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Multimedia Journalist and Storyteller.

Cynthia is an emerging journalist based in the GTA interested in covering digital culture, health, lifestyle and politics. Currently, they are a graduate student in Western University's Master of Journalism and Communication program.

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My Latest Work

@cigfluencers on Instagram
The Globe and Mail •

Opinion: Why ‘social smoking’ has become Gen Z’s new bad habit

I knew it was becoming a problem when I’d slow down to inhale the smell of cigarette smoke. This has happened, admittedly, a couple of times. When walking down a busy street, after a night out with friends or even on my way to the streetcar from work.

Funnily enough, I used to hate the smell of cigarettes. Up until a couple of years ago, I’d wrinkle my nose at their stench.

As a c...
Bloom Books
CBC Books •

Cast for ‘queen of cowboy romance’ Elsie Silver’s Rose Hill series announced for TV adaptation | CBC Books

The cast of the Rose Hill series, the television adaptation of Canadian author Elsie Silver’s Rose Hill steamy series, has been announced. The Rose Hill series follows single dads who attempt to find love in their rugged mountain town. The four books in the series are  Wild Love, Wild Eyes, Wild Side and Wild Card. The show is set to adapt Wild Love, the first novel in the series. The show’s first season will focus on best friends and neighbours West Belmont and Ford Grant, who live in a small C...
NASA/HarperCollinsCanada/Heron Hanuman
CBC Books •

Canadian Astronaut Jeremy Hansen's journey into space to be published in a book this fall | CBC Books

Get ready for lift off! Jeremy Hansen's historic journey on the Artemis II mission will be told in a new book set for publication this fall. Earthrise: A Canadian Astronaut's Journey into Deep Space will be told from the perspective of Hansen, the first Canadian to travel into deep space. John Larsen, a former senior military public affairs officer, is the author of the book. The Artemis II crew broke the record for the farthest distance humans have travelled from Earth. The mission was closely...
Penguin Random House, Tammy Zdunich
CBC •

8 books to add to your summer reading list if you loved The Odyssey | CBC Books

Feeling drawn to the world of Greek heroes lately? Whether you loved Percy Jackson as a kid or are fresh from the cinema, CBC Books has put together a list of books based on or inspired by Greco-Roman mythology. Immerse yourself in the epic world of gods, love and war this summer. Inspired by Homer’s Iliad, Son of Nobody retells the story of the Trojan War from the perspective of an ancient soldier and a modern scholar. The novel follows the story of Psoas of Midea, a commoner forced to leave...
The Globe and Mail •

How much forest management matters in wildfires

Evacuation orders are under way in communities in northwestern Ontario, as more than 140 wildfires rage in the region. Meanwhile, smoke from the fires has drifted south, blanketing cities like Toronto in a yellow haze. Fire officials confirm more than 4.7 million acres have burned throughout Canada this year. As wildfires have become a regular occurrence in Canada, questions about what can be done to mitigate the damage and protect communities has become louder.

Dr. Jen Beverly, associate professor of wildland fire at the University of Alberta, joins The Decibel to talk about the role of climate change, whether wildfires are becoming more intense and frequent and what role forest management plays in wildfire country.
The Globe and Mail •

Why more LGBTQ+ people are trying to flee the U.S.

On June 20, Rainbow Railroad released a report on the state of global LGBTQ+ persecution. As an advocacy group, Rainbow Railroad helps at-risk LGBTQ+ people get to safety around the world. This past year they received the highest number of requests for support since their operation began. Most of these requests came from the United States. Canada also makes the list of top ten countries for requests.

Devon Matthews is Rainbow Railroad’s chief programs officer. She’s on the show to talk about th...
The Globe and Mail •

Ready to launch: Canada enters the space age

Despite Canada’s contributions to space technology and science, it lags behind other G7 nations in rocket launching capabilities. But that’s now changing – with federal investment and private business teaming up to eventually send spacecraft into orbit. It signals a growing political and economic interest in Canada.
The Globe’s science reporter Ivan Semeniuk attended one of the recent launches in Nova Scotia. He’s on the show to explain the building up of spaceports, why the government is turnin...
The Globe and Mail •

Is smoking making a comeback?

Smoking cigarettes is cool again. Apparently. Social media and accounts online are raving about the habit, turning it into a trend with images from celebrities and appealing to Gen Z. But this rebirth in popularity runs counter to widespread anti-smoking campaigns warning about the dangers of getting addicted and the health effects of cigarettes. Where did this cultural resurgence for smoking and vaping come from?
Dr. Robert Schwartz is a senior scientist at the Centre for Mental Health and Addi...
The Globe and Mail •

Toronto’s grassroots Pride Picnic brings ‘queer joy’ to a downtown park

Two people embrace, forehead to forehead, eyes closed. “This is my twin flame,” says Alex Zalozyk about Brodi-Tyler Dawson.

It’s a sunny Saturday in Toronto’s Christie Pits Park. From a speaker, Chappell Roan’s pop hit “Pink Pony Club” plays, acting as the unofficial soundtrack for the fifth annual Pride Picnic.

