Ify Ezinwa: With over 2 decades experience in electronic and print media, Ify Ezinwa’s desire to take her career to the next level led her to become part of the Columbia Journalism School documentary community. She chose a long time ago to work as an independent journalist / filmmaker, and knew that her grad school choice had to be in sync with her personal mantra “if you want to be the best, be trained by the best.” She is the founder and CEO of Echoes Media Projects, publishers of Echoes Africa magazine, and producers of Echoes from the Valley, a TV series broadcast in New York and Africa.

Email: ifyezinwa@gmail.com

Sara Hopkins specializes in character-driven films with an interest in stories about art, identity, and familial relationships. Before attending J-School, she was a staff editor/associate producer at an independent production company, Key+Kitestring. While there, she created videos designed to drive donor engagement while reinforcing narratives of self-empowerment within refugee communities in Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, and Lebanon. In addition to editing long and short form work, she has created trailers and graphics for the documentaries Circle Up, Life Without Basketball, and SISU. Sara wants to continue to combine fine arts with journalism.

Email: skh2153@columbia.edu