested in narrative-driven games like The Last of Us.

Anastasiia Boltkova

Anastasiia Boltkova is a first-year graduate student in Media Innovation and Data Communication at Northeastern with a background in Advertising and Public Relations. She loves digital storytelling, data, and exploring the impact of AI on modern media. She has experience working with an Artificial Intelligence Studio as a content creator. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with friends, wandering through the city, and she is constantly trying to improve her sleep schedule.

Emily Glick

Emily Glick is a graduate student in Northeastern University’s Media Innovation and Data Communication program, where she’s exploring visual investigative journalism and design. Before grad school, she worked as a photojournalist and taught political storytelling in the West Bank. In her spare time, Emily likes to rock climb, watercolor paint and read.