The Beacon is a student publication dedicated to reporting news and providing a platform for student perspectives that often go unheard on Yale’s campus. Our commitment to objective reporting is unwavering as we strive to be a beacon illuminating the rich environment of views, angles, and issues within the Yale community.
In fostering robust and open debate, The Beacon provides a home for honest, fact-based reporting and editorial writing while welcoming and embracing perspectives from all political persuasions. We aim to expose readers to unvoiced and provocative views, and contribute to a vibrant intellectual environment. Our engagement with the Yale community is paramount. We are not just reporters and writers but active participants, committed to publishing the concerns and interests of our fellow students. We believe that genuine intellectual diversity is indispensable for advancing critical inquiry and challenging ideological complacency wherever it may exist.
When Adolph S. Ochs purchased The New York Times in 1896, he wrote that his desire was “to make of the columns of The New York Times a forum for the consideration of all questions of public importance, and to that end to invite intelligent discussion from all shades of opinion.” We here at The Beacon seek the same.
Owen Tilman ’27, Editor-in-Chief, The Buckley Beacon
William Barbee ’26, President, William F. Buckley, Jr. Program at Yale
William Barbee, President of the William F. Buckley, Jr. Program
William Barbee is a senior in Silliman College double-majoring in History and Theater Studies. Despite growing up in New York City, he moved to Washington, DC at age 12, a circumstance that gave him a late but thorough introduction to the world of politics. Besides his love of history and politics, William is also heavily involved in the performing arts scene on campus, acting in several productions for the screen and stage. He hopes to maintain immersion in both fields throughout his time at Yale.
Owen Tilman, Editor-In-Chief
Owen Tilman is a junior at Yale University, and he is pursuing a B.A. in History. He is the editor-in-chief of the Buckley Institute’s paper, The Buckley Beacon, a debater in the Federalist Party, and a bass-baritone in the Yale Russian Chorus. He is also a freelance contributor to The Dispatch, where he mainly covers fact-checking stories. When he’s not reviewing story pitches or giving a speech on the Fed floor, he’s chatting with friends, reading Marx or Nietzsche, or improvising classical music on the piano.
Contact: owen.tilman@yale.edu
Jack Olson, Managing Editor
Jack Olson is a Global Affairs major, and he is currently on a gap semester in Washington, D.C. He was born and raised in San Mateo, California, a suburb of San Francisco. He is interested in foreign policy, conflict, and journalism and hopes to embark on a career in national security or as a conflict journalist. He has written or edited for multiple international affairs publications on campus, including the Yale Globalist and Yale Review of International Studies. He is particularly interested in U.S. foreign policy and how our domestic politics shape the global market. When he is home in California, Jack enjoys flying, backpacking, and spending time with friends and family.
Contact: jack.olson@yale.edu
Raleigh Adams, Original Reporting Editor
Raleigh Adams is an MAR Ethics student at Yale Divinity School from Easley, South Carolina. At Yale, Raleigh is an active member of the Buckley Program, the Federalist Party, and is a founder of the Yale Divinity Civitas Society. She has extensive experience as a writer and editor, with work spanning topics in social, political, and philosophical thought. Raleigh’s path has been shaped by fellowships with the Hudson Institute, the Hertog Foundation, and CUA’s Röpke-Wojtyła Fellowship. When she’s not reading, writing, or philosophizing, Raleigh enjoys scouring local thrift stores for hidden gems and keeping up an ongoing rivalry with the Duolingo owl.
Contact: raleigh.adams@yale.edu
Emma Ventresca, Arts, Culture, & Scholarship Editor
Emma Ventresca is a senior in Benjamin Franklin College pursuing a double major in Economics and Theater and Performance Studies. She is a fourth-degree black belt in Taekwondo and a musical theater writer and producer. Outside of The Buckley Beacon, Emma is involved in the Yale Political Union, Saint Thomas More Undergraduate Council, and the Yale Logos. In her free time, she enjoys serving as an Undergraduate Learning Assistant for Introductory Microeconomics and taking long walks in East Rock Park.
Contact: emma.ventresca@yale.edu
Eric Arabadzhiev, Staff Writer
Eric Arabadzhiev is a sophomore in Trumbull College from Cape Cod, MA, planning to major in Ethics, Politics & Economics. On campus he is a Lux et Veritas Leadership Fellow, Events Director for the Buckley Institute, and an active member of the Yale Political Union. Eric is also deeply engaged in Yale’s student investment community, serving as an analyst for several investment organizations on campus. His interest in international relations led him to spend a summer in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, as a part of a U.S. State Department program. An aviation enthusiast, Eric is also working toward earning his private pilot’s license.
