Miriam Da Ponte

Miriam Da Ponte is a senior double major in English and Philosophy, with a minor in Writing. She is a member of the International English Honors Society, Sigma Tau Delta, and is currently on the Ethics Bowl team at Sacred Heart. Miriam has had a love for literature since high school, but has only recently discovered her interest in writing and editing during her time as an undergraduate. Though she enjoys reading all the genres Heartlines has to offer, she leans toward writing creative non-fiction and poetry. Miriam also loves to travel and has lived in three different continents; she finds that these experiences have and continue to influence her writing.  

Kelly Parker

Kelly Parker is a senior English major on the secondary education track, with minors in honors and education. She is from Long Island, New York. Kelly is part of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and Sigma Tau Delta- English honor society. She loves running and is a captain on the cross country and track teams here at Sacred Heart. Additionally, she is on the executive board of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). Her hobbies include watching Jeopardy with her family, creative writing and reading- her favorite book series is The Housemaid. Editing has always been an interest of hers, so she is very excited to pursue this path with the literary magazine this semester!

Kacey Veiking

Kacey Veiking is a Senior English major at Sacred Heart University. She has minors in Education, Writing, and Honors. In the future, she hopes to teach middle or high school English. She also has plans to further her education in the future. At SHU, she is an active member of Zeta Tau Alpha, as she has previously served two terms on their executive council. She is also a member of the Thomas More Honors Program, Sigma Tau Delta English Honor Society, and Order of Omega Greek Honor Society. She works as a substitute teacher at an elementary school in her hometown, Mansfield, Massachusetts. She also works as an activity specialist and lifeguard at a camp over the summer. In her free time, she enjoys reading thriller novels and creative writing. Kacey’s favorite genre to write is creative nonfiction. She is very excited to edit for her second edition of Heartlines this semester!

Michael Denysenko

Michael Denysenko is an aspiring English major/writing minor in his junior year. A commuter from the tiny town of West Haven, Mike looks to make an impact; hoping to become a bestselling novelist in the future. After school hours, Mike is a member of the Esports Club, contributing to the Super Smash Brothers team. He enjoys anything that requires creativity, from CAD design to 3D Printing, digital art and writing, anything he can create something with becomes a new hobby for him. By joining Heartlines, Mike hopes to expand his writing repertoire, while helping and supporting others to do the very same.

Kristen Giebler

Kristen Giebler is a Senior English major with a minor in Education and Writing at Sacred Heart University, where she is also enrolled in the five-year program to earn a Master’s in Secondary Education. Driven by her passion for literature and writing, Kristen aspires to become a high school English teacher, dedicated to helping students find and express their unique voices through storytelling. Outside the classroom, she is an active athlete with the L.I.T. USA Wildcats cheerleading team and works as a clerk at the SHU PAD on campus. Additionally, Kristen serves as a staff member for the National Cheerleaders Association. This semester, she is excited to contribute to the Magazine, combining her love for English and literature with her enthusiasm for creative expression.

Julia Prackup

Julia Prackup is a Senior at Sacred Heart University, majoring in English with minors in Writing and Women’s Gender and Sexuality. She is a commuter transfer student from Trumbull, Connecticut. At Sacred Heart, she is a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority on campus. From a young age, Julia has showed an interest reading and writing, experimenting with different genres and writing styles, and is aiming to join the editing and publishing industry after she graduates. She enjoys reading, writing, spending time with her dog, and watching TV. Julia is excited to be part of Heartlines this semester and continue to grow as an editor and writer.

Liliana Sosnowski

Liliana Sosnowski is a junior at Sacred Heart University with a major in Biology and minors in Writing, Chemistry, and Honors. She is a commuter student from Norwalk, CT, and is a part of the universities orchestra where she plays the violin. She hopes to continue her eduction by obtaining a Masters in Chemical Sciences and possible further academic advancements. Some of her hobbies include grabbing a book, baking, or catching up on her favorite show. She is excited to be a part of Heartlines to help others grow in their writing expertise as well as develop her own creative writing and learn about the publishing and editing world!

