Meet the Staff

Alyson Peabody

Editor-in-Chief

Alyson is a Senior fine art major. She joined the Free Press in October 2018 as a staff writer and became News Editor in February 2019. Her play I Forgot to Knock was performed by Cold Comfort Theater at the Belfast Festival of Short Plays 2019. Her poetry can be found in Volumes 11 and 13 of The Island Reader. She has self-published four poetry anthologies: Gardens, Crimson, Idio(t)syncrasies, and Pink Heron.

Kate Rogers

News Editor

Kate is a senior majoring in media studies with a focus in journalism and social media. They have worked at the Free Press for two years as a writer and now editor. The future is uncertain, but writing will always be a constant in their life, as well as a passion for media arts of all kinds.

In case you were wondering, their cat is called Gilbert and he is passionate about eating grass.

Zoe Bernardi

Community Editor

Zoe is entering her sophomore year here at USM, with a double major in Communications and Media Studies. Zoe is from upstate New York and wanted to move to Maine for school for a change in pace and to explore the lovely city of Portland. When she is not working on a new assignment, she enjoys spending her time with her friends, journaling, going on adventures and calling family and friends from home!

Cullen McIntyre

Sports Editor

Cullen is a sophomore Media Studies major along with a Sports Media Minor. He joined the Free Press last fall as a writer, before taking on Sports Editor last spring semester. He also writes for PrimeTimeSportsTalk.com and hosts a Boston Celtics podcast titled In The Rafters Podcast.

When he is not writing he is playing soccer, or coaching a 14u travel baseball team called the Maine Lightning.

Lydia Libby

Web Editor

Lydia is a Maine resident, who received her Associate’s Degree in Communication and Media Studies in 2018 from Southern Maine Community College. In September of 2017, Lydia started as an intern for NEWS CENTER Maine. Lydia began working for NEWS CENTER Maine as a digital content producer in December of 2017. In the Fall of 2018, Lydia began her Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media Studies at the University of Southern Maine, where she found herself working for the Free Press as the Web Editor. In her free time, Lydia enjoys doing yoga- whether it be vinyasa, yin, goat, kitten, or aerial yoga- she loves it all. Lydia also loves taking photos with her Canon 70D. Lydia is set to graduate in the Spring of 2020.

Dionne Smith

Director of Photography

Dionne is a junior majoring in psychology and minoring in education. As the Director of Photography, he is in charge of all photographic material that goes into the paper. Dionne first took up photography in his junior year of high school and immediately connected with it. He purchased his own camera in 2016 and has been working hard creating material and improving his technique.

Jenasa Staples
Staff Writer

My name is Jenasa Staples and I Iive in Brunswick with my four year old son. I am in my last semester as a major in Health Science. I have been one of those students that didn’t know what they wanted to do in life which encouraged me to change my degree or ideas repeatedly over the past few years. I finally decided to stick with the Health Science degree and throughout this journey I have found my purpose, my true calling, what makes my soul sing, and that is writing. Now I am in my last semester finishing the last class I need for my major as well as taking two writing classes and writing for the Free Press. I am so excited to expand my knowledge in writing and learn what styles works best for me.

Dakota Tibbetts

Design Director