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The University of Vermont's Independent Voice Since 1883

The Vermont Cynic

The University of Vermont's Independent Voice Since 1883

The Vermont Cynic

The University of Vermont's Independent Voice Since 1883

The Vermont Cynic

2024-2025 Staff

Sophia Balunek
Editor-in-Chief

Sophia Balunek

(She/her) Sophia Balunek is a senior majoring in Geography with a minor in Wildlife Biology from Cleveland, Ohio. She joined the Cynic her first-year as a staff photographer, then became Photo Editor her sophomore year, and...

Maxine Thornton
Managing Editor

Maxine Thornton

(She/her) Maxine Thornton is a junior English major from Nyack, N.Y and serves as the managing editor at the Vermont Cynic. She started at the Cynic as a features staff writer before serving as features editor in 2023. In ...

Frances Flood
Operations Manager

Frances Flood

(She/her) Frances Flood is a senior business administration major with a concentration in marketing and a theme in sustainable business, along with a studio art minor. This is her first role at the Vermont Cynic as the operations...

Zoe Bertsch
Copy Chief

Zoe Bertsch

(She/her)  Zoe Bertsch is a senior political science major from Portland, Maine with minors in public communication and statistics. Zoe started at the Cynic in the web design section before moving into copy editing. When ...

Liliana Mefford
Features Editor

Liliana Mefford

(She/her) Liliana Mefford is junior political science major with minors in economics and Spanish from Madison, WI. She started at the Cynic as a features writer, then assistant features editor, and now features editor. Outside...

News Editor

Noah Diedrich

(he/him) Noah Diedrich is a senior history and english double major from Arlington, Vermont. He became a Cynic news reporter as a sophomore. When not writing news stories, Noah enjoys playing basketball, listening to music,...

Grace Wang
Culture Editor

Grace Wang

(She/her)  Grace Wang is a junior environmental science major with a minor in reporting & documentary storytelling from Ann Arbor, MI. Throughout her time with the Cynic, she has been a culture staff writer and photograp...

Ayelet Kaminski
Opinion Editor

Ayelet Kaminski

(She/her) Ayelet Kaminski is a junior microbiology major and psychology minor from New Haven, CT. She started at the Cynic as a columnist in the fall of 2022 and quickly fell in love with the opinion section. In her free ti...

Co-Photo Editor

Alex Strand

(she/her) Alex Strand is a sophomore majoring in biology with a minor in Reporting and Documentary Storytelling. She started on the Cynic as a staff photographer and features writer before becoming a photo editor. Outside of...

Annalisa Madonia
Co-Photo Editor

Annalisa Madonia

(She/her)  Annalisa Madonia is a junior majoring in public communication with minors in food systems, applied design and nutrition and food sciences. She joined the Cynic as a staff photographer before taking on the role of ...

Illustrations Editor

Alex Porier

(He/him) Alex Porier is a currently undeclared sophomore from Charlotte, NC. He joined the Cynic illustrations team in the fall of 2023 and became the illustrations editor in the fall of 2024. In his free time, he enjoys creating...

Emma Dinsmore
Digital Media Editor

Emma Dinsmore

(She/her) Emma Dinsmore is a senior elementary education major and political science minor from Queensbury, New York. She has been an Opinion Columnist for the Cynic since the fall of 2021, and became the Digital Media Editor...

Charlotte Burns
Podcast Editor

Charlotte Burns

(She/her) Charlotte Burns is a senior from Seattle, Wash., studying public communication, writing and history. She joined the Cynic in the spring of 2023 as the voice and writer of the Cynic Roundup podcast and is thrilled...

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