Applications to be a Peer Advisor for the 2025-26 school year are OPEN! Students get academic credit, a chance to be a leader in the department and help their peers navigate being a journalism or public relations student at UMass. Applications are due March 26 and students can apply here.
Visit the Journalism and PR Peer Advisors to learn more about the concentrations we offer, how to get involved on campus, assistance with scholarship applications, what courses to take next semester, and more!
Each peer advisor has weekly office hours in ILC S408 (down the hall as you walk in the main doors to the department, second door on the right).
Current peer advisor hours are:
Mondays: 10 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Tuesdays: 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Wednesdays: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Thursdays: 10:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.
General Journalism
Nathan Legare
Nathan Legare is a senior at the University of Massachusetts from Petersham, MA double-majoring in Human Geography and Journalism with a certificate in Geographic Information Science and Technology (GIST). He is an Assistant Social Media Editor and Staff Writer at the Massachusetts Daily Collegian, with published articles in the newspaper's Arts & Living, News, and Op/Ed sections. Outside of the Collegian, he is the percussion section leader of the UMass Concert Band, playing xylophone, vibraphone, marimba, and more.
Aalianna Marietta
Aalianna Marietta is a senior Journalism student and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies minor in the Honors college. When she’s not in class, Marietta writes for the Arts and News sections of the Collegian and freelances for the Greenfield Recorder. Marietta hopes to write profiles and long-form narrative pieces for arts and culture magazines. She is looking forward to helping students find their voice and their path at UMass. Outside of journalism, she loves to draw, listen to Maggie Rogers, go to Chili's with friends, and FaceTime her sister when she's supposed to be doing homework.
Emma Morneweck
Emma Morneweck is a sophomore double majoring in Communications and Journalism. She wanted to be a peer advisor to create a comfortable environment for fellow students to reach out and navigate the Journalism major. She loves going to the ILC to study and going for walks around campus.
Victoria Wan
Victoria Wan is a senior double majoring in Journalism and English. They also write and assist with editing for The Rebirth Project, a BIPOC student-led publication, one of the department’s many outlets for journalists and writers; their work has also been published in The Scribe’s Fall 2023 edition. They’re excited to be a peer mentor and assist during students’ academic journeys with the Journalism department. As Audre Lorde once said, “Revolution is not a one-time event.”
Public Relations
Leah Patenotte
Leah Patenotte is a sophomore Journalism major with a PR concentration and a minor in IT. She is a member of the UMass Chapter of PRSSA. She’s excited to be a peer mentor because she enjoys helping people and wants to show students all the ways the Journalism department can assist with students’ career and academic aspirations.
Sports Journalism
Kayla Gregoire
Kayla Gregoire is a senior Sports Journalism major with a minor in Political Science. She is an Assistant Sports and Copy Editor for the Massachusetts Daily Collegian and has interned with the Cape Cod Baseball League. Currently, she is a pro/high school sports intern with MassLive.com. Gregoire became a peer advisor because she remembered not knowing exactly what classes to take and wanted to help others navigate a new chapter of their lives at UMass.
Elizabeth Lombardo
Elizabeth Lombardo is a Sport Management and Sport Journalism double major. Lombardo is an intern with UMass Athletics on its Creative Content Team and is a member of Women in Sport Management (WISM). In her free time, she enjoys watching true crime shows with her friends and going on long walks around campus. She wanted to be a peer mentor because she wanted to help students on their journey as a journalism student and answer any questions they may have.