Elyse Toribio

Ramapo College of New Jersey

Elyse Toribio has been curious about journalism since she was a little girl in New York City — an interest that took her to the quiet, leafy campus of Ramapo College in northern New Jersey, where she is a senior majoring in communication arts with a concentration in journalism.

As the news industry has evolved in the last decade, so have Toribio’s news diet and reporting focus. She reads blogs and personal websites, and connects to social media. She reports with all these platforms in mind, but no matter the medium, she said, she remains committed to cover a story objectively, tell all sides and be accurate.

“I’ve seen problems with people not telling the truth a lot of times, so I think that’s my main goal,” Toribio said.

Toribio is the editor-in-chief of her student newspaper, The Ramapo News. Under her guidance, the weekly paper is creating a website and has been expanding to social media. Before becoming editor-in-chief, she held several positions, including copy editor, staff writer and news editor.

In the coming semester, she is looking forward to the responsibility of leading the newsroom.

“I like to see what everyone else is writing, and when you work on your own thing you’re so focused on sources and interviews that you don’t check out other people’s work,” Toribio said. “As an editor you get to check it out.”

As part of The New York Times Student Journalism Institute, she is most excited about covering a large, new city.

“I hope to get more experience getting my feet wet essentially, because all I’ve had to cover is a very small community,” Toribio said. “This is my chance to actually get out to places I’m not familiar with and talk with people I don’t know.”

- Michelle A. Monroe