Award Recognition
Civic Responsibility
Irie served as the 147th Editor in Chief of the Columbia Daily Spectator and President of Spectator Publishing Company, where he led over 400 staffers, including a need-based work-study program supporting over 100 students. During his tenure, Irie supervised the publication of over 1,000 articles and pieces of multimedia journalism across the Columbia Daily Spectator, The Eye, and Spectrum; oversaw CULPA and The Shaft, two web applications used by many members of the student body; and ran an independent nonprofit publishing company bringing in hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual revenue. Before becoming editor in chief, Irie served as Spectator's 146th University News Editor and as co-director of the 2022 Spectator Summer Fellowship Program. Irie was also one of the founders of Continents, Columbia's first magazine dedicated to human rights, which is now officially recognized as a student organization. He has interned for Sen. Michael Bennet, the American Civil Liberties Union, the New York Post, NBC News, and POLITICO, where he will start as a full-time reporter in June.
Thank you to my mom and dad for your constant, unconditional support. Thank you to the Speccies, past and present, whose passion and grit got me through the late nights. Thank you to my friends, who generously give me so much, even when I lacked the energy to return the favor. And thank you to each professor who saw me as a person before a student and extended me grace when I needed it most.