About

The New Jersey State House News Service is a nonprofit “wire service” that works with colleges and universities to mentor and train student journalists.

Our reporting on state government and politics is available for publication by more than one hundred partner media organizations across the state, among them NJSpotlightNews, TapInto, The Press of Atlantic City, Planet Princeton, Morristown Green and The Hills Newspaper group.

Editors

Deborah Howlett is founder and editor of the news service. A Lecturer II in journalism and digital media at Rutgers University, she has more than 25 years experience covering government and politics for USA Today and The (Newark) Star-Ledger.

Jackie Incollingo is the managing editor of the news service. A professor of journalism at Rider University for thirteen years, she has also led Capital News Service, a student-led newsroom run by the University of Maryland Philip Merrill College of Journalism and worked as a professional journalist.

Student Journalists – Fall 2026

Ryan Conway is a third-year student at The College Of New Jersey, pursuing a degree in journalism as well as a minor in communications. Ryan grew up in North Caldwell, N.J., and graduated from West Essex High School in 2024. Ever since he started writing for his high school newspaper, The Wessex Wire, Ryan has wanted to break into journalism.

He attended Allentown borough council meetings for his internship at The TAVI Times and got to interview the mayors of Ewing and Allentown, as well as outgoing Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman. Ryan is excited to continue his work covering politics at the statewide level through his internship with the New Jersey State House News Service.

Shohini Mitra is a senior journalism and media studies student pursuing a minor in digital communication, information, and media at Rutgers University. She has previously written for The Daily Targum and Vimooz, where she developed experience in journalism, media writing and digital storytelling. Her work has strengthened her skills in communication, research and audience engagement while allowing her to explore interests in politics, culture and public affairs.

As an intern at the New Jersey State House, Shohini looks forward to expanding her understanding of government operations and public service while contributing to meaningful work that serves the people of New Jersey.

Jayden Parente is a journalism student at Rowan University. He has had a lifelong passion for writing of all kinds and has published multiple works in the college’s newspaper, The Whit as well as South Jersey Climate News and is passionate about local journalism and reporting statewide policy to keep New Jersey residents informed.

While reporting for The Whit, Jayden covered political subjects such as immigration, crime, data centers and environmental policy. Jayden has experience with a variety of journalism and is an experienced writer, video editor, audio editor and working with data journalism. He is also experienced in creative writing for a variety of genres.

Zo Terrana is a first-generation college student majoring in journalism at The College of New Jersey, where he writes for The Signal. He is passionate about storytelling and connecting with others through journalism. Zo explores humanitarian and politically-focused topics to help educate readers. He is also fascinated with geopolitics and history to help connect the past to current issues. Zo recently has reported on food insecurity in Trenton, student thoughts on the recent ICE activity, and Trenton’s substance abuse concerns as well sustainability initiatives at TCNJ.

He aspires to be an investigative journalist,
covering in-depth human interest stories that give voices to marginalized communities.

Aidan Vanhoof is a Rowan University student journalist. In 2023, Aidan graduated from Deptford Township High School; in May 2025, he received an associates degree in business administration from Rowan College of South Jersey. A lifelong passion for writing, politics and philosophy led him to Rowan University in September 2025 as a journalism major and political science minor.

As a staff writer and photographer for The Whit, Aidan has authored dozens of articles with the end goal to work as a crisis reporter and photojournalist. Through journalism, Aidan hopes to combat dehumanization and serve the underprivileged with a focus on economic inequality.