Ellie Sennhenn, Editor-in-Chief
Ellie Sennhenn is a third-year student from Audubon, New Jersey. She is a double major in Journalism and Professional and Public Writing, with an Honors minor. Her passion for storytelling ranges from investigative journalism to feature writing, and she has been with the Cigar since her first semester at URI. Ellie is also a peer mentor and brand ambassador within the College of Arts and Sciences. When not writing, she is listening to music, hiking or playing guitar.
Maia Hembruff, Managing Editor
Maia Hembruff is a second-year honors journalism student from Ottawa, Canada. She is a member of the university’s women’s rowing team, and loves being involved at URI. This is her fourth semester with the Cigar and third in an editorial role. Maia prefers stories under an environmental beat, and hopes to one day bridge her love of journalistic feature writing with her interest in photography and documentary work!
Abbie Chipps, News Editor
Abbie Chipps is a fourth-year journalism student from Seattle, Washington. This is her third semester with the cigar, previously serving as a staff reporter. Abbie is passionate about environmental issues and hopes to combine her love of writing to cover more environmental reporting as an editor. Outside of the Cigar Abbie is also a member of the university’s sailing team where she serves as the media coordinator.
Sadie Brandt, News Editor
Sadie Brandt is a second-year journalism student from California, Maryland. This is her first semester as an editor after two semesters writing for the Cigar! She enjoys writing about campus politics and current events, as well as entertainment columns and editorials. Outside of the Cigar, Sadie dances with the URI Dance Company and loves spending time with friends.
David Okula, Sports Editor
David Okula is a third-year Sports Media and Communications major from Long Island, New York. He is in his first semester as Sports Editor after previously serving as a Sports Staff Reporter in the Spring 2024 and Fall 2024 semesters. Along with the Cigar, David is active within the WRIU broadcasts of sports games around the campus. In his free time, David enjoys watching just about any sport and is most passionate about his fandom for the Boston Red Sox and New York Giants. This summer, David is looking forward to interning as a content writer for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox in the Cape Cod Baseball League.
Ryan Pelillo, Arts & Culture Editor
Ryan Pelillo is a third-year student from Griswold, Connecticut double majoring in Sports Media and Public Relations. This is his fourth semester with the Cigar and his second on the editorial board. He prides himself on his involvement around campus, and can be seen performing at the Fine Arts Center, attending Musicians Guild shows and broadcasting URI sports on WRIU and ESPN+. In his free time, he might be practicing guitar or watching films with his friends. Ryan’s passion for the arts helps him take pride in running his section.
Abel Frias, Web Editor
Abel Frias is a fourth-year student from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He’s majoring in Computer Science, and will be doing a Master’s in Cybersecurity next year. This is his first semester as part of The Cigar. He’s also a Computer Science TA, an Energy Fellow, and works at the IT office on campus. He enjoys traveling, hiking, scuba diving and spending time outdoors.
Nora Kelley, Photo Editor
Nora Kelley is a second-year student from Rockville, Maryland, and is double majoring in Sports Media and Communication Studies. This is her fourth semester with the Cigar and her first as an editor. Nora’s favorite subjects to photograph are sports and the arts. Outside of the Cigar, she is involved in URI’s Women in Sports organization and works as a photography intern for the women’s lacrosse team.
Morganne Judd, Newscast Editor
Morganne Judd is a third-year Journalism student from West Warwick, Rhode Island. She plans on focusing on broadcast journalism, minoring in film media. She has been working in the field since the age of fifteen and specializes in video editing, live studio productions, sports broadcasting, and live news reporting/anchoring. She plans to become either a news anchor for a TV network or working behind the scenes for broadcast productions.
Amanda Cubit, Business Manager
Amanda is a second-year business student from Ambler, Pennsylvania. She plans on majoring in Marketing with a minor in German. She is also a member of the women’s rowing team and loves to find ways to get involved within URI athletics. This is her first semester with the Cigar and she is very eager to apply her business knowledge while gaining insight into the news environment.
Brigid Locke, Social Media Coordinator
Brigid Locke is a third-year student from Wakefield, Massachusetts double majoring in Sports Media Communications and Data Science. This is her fourth semester with the Cigar and her first as Social Media Coordinator. Outside of the Cigar, Brigid is the president of URI’s Women in Sports club and the vice president of the Women in Data Science club. She is also a TA and on the leadership team for URI 101 and a student ambassador for the Harrington School of Communication and Media. Brigid aspires to become a sports data analyst specializing in the NFL and NHL, combining her passion for sports with her expertise in data science.
Sully Cummins, Production Manager
Sully is a fourth year student from Richmond, Rhode Island. He is majoring in journalism and computer science. This is his third semester as a part of the executive board and second as production manager. He is hoping to pursue a career in data journalism, and maybe twist design and illustration in with that somehow for a publication like The Atlantic or ProPublica. Outside of the cigar he spends his time running, playing guitar and working at the Media Equipment Center in Ranger Hall.