Contact: eric.arabadzhiev@yale.edu
Fiona Bultonsheen, Staff Writer
Fiona is a second-year Master of Public Policy student at the Yale Jackson School of Global Affairs interested in national security and tech policy. She spent four years as a consultant in financial services before coming to Yale. Fiona hails from Allentown, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Vanderbilt University with a degree in economics.
Contact: fiona.bultonsheen@yale.edu
Jeth Fogg, Staff Writer
Jeth Fogg is a junior in Saybrook College from Colorado Springs, CO, majoring in History with a certificate in Medieval Studies. At Yale, he is a Peace Dialogue Leadership Initiative (PDLI) Fellow and is active with the Yale Political Union, St. Thomas More Undergraduate Council, Jewish-Christian Bible Study, Davenport Pops Orchestra, and club hockey. Back home, he volunteers with efforts dedicated to improving environmental resilience and coaching youth in soccer and hockey.
Contact: jeth.fogg@yale.edu
Oscar Miñoso-Rendón, Staff Writer
Oscar Miñoso-Rendón is a junior in Silliman College studying Computer Science and Philosophy. Passionate about his deeply rooted Catholic faith and its intersections with the western philosophical tradition, Oscar is actively involved in the Yale Thomistic Institute, the Yale Political Union, and is a writer for Logos Christian magazine as well as the Buckley Beacon. In his free time, Oscar enjoys spending time on the water: kayaking, drawing, or picking up a good book.
Contact: oscar.minoso-rendon@yale.edu
William Coen, Staff Writer
William Coen is a junior in Pierson College from Pacific Grove, California. He is pursuing a B.S. in Applied Mathematics and participates in Yale’s Air Force ROTC program. He is very interested in US foreign policy. In his free time, he enjoys training for triathlons, taking flying lessons, and debating politics with his suitemates.
Contact: william.coen@yale.edu
Isaac Oberman, Staff Writer & Crossword Editor
Isaac Oberman is a senior from Wisconsin pursuing a double major in Economics and Humanities, focusing on the development of rural areas and Transcendentalism. He runs the crossword puzzle for The Beacon, as well as freelances pieces when the mood strikes. When he’s not busy writing, you can catch Isaac watching a Packers game, reading Emerson, or enjoying a glass of milk with the Yale Dairy Club.
Contact: isaac.oberman@yale.edu
Josh Blake, Staff Writer
Josh Blake is a Sophomore in Morse College studying Ethics, Politics, & Economics and pursuing an Education Studies certificate. With hopes to go to law school and practice as a prosecutor, his interests vary everywhere from philosophy to theatre to tax policy. He is to be found on campus in the YCC, on the squash court, or debating in the Independent Party.
Contact: josh.blake@yale.edu
Michelle Zheng, Staff Writer
Michelle Zheng is a first-year in Franklin college from Kentucky. She is involved with the Yale Prison Education Initiative and, as a staff writer, hopes to address political polarity through storytelling and catalyze conversations that reconcile differences.
Contact: msz32@yale.edu
Ari Shtein, Staff Writer
Ari Shtein is a freshman in Saybrook College, originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan. He mostly has no idea what to do with himself at Yale (math?) or otherwise (bicycles?), but sometimes writes things on Substack anyway (link? understood if it’s against some policy or something). His interests tend to be in American & world politics, freedom, American & world history, liberty, and American & world philosophy.
Contact: ari.shtein@yale.edu
Emily Akbar, Staff Writer
Emily Akbar is a freshman at Yale University pursuing a B.A. in Global Affairs. She is the founder of the nonprofit “BRIDGE” summer program which is dedicated to educating primary-school students in Bangladesh over the summer. In her free time, she loves studying languages, whether that be French in the classroom, Russian with her family, or Portuguese with her friends. As an intern at CNN, she has developed a strong interest in journalism which she hopes to pursue greatly during her time at Yale.
Contact: emily.akbar@yale.edu
Lucas Miller, Staff Writer
Lucas Miller is a first-year in Timothy Dwight College from Hopkinton, New Hampshire, majoring in Ethics, Politics, & Economics. He enjoys studying political philosophy, constitutional law, and political economy. On campus, he competes with the Model UN Team at Yale. In his free time, he enjoys working out, spending time with friends and family, and watching the New England Patriots win on Sundays.
Contact: lucas.miller@yale.edu
Jason Cao, Staff Writer
Jason Cao is a freshman in Ben Franklin College from Guilford, CT planning to major in Ethics, Politics, and Economics. He is deeply passionate about topics in law, history, and public policy. Outside academics, Jason is a classical music enthusiast who enjoys playing the flute, the piano, and composing chamber music. If he is not in the practice room or the library, you will find him playing Go, poker, and bridge, or writing and reciting traditional Chinese poetry.
Contact: jason.cao@yale.edu