SoC News

A Neuroscientist with a Passion for Journalism

By STEPHANIE CEVERINO AND HYEONJI KIM

CNJ216

Posted on Apr. 29, 2008

After seven years playing the clarinet, Miami Hurricane news editor Karyn Meshbane never thought that writing a story for the school newspaper would give two Chartwells workers their job back.

Meshbane had no plans of working in a newspaper when she arrived at UM, but after writing that story, she realized the power of effective news writing in producing change.

“I just felt like those employees weren’t treated fairly, and I wanted to get the university’s reaction,” Meshbane said. “What’s important to me is doing something where I can have the most impact,” she said. “I just don’t like doing things that I feel don’t make a difference on anyone.”

Meshbane graduates this May with a major in neuroscience and minors in chemistry and journalism. Initially she wanted to pursue a career in research at UM, but due to the journalism experience she has gotten over the years, scientific research is not her priority anymore.

“I feel sometimes writing about things, and informing people in terms they can understand, is almost better than spending your whole life in one science project,” she said.

Meshbane had taken two journalism classes before publishing her first article as a junior at UM. That’s all it took her to realize her passion for journalism. A couple of months later, she applied for the assistant news editor position. She started the job that spring break and became news editor for the Miami Hurricane in the fall.

“Karyn has elevated the news section to a new level by making everyone work harder and making sure everything is appropriate and correct in the articles,” Greg Linch, editor-in-chief of the Miami Hurricane, said. “I always tell her that she did a much better job than me when I was news editor.”

Meshbane said she devotes her personal time and effort in order for “the Hurricane to be reputable and our image to constantly grow.”

Karyn’s Family

Karyn’s Professors

By JUSTIN LICHTENSTAEDTER and VICTORIA GENUARDI

When asked about Karyn Meshbane, her professors and advisors were not shy about singing the praises of one of the hardest working, dedicated students they had ever met. The most common words used to describe her were, “caring,” “compassionate” and “sense of humor.”

Bob Radziewicz

Bob Radziewicz is the advisor to the Miami Hurricane and works with Karyn on a weekly basis. After reading one of her stories, he knew she was special. Two Chartwells employees were wrongfully fired for not filing the correct paperwork after returning from a sick leave. “Karyn wrote the story and two weeks later, the university and Chartwells not only hired them back at full back pay but they changed their policy so something like that can’t happen.” One of the employee’s wives had cancer and lost his medical benefits after being fired and could not afford his wife’s chemo treatment. “Karyn really was a heroine for those people, and when I saw that it was like, this young lady really knows what it’s about and our relationship blossomed since then.”

Bruce Garrison

Professor Garrison taught Karyn last spring in CNJ 216 and traveled with her to China on an abroad program. He has followed her progress. Since Karyn has taken over as the editor of The Hurricane, “I’ve seen the quality of the news section increase.” Professor Garrison does not solely attribute this to her editing abilities. “I know Karyn is taking great advantage of having Bob (Radziewicz) as a resource.” On top of using her resources wisely, “I think through her own initiative she has developed a group of writers that she works with, too, and I think that’s helped her be very productive as an editor this year,” Garrison said. “If she had gotten involved a little bit sooner, she might have been a candidate to run the paper.”

Samuel Terilli

Professor Terilli has taught Karyn in a news ethics class this semester. “Whenever there’s an ethical issue with anything involving the press and law and it might possibly relate to the Miami Hurricane, I anoint her our representative,” Terilli said. “Sometimes I like to see if I can rattle her or at least surprise that front row.” During one session, Juicy Campus was the topic of discussion and “one of the entries claimed that someone was shooting pornography in one of the UM dormitories.” Someone in the class logged on to the porn website and was able to confirm that it was in fact being shot in a UM dorm room. Professor Terilli not only “rattled” Karyn but himself, too. “As I recall, I, Karyn, and several others probably turned several shades of red.”

Dr. Victoria Noriega

Dr. Noriega is Karyn’s neuroscience advisor. As a neuroscience major, Karyn needs 130 credits, 10 more than the average student needs to graduate. “Given the rigors of the neuroscience program, it’s unusual for a student to embark on additional minors,” Noriega said. “Not only has she completed the journalism minor, she’s completed more classes than were needed for that.” Karyn has been able to take on this daunting workload and has still made time for her work at the Hurricane. Dr. Noriega believes she is able to do this because of her attitude. “She just always seems to be upbeat and capable.”

A Day in the Life

Karyn’s Friends

By LAURA FUNK and BROOK FRAZIER

Caring, thoughtful and dedicated are only a few of the words used to describe Karyn Meshbane. All her friends say she always goes out of her way to help someone in need. They say her easy-going nature allows her to deal with many different situations, in a mature and patient way. The consensus is that Karyn is an “all around great girl,” who can balance better than anyone all parts of her life, including her friends, family, boyfriend, school and work at the Hurricane.

