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Laila Griffin is a sophomore at Northeastern University, studying journalism and political science.

A Brooklynite-turned-Bostonian, she writes for "The Huntington News," Northeastern's independent student newspaper, where she primarily covers city issues, politics, and design. She is also a news writer for the Khoury College of Computer Science, where she reports on student, faculty, and Khoury organization news. 

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    Explore a featured selection of my writing work below.
    The Huntington News •

    ‘Everybody here loves getting crunk, and that’s wonderful’: Bostonians bond over energy, accessibility at 130th Boston Marathon

    More than 500,000 spectators waving pompoms, clanging cowbells and holding signs cheered on the nearly 31,700 runners participating in the 130th Boston Marathon April 20. 
    The course, which begins in Hopkinton and runs through several towns in eastern Massachusetts, ends on Boylston Street and is considered one of the most difficult marathon courses in the world. Every year, runners sputter over Heartbreak Hill in Newton around the 20-mile mark.
    The event showcased elite competitors from around...
    The Huntington News •

    Boston celebrates annual St. Patrick’s Day parade with new route

    Nearly 1 million people — including tourists, students and longtime Boston residents, all clad in green — flooded South Boston sidewalks for the city’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade held Sunday, March 15. 
    Onlookers sang, cheered and waved Irish flags as parade groups marched by. Some Southie residents looked on from their apartment windows or balconies above the street. 
    “This is my first [St. Patrick’s Day parade], but I’m a Boston local,” said Leighton Matthews, a first-year behavioral neur...
    Khoury College of Computer Sciences •

    After two decades devoted to cybersecurity, Engin Kirda named IEEE fellow

    For Engin Kirda, professor of computer security and engineering at Khoury College and the College of Engineering, cybersecurity is a video game with real stakes. After two decades of work in the field, he’s unlocked a new achievement.


    In being named a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, or IEEE, Kirda joins a selective group of technological leaders. The fellowship recognizes exceptional contributions to engineering and computer science, with just 0.1% of the orga...
    The Huntington News •

    Bostonians hunker down for ‘snow emergency’  

    Severe blizzard conditions are slamming the Northeast between Feb. 22 and 24, with forecasters warning that the storm could become one of the most powerful this season. 
    Meteorologists estimate that Boston can expect between one to two feet of snow, with other New England and mid-Atlantic cities seeing even greater accumulations. The storm comes after nearly two feet of snow blanketed Massachusetts Jan. 25 and 26, leaving behind lingering snowbanks and icy sidewalks. 
    “This is a very serious sto...
    Khoury College of Computer Sciences •

    Brianna Dym’s “20-year project”: Examining barriers and belonging in remote communities

    Brianna Dym, an assistant teaching professor with Khoury College at the Roux Institute in Portland, Maine, has found solace in remote populations.  


    Since beginning her undergraduate education in 2008 at the University of Alaska, she has immersed herself in geographically remote communities to study how isolation, limited resources, and power imbalances impact people’s relationships with technology.  


    “My research goal has moved to … how do I help people build and use technologies in such...
    The Huntington News •

    Boston’s new PILOT, IMP partnership with Northeastern calls for community engagement

    Last fall, Northeastern University and the City of Boston announced they would enter two new agreements, increasing Northeastern’s annual payments to the city by 36.8% — a commitment experts say requires long-term accountability and community engagement by the university. 
    The city announced the new agreements — a 5-year-long payment in lieu of taxes, or PILOT, program and 10-year institutional master plan, or IMP — Nov. 13. The payments for the PILOT program are slated to start in Fiscal Year 2...
    Khoury College of Computer Sciences •

    Northeastern alum Nicolai Jacobsen brings analytics to the world of competitive sailