Elizabeth Bandelin is a graduate of Dordt University with degrees in Journalism and Criminal Justice and the CN intern with The Federalist. She served as Editor-in-Chief of her school’s newspaper, The Diamond, and is thrilled for the publication to join the Collegiate Network this year. She enjoys being active, traveling to new places, and exploring the outdoors. In her spare time, she plays the cello and also likes to try her hand at learning new hobbies like crochet or calligraphy. 

David Brady is an undergraduate student of economics at Florida Southern College and a summer intern at The American Conservative. He is interested in the intellectual history of the American Right, tracing its evolution from the Old Right through the post-war era, with a particular focus on the history of American noninterventionism. David has previously served as a Summer Research Fellow and Apprentice at the Mises Institute, as well as a Hazlitt Fellow at the Foundation for Economic Education. His work has appeared in Modern Age, The American Mind, The American Conservative, and the Mises Institute. 

Anastasia Brown is a rising senior at Grove City College, where she studies English and Secondary Education with a concentration in Communications and a minor in International Studies. She has pursued her interest in journalism through her campus newspaper and other publications, including the ISI-sponsored Cogitare Magazine, where she will serve as editor-in-chief this fall. She also works as a writing fellow for GCC’s Center for Rural Ministry, which seeks to partner small churches across Western Pennsylvania and Ohio with resources and support. In the fall of 2025, Anastasia studied abroad at Oxford University as a visiting student at Oriel College. A native of Western Pennsylvania, she is passionate about building local community, an interest that has led her to intern with her community library and local Chamber of Commerce. This summer, she will be interning in Washington, D.C., where she will develop her news writing skills with The Spectator World. 

Francesca Cella is a rising senior studying English, Latin, and journalism at Hillsdale College. She is currently interning through The Heritage Foundation at the Daily Signal under the politics editor Bradley Devlin. On campus, Francesca works as the Student Director of Douglas H. Hawkins Academic Services and volunteers for the organization A Few Good Men. Francesca has written for New Guard Press and the Hillsdale Collegian and will be the opinions editor of the Collegian in the 2026-2027 school year. She participated in the 2025 JP2 Project Summer Fellowship in Kraków, Poland, and loves traveling to other countries. The oldest of seven children, Francesca grew up on an old farm in Ypsilanti, MI, where she enjoys gardening, running, and a good laugh. Her family became the largest family to live at post in the history of the U.S. State Department when they moved to Fiji for her father’s tenure as U.S. ambassador to five Pacific Island nations. 
 

Luca DeSanto is a sophomore at the University of Michigan studying Philosophy and Italian, with a minor in History. On campus, he is the editor-in-chief of the Michigan Review, plays for Michigan Men’s Rugby, and is a member of the Beta Alpha Rho Pre-Law fraternity. Through the Michigan Review, he has worked with ISI and the Collegiate Network extensively. Their guidance and mentorship have been crucial to not only growing the publication, but also in his own career. He will be interning with USA TODAY’s Opinion section. He plans to eventually attend law school, where he hopes to pursue a career in entertainment law. 

Sophia Mandt is a rising senior at Hillsdale College, where she studies sociology and social thought and journalism. Thanks to ISI’s Collegiate Network, she’ll spend her summer interning for The Washington Examiner. Sophia is an editor and contributor to The Hillsdale Forum, a student-run publication sponsored by ISI, and is also a member of the ISI-sponsored Lyceum. Additionally, she is the News Director for WRFH Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM, a reporter for the Hillsdale Collegian, a member of the Collegiate Scholars Program, and a graduate of the National Journalism Center, where she was placed with Reason Magazine. Her work has been referenced in outlets such as the New York Post, The R Street Institute, and RealClearEducation. Sophia believes that through journalism, she is best suited to write about the realities behind many economic, social, and spiritual problems. In her free time, she loves reading and good conversation. 

Nikos Mohammadi is a student at Columbia University, a freelance writer and reporter based in New York, and a Summer 2026 ISI intern at UnHerd. 

Jaclyn Olsen is a student at Barnard College, majoring in English literature. There, she is the Design Editor of the Columbia Undergraduate Journal of Classics. She is interning with First Things, America’s foremost journal of religion and public life, where she assists the editorial and the advancement team in many capacities. Her interests lie in biblical studies, the early church, philology, romanticism, modernism, aesthetics, and metaphysics. She is interested in the consequences of transhumanism and the state of right-wing politics after Trump. 

Lucy Spence is a rising senior at the University of Notre Dame, majoring in the Program of Liberal Studies and piano performance, with a minor in philosophy. She is interning this summer at the Daily Caller in Washington, D.C. She served as editor-in-chief of Notre Dame’s Collegiate Network newspaper, the Irish Rover, during her junior year. Off campus, Lucy writes for The College Beat, a publication series by Bishop Barron’s Word on Fire dedicated to faith, culture, and campus life. With work published in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, Lucy hopes to pursue a career in journalism and editing. 

Morgan Vannell is a Catholic from Loudoun County, Virginia. He is currently in undergrad studying English at Yale University. During the summer of 2026, he will be working with The New Criterion as an intern sponsored by the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. 

2026-2027 Fellowship Class

Christina Lewis graduated from Hillsdale College in 2026 with a degree in history and minors in politics and journalism. Following her freshman year, Christina spent her summer working at the Freedom Foundation to spread awareness of worker’s rights in the state of Washington. During her junior year, Christina reported on the 2024 Presidential Election as an intern at The Daily Signal. The following summer, she covered the 2025 Virginia state elections for The Daily Signal and Michigan state politics for the Michigan News Source. During the school year, she covered local news as a writer and editor for her college’s newspaper, The Hillsdale Collegian. As a fellow of the George Washington Fellowship Program, she researched John Lukacs—a prominent Hungarian historian—and provided editorial support for a volume on the Lincoln-Douglas debates. In her free time, Christina likes to hike, read, and spend time with family and friends. She is excited to begin ISI’s Collegiate Network Fellowship at The Daily Wire, working with Michael Knowles. Christina is driven by her passion to promote accountability in the government and be a voice for the voiceless. 

Natalie Sandoval graduated from Columbia University with a bachelor’s degree in English literature in 2024. She is completing her fellowship with USA Today’s Opinion team. Natalie was formerly an opinion writer at the Daily Caller. In her free time, she enjoys playing piano, reading Russian literature, and rock climbing. 

Rebeka Zeljko is completing her fellowship as National Correspondent with the Daily Caller. Her work has also been featured at The Blaze, the Daily Caller News Foundation, and The Federalist.