ABOUT US
Who
Are
We?
Established in 1969, The Plant stands as Dawson's exclusive student-run newspaper, serving as a vital platform for students to express their ideas, articulate opinions, and immerse themselves in the realm of journalism. Open to submissions from all Dawson students, our publication eagerly embraces diverse perspectives and welcomes contributions ranging from articles and creative writing to visual art. While we value discourse on a myriad of subjects, we particularly encourage submissions that spotlight Montreal or Dawson-specific narratives, shedding light on campus occurrences and pertinent information for our fellow students. Each contribution undergoes a thorough review and collaborative editing with our dedicated section editors prior to publication. Submission windows remain open throughout the Fall and Winter semesters, with issues released monthly, spanning four editions per semester. For inquiries or further information, please don't hesitate to reach out to us via email at theplantnewspaper@gmail.com or connect with us on Instagram @theplantdawson!
Meet the Team
༘ .˚🌱୭ ˚.Executive Members ༘ .˚🌱୭ ˚.
Editor-in-Chief
Mirren Bodanis
TBA
Co-Editor-in-Chief
Sanad Hamdouna
TBA
Managing Editor
Defne Aliefendioglu
Don’t let the “I’m about to murder everyone” resting face scare you away, Defne is pretty chill (usually). As a cliché literature student, Defne loves paperback books, cats, and a warm cup of coffee. She has the fluffiest and most spoiled cutie pie cat in the world and will not hesitate to show you every picture she has of her in her gallery. Her favorite fictional character is Spider-Man and she may or may not make it her entire personality depending on the day *Swing Swing*. She’s also the President of the Book Club which you should absolutely join because the little birdies told me, the omnipotent narrator guiding you through each one of these talented team members, that it is the best club on campus!
Copy Editor
Khadija Fatima
TBA
Copy Editor
Juhaina Rauph (He/She/They)
When you first start a conversation with Juhaina, you would likely encounter over a dozen apologies and then them asking: “Ya like cats?” Beware: it might be hard to keep up with them - they jump Incredibly quickly between unrelated topics and can ramble for ages [don’t worry, it only gets worse the better you know them]. They’re also incredibly forgetful [if they forget your name, they promise they didn’t mean to!], spacey, and easily distracted - they’re a “Silly Little Guy,” if you will. With this in mind, you’ll almost always see them staring into space or looking at their hands; don’t worry, they’re just spaced out by default and are likely busy somewhere in a daydream [they often spend almost all day doing this, and occasionally use it as an indirect way to skip class - how they have good grades is beyond everyone's understanding, theirs included]. When not doing that, they spend their time drawing, writing down the stories they daydreamed, listening to music, playing video games, sailing the interwebs, reading, and helping their friends correct and go over their writing assignments - hence the Copy Editor role.
Secretary
Sarah Bensetiti
Sarah, a second-year social science student who successfully navigated the treacherous waters of the International Baccalaureate program, now finds herself frequently wandering the streets of Mont-Royal in pursuit of Victorian gothic fashion treasures. A connoisseur of poorly written cartoons with a touch of emotional turmoil (major kudos to you, Thomas Astruc), she can often be found at Dawson College dressed to the nines, leaving her peers to question whether she's cosplaying as Draculaura from Monster High. When she isn’t being consumed by a plague of essays and assignments, Sarah discovers a sense of peace in crafting the spiciest of meals (at least, according to her dad's concerning taste buds), in lamenting the moments when her ultimate ability slips through her fingers in the worst game known to mankind, League of Legends, and in taking refuge in the mesmerizing sounds of Hideki Naganuma. Should you happen to encounter her at school, take heed of this warning: you're likely to find her animatedly discussing the infamous "Dawson College curse.”