Brian Gerstle—Karyn’s boyfriend of about a year
Karyn is “really mature” and “knows how to handle things. We almost never fight about things because we communicate very well,” he said. “We can always talk to each other about everything. She goes out of her way to care for people, for example, by planning a surprise birthday party for her roommate, Heidi. Gerstle said Karyn always likes to be involved, especially with the newspaper. “She enjoys what she does. It’s kind of like her passion.”

Nayda Verier-Taylor—Karyn’s friend, who also shares a desk with her at the Hurricane
Something that stands out about Karyn is her patience in the newsroom, Verier-Taylor said. “She’s usually the most patient.” Karyn is also “very thoughtful.” She said before they were friends, Karyn got her a birthday present that was completely unexpected. “She really cares.” Verier-Taylor said Karyn always wants to know more about things. “She’s brilliant and very smart.” She’s an “assertive person” but also easy-going in that “she’s not set in her ways.” “Everyone who comes around Karyn learns something,” Verier-Taylor said. “I wish I had the chance to meet Karyn before my last year in college. I feel like I’m a better person for getting to know her.”

Kelli Columbo—Karyn’s friend from sixth grade and current roommate
Columbo met Karyn on their bus ride to school and always thought of her as a “really friendly” person. She said Karyn “manages to be assertive but also compromising” at the same time by “being able to get along well with lots of different people.” Columbo feels Karyn really grew over the past 10 years they have known each other. “She’s mastered being true to herself and admitting what she likes and doesn’t like,” Columbo said. “She has a true heart.”

Heidi Shrier—Karyn’s friend of about four years and current roommate
“We met on the first day and have been friends ever since,” Shrier said. “She’s one of the most dedicated and caring friends that I have.” Shrier said Karyn is not only dedicated to her friends but “everything that she does, most importantly the newspaper.” She said Karyn gets excited every week when the newspaper comes out. “She spends so much time and effort.” Shrier said Karyn is “always happy and is always sweet to everyone. She doesn’t have a mean bone in her body.”

Cody Rothschild—Karyn’s friend of about two and a half years and current roommate
Rothschild said Karyn is “nice, thoughtful and really helpful.” Rothschild said that while she was still studying abroad, Karyn talked to residence halls and helped her get housing at UM for when she returned. “She’s really sweet and makes people feel welcomed and comfortable,” Rothschild said. “She tries to engage you.” She said Karyn does her best to ask questions to try and find out what’s going on when her friends are upset. “When I’m upset, she knows,” Rothschild said. “She’s a good friend.”

Taylor Murphy—Studied abroad in China with Karyn
Murphy said they “were always laughing in China.” Murphy recalls her funniest memory with Karyn in China when Karyn wore sneakers in the rain and ended up taking them off and going barefoot. “Everyone was staring at her. It was really funny.” Karyn is the type of girl that can, and will, laugh at herself, Murphy said. “She just laughs at awkward situations. It’s part of her easy going nature.” Murphy has never heard Karyn say anything bad about anybody. She is an “all around great girl.” In class, the two joke around and have a good time. “Karyn offers me relief from the monotony from the journalism classes we have to take together.” In addition to her playfulness, she’s also a hard working student. “She’s very confident in her ability as a student and a reporter, even though that’s only her minor.”

Ashley Cicconi—Karyn’s good friend
It was Karyn’s friendship that helped make Ashley Cicconi’s freshmen year easier. They lived on the same floor in Stanford. “She was actually from the same area as Florida as me and we both did IB [International Baccalaureate, a pre-university educational program], so we both found each other and bonded over that,” Cicconi said. She will always remember their winter trip to Atlanta with another friend, Natasha. “We went to the aquarium, and we did all this stupid stuff, but it was amazing,” she said. “I’m so proud of the fact that she’s also pursuing her love for journalism,” Cicconi said, “It’s incredible.”

Natasha Mobed—Karyn’s best friend since freshmen year
“She’s a really open hearted person. Everybody will agree that Karyn is always smiling, even when she’s having the worst day,” Mobed said. She recalls Karyn telling her that she got her wisdom teeth pulled and feeling really weird because she couldn’t smile for three days. Being involved in so many campus activities and events, “Karyn always makes time for her friends, roommates, and boyfriend no matter what,” said Mobed, who is amazed at how Karyn manages to juggle so many things and still get good grades. “She puts a lot on her plate and always does it well.” On graduation, Mobed said that she and Karyn will not separate. “In college you meet a crap-load of people, and you’re probably not gonna see half of them after graduation, but I will not let that happen with Karyn,” Mobed said. After college, Mobed jokingly said, “Brian’s not gonna take her from me.”