A patchwork of blankets, beach towels, and pride flags has begun to form at 11 a.m. Attendees slowly continue to fill the space. Some stumble down the grassy hill, tote bags in hand, e...
The Globe and Mail •

What’s behind the surge in military enlistment in Canada

Canada has been pushing to increase its defence efforts. Earlier this year, Canada reached their NATO defence spending target of two per cent of GDP. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced plans to obtain new early warning aircraft technology. And, the Canadian military is seeing an increase in enlistment rates.

Janice Dickson is The Globe’s international affairs reporter. Earlier this month, she visited a military recruitment booth at a job fair. She’s on the show to talk about what is drawing potential recruits to enlist and what is behind this surge in enlistment.
Cynthia Jimenez
Cynthia Jimenez •

‘Like who cares if you have no alcohol or no anything in your system’: Londoners embrace sober party culture

With alcohol sales decreasing across Canada, Gen Z seems to be leading the charge for a rise in a sober lifestyle. Going beyond trends like “Dry January” and sober curiosity, some young Londoners are turning away from alcohol in their day-to-day lives. 
“I feel like a sober lifestyle is the way to go,” said London local, 28-year-old Brittany Hallihan, who has been sober for the past five years. Hallihan decided to go sober after starting to notice how alcohol caused  “patterns in [her] life that...
Mitchell Fox

Is the Ford government hurting Ontario’s post-secondary education? Students think so.

Podcast episode for my advanced newsroom class as a part of MMJC coursework.

Doug Ford’s government is facing backlash from the province’s post-secondary students after announcing major changes to the Ontario Student Assistance Plan (OSAP).

Each year, hundreds of thousands of students rely on OSAP to help manage financial burdens related to post-secondary education. But now, the aid program’s funding framework has changed dramatically.

The Ontario government insists that the changes are necessary for sustainability. Students have gone online to voice concerns, and are also gathering and campaigning across the province.

Glen Jones is a professor at the University of Toronto. He studies Canadian higher education policy at the federal and provincial levels as well as university decision-making and governance.
He joined the show to explain the current financial state of Ontario’s post-secondary sector and what the Ford government might be thinking.

Later, Amrithaa Logeswara, a student organizer of the advocacy group, Save OSAP London joins to talk about her own experiences with OSAP and how students are responding to this announcement.

Questions? Comments? Ideas? Email us at tips@policyatthepark.com
Cynthia Jimenez
Cynthia Jimenez •

London’s Music Community Celebrates The Dancing Cowboy's 80th birthday - Cynthia Jimenez

In an interview, Camp shared his love for dance and the impact it has had on his life. “I had a lot of that kind of troubled life. So, dance has always been there for me to pull me through.”
Camp began dancing out in public after separating from his wife of 30 years. Dance was a way for him to start over, and now he finds joy through dancing, he shared.
“I've met so many people through dancing. It's such a wonderful contact. Nothing like being out and seeing all these happy faces.”
The birthday...
Claire Wexford. Generated by Bing.com Images
Cynthia Jimenez •

Social media users are finding that AI has “diluted” meaningful content and interactions

From confusing videos of cats playing the bagpipes to photos of people with six fingers, generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) seems to have taken the internet by storm. In fact, as of earlier this year 71 per cent of images found on social media are AI-generated. Journalists at The Guardian found that one in 10 of the fastest growing YouTube channels globally are showing AI-generated content only. Where one used to find photos of friends and family sharing joyful moments one largely now finds AI slop.
Justice Bekke
Cynthia Jimenez •

On becoming a local queer community figure, making memes and loving London, Ontario - Cynthia Jimenez

Theresa has been working to carve out a dedicated space for Sapphic people in the city she grew up in. Sapphic is an umbrella term which typically describes women who are attracted to women or “woman-aligned individuals.” However, the term can also be understood in a more gender-expansive way to include transgender people such as “transmasc, femmes and non-binary folks..”
The Sapphire 519 Instagram posted a story post that read “if you resonate with [Sapphic], then this account for you!!!”
As a...
Xtra Magazine •

My mother is pounding on my closet door. I don’t want to answer | Xtra Magazine

I always believed that being bilingual would be great for my career. I never thought it would wreak havoc on my relationship with my mother.
Growing up in a Colombian household meant that my immigrant parents made damn sure that we held on to our heritage. They proudly passed down their Spanish to my younger sister and me. Our parents, aunts and uncles would band against us and our cousins, reminding us at every opportunity en español, por favor. 
So, for a good couple of years, a younger me dut...
Her Campus •

Chappell Roan is the Pop Star We All Need

Chappell has shown us time and time again that she is here for the girls, that is, the trans girls.Hollywood has seen the rise and fall of many pop stars over the years but, dare I say, the most iconic one to date is Miss Chappell Roan herself. The now Grammy award-winning artist has taken the internet by storm and for good reason. From her catchy lyrics to the goose-bump-raising quality of her vocals, there is no denying the immense talent Roan has.Chappell Roan was sling-shotted to mainstream...
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