Social Media Manager
Soraya
Soraya is a student in her final semester in the psychology program. If she’s not fighting for her life to become an academic weapon in a very short time frame, you can find her in The Plant Room yapping the ears off of whoever is there to listen. You might also find her crying about the lack of funds in her bank account while she’s simultaneously chugging her 8$ iced oat-milk chai latte. Soraya also spends an unhealthy amount of time stalking the LinkedIn profiles of professionals in the creative industries while daydreaming of becoming a changing force in said industry.
Graphic Designer
Noah Alec Mina
TBA
༘ .˚🌱୭ ˚.Editorial Staff ༘ .˚🌱୭ ˚.
News Editor
Sabina Bellisario-Giglio
Sabina is a second-year commerce student; she crunches numbers by day, but not-so-secretly longs to become an investigative journalist by night. She psychoanalyzes any character she loves—from Sam Wilson’s Captain America to The Phantom of the Opera, nothing perturbs her joy of rambling about the ins and outs of media she holds dear to her heart. She’s a sap for any witty, morally dubious side character who she adamantly believes deserves more screen time. With that, it’s easy to deduce she’s quite the hermit, opting to spend her time alone in the comfort of her room surrounded by trinkets she’s collected over the years. However, her love for baking always gets her on her feet. There are seldom limits to what she can whip up in the kitchen and an offering of these baked treats is definitely a sign of a successful friendship. She loves writing, basketball, and reading detective stories, yet always finds time in her schedule to watch her favourite show, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, for the umpteenth time. She may be quiet, but she hopes to utilize her booming voice to share the stories of those who need to be heard.
Arts & Culture Editor
Thomas Frenette
Thomas is in his fourth semester as a Liberal Arts student. This means that he is armed to the teeth with an arsenal of historical quirks, literature quips, and philosophic dilemmas backed up in the chamber and ready to fire. But by all means, do not hesitate to humble his pretentious shell, provoking his Gregg Araki, Squarepusher, and Tom Robbins fixations. Introducing him to music genres, books, and sports is the best way to engage with him and supply his adoration for new interests. If he is silent, you must know he is most probably entertaining some pretentious thought or thinking about underground music which he will, more often than not, be reluctant to share. Actually, there might be one band he would not mind sharing; Take Me Out, of which he is the bassist.
Creative Writing Editor
Ezra Bucur
TBA
Visual Arts Editor
Mia Gueli (She/Her)
Mia is a third-year graphic design student, who can be spotted in the 4G wing stressing over having to assemble a paper box, or maybe over a poster that simply refuses to print. Despite the challenges, she loves all things art and design. Mia spends a considerable amount of time searching for new music and repeatedly immersing herself in Elliott Smith’s soul-crushing discography. An ideal day for Mia is spent having an impromptu road trip with friends, blowing all her money at thrift stores, or attending a local concert. Once Mia starts talking, she will not know when to stop. Ironically enough, despite being a member of The Plant, a student newspaper, Mia blanks every time she needs to write down a singular sentence. Yes, even this short paragraph was a nerve-wracking challenge for her.
Curiosities Editor
Tamara Galinato
Tamara is a second-year psychology student who has absolutely no clue what she’s doing with her life, simply going with the flow. She loves taking pictures, going to brunch with her friends, and going on walks while blasting music through her headphones immersing herself in the worlds of aupinard, Laufey, or whichever artist best represents her mood at the moment. When she’s not doing any of those, she can be found scrolling through Pinterest searching for the pin that got away due to the page refreshing, looking at the most recent news in the world of F1, or zoning out midway through a conversation (but trust that she’s a great listener). Her thought process makes no sense making her the perfect match for the curiosities section!
Voices Editor
Emma Caspi
Emma Caspi is probably currently feeling very overwhelmed and hyperventilating in a public bathroom. But because she is in her second year of Liberal Arts, this makes perfect sense. You will see her scavenging the library for good sources on most of her breaks, so please do not disturb her. The things that constitute her joy include listening to David Bowie on the metro, reading Mary Shelley and Oscar Wilde’s literature, discovering an alcove in a library, sipping a piping chai latte, earning a perfect grade, lace bows, and savouring pad thai. Her love language is correcting people’s essays with insightful and lengthy comments. If you wish to win her over, start the conversation with: “I read your article…” Her parents wished for her to become a lawyer, yet she blatantly disobeyed them to become a journalist instead…whoopsies.