Olivia Tedesco

Eric Arakelian

Eric Arakelian is an energetic and passionate college student majoring in Information Technology. Eric is a brother of the Iota Alpha chapter of Pi Kappa Phi, a fraternity here at Sacred Heart. He is extremely happy to have helped create the website HeartLines and is excited to see what the future holds for this website. 

Isaiah Disla

Isaiah is a senior Information Technology Major with a minor in Cybersecurity. Additionally, he is a student employee for the Networking Department at Sacred Heart University; he’s a part of multiple organizations at SHU such as TAP, Alpha Phi Omega, and Delta Tau Delta. Isaiah enjoyed creating HeartLines as his senior project!

Laura Regan

Laura is a Senior Information Technology Major at Sacred Heart University, minoring in Business, Management, and Honors. Laura is passionate about being a brother of the Chi Mu Chapter of Alpha Kappa Psi, a Professional Co-ed Business Fraternity. Laura is so excited to have helped create the HeartLines online platform, and she hopes it becomes a space where people can share their creativity!

Hard Shah

Meet Hard Shah, an undergraduate majoring in Computer Science with a minor in Mathematics, embodies a fusion of cultural diversity and academic excellence. He has an unwavering passion for guitar. Enthusiastic about the complexities of coding languages, he delves into the logical puzzles of programming while also nurturing his artistic side through music. He brings a unique blend of passion from his upbringing in India to his current life in the States. The coexistence of innovation and passion in his life is what brings out the best in him.

Professor Marie Hulme

Prof. Hulme teaches Literature and Creative Writing. She received her B.A. In English from Smith College, an M.A. in British and American Literature from New York University, an M.A. in Teaching from Sacred Heart University, and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Fairfield University. Prof. Hulme’s fiction and non-fiction writing have won national recognition, most recently by the 2022 Pen Women’s Keats’ Literary Awards, with a first prize in the Religious Essay category and an honorable mention in the Flash Fiction category. She has previously been awarded third prize in the national story category by the Hackney Literary Awards for her short story published in “The Birmingham Arts Journal.” Prior to her life as an academic, she worked as a print journalist in Fairfield county and as a broadcast journalist for ABC News in London.

Professor Nathan Lewis

Nathan Lewis is a California born artist and curator. He received his MFA from Tufts University and the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. He also studied at the Florence Academy of Art in Italy and in St. Petersburg, Russia, and received a BFA from Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts in Connecticut. His work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally in museums, galleries, and universities. His work is in private collections in NY, CT, MA, PA, CA, OR, FL, Germany, Russia and India. He has 5 works in the permanent collection of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. His paintings have been on the cover of numerous books and journals, and his work was included in films shown at the Cannes and Sundance Film festivals. His work has been published and reviewed by the New York Times, the New York Press, International Artist, Fine Art Connoisseur, Art in New England, The Huffington Post, and the Boston Globe, among others. He has received multiple grants, and two URCG grants to research art in Belgium, France, and Japan. He has been the recipient of multiple fellowships and residencies and has given artists talks at institutions throughout the US and Italy.

Dr. Robert McCloud

Bob McCloud is a Distinguished International Professor and Associate Professor of Computer Science at Sacred Heart University, currently serving as the Associate Dean of the Computer Science & Technology Department. He earned an honors degree in Philosophy at Williams College, then went to University of Pennsylvania to pursue graduate studies. At Penn, he was Schubert Fellow in Playwrighting. Along the way, he discovered computer programming and wrote his first program: a tool to analyze word use in the plays of Edward Albee. After developing that program, he became confused: computer science or playwrighting? That led to an extended absence from academia. During that time, he tried both writing and computer careers, ultimately spending most of the time doing computer science projects for corporations. His early corporate and publishing careers are documented as one of six entrepreneurs profiled in the book Self Made, by John Stickney, published by J.P. Putnam’s.

Ultimately corporate work lost its appeal. He quit and returned to graduate school to finish his doctorate. That led to a teaching job search that concluded at Sacred Heart. In addition to a group of published books and articles, Bob has had five major international fellowships, including two Fulbrights and a World Bank research grant. He also served as special projects advisor to Prime Minister Sali Berisha of Albania. Bob’s current work at Sacred Heart focuses on game design, in particular, using markerless motion capture to create animated game characters.