Science & Enviornment Editor
Amanda Ajeneza Bana
If you're looking for Amanda, the most likely places to find her are the library, a bookstore, a flower store, or her bed. She is a big homebody with a kind heart. She loves animals plants (ha), books, and romance. More often than not she will be lost in her thoughts or confused by whatever is going on, but the moment she catches up she will master whatever task or subject is being discussed. her spirit animal, the raccoon seems to have been created for her: both live to sleep, eat, and just be curious. With snacks always strapped to her, you will never go hungry with her at your side.
Sports Editor
Jade Gagné
If you ever see Jade, she’s probably daydreaming, asleep, or blasting Brent Faiyaz in her earphones. You’ll never see her pull out any homework because “faith is all she needs to succeed”. If you’re lucky enough, you might be able to see the only interesting thing on her laptop: Marvel movies. Only the old movies though, because the new ones are not it. Once you get to know her, she just never shuts it. She’s a “yapper” all day and night. She believes that every word that comes out of her mouth needs to be listened carefully, even though it barely makes sense. Don’t think that Jade is the type to be social; her safe places are those single cubicles in the library. Not very much privacy, indeed, but those naps are hitting. One thing she cannot live without? Those NK makeup glosses. Every day, Jade shows up with a new flavor. Her friends would call it an obsession, but, honestly, it more or less doesn’t really make a difference. Her goal this semester is to bring up the personnel aspect of sports. No stats, no records. Just the athletes and their story.
༘ .˚🌱୭ ˚.Staff Members ༘ .˚🌱୭ ˚.
Staff Writer
Marc Pham
A lot of his friends tell Marc that he texts like an AI. As he has a penchant for using complex vernacular in his writings, his essays usually look AI-generated (he promises you they aren’t). This is what complete social ineptitude does to a person… This first-year Psychology student is indeed hopelessly introverted, but if you get to know him a bit better, you will find that he is very light-hearted and approachable (if you don’t mind the habitual sarcastic remark). Marc can be seen roaming the city with headphones on, jamming to music or podcasts. If you wish to get to his heart, buy him a Tim Horton’s Ice Capp (he’s very much addicted to this sugar-filled substance) or just start rambling to him about whatever is on your mind—he may not be a trained professional right now, but he is studying to become one (plus he’s a good listener).
Staff Writer
Raluca-Mara Mare
Mara is a second-year health science student who can be found either overstudying in the library, in class, or taking the REM home. No in-between. When she’s not buried in her textbooks, she lives doing impromptu activities, going on adventures, and making new friends. Her only personality trait is reminding everyone that otters hold hands when they sleep so that they don’t drift apart. As the avid music listener she is, she’ll pretend to be the main character in the back of the bus, looking out the window dramatically right before missing her stop. Although she is the most patient and easygoing person you’ll ever meet, Mara would go feral if she lost a game of Roblox Werewolf. After spending the day losing brain cells and overusing her Opus card, she’ll relax with her wonderful and respectable (not crusty musty) white dog while watching Miraculous Ladybug with her younger sister.
Staff Writer
Gloria Badibanga
TBA
Staff Writer
Clara Frey
Clara Frey is a 19-year-old whose pastimes include reading, writing poems on the metro, and battling the urge to use Chat GPT for fear of losing the beauty of the written word. Her sweaters are always full of cat hair and she can never find matching socks. You’ll either find Clara typing up articles for the Plant News at the Westmount Public Library or spending way too much money on plant milk lattes in independent coffee shops. Clara's poetry has previously been published in the Encore Poetry Project and in the digital anthology Chouette Magazine. Her short story, Open House, received an honorable mention in Dawson’s SPACE writing contest.
Staff Writer
Maryam Hussain Asghar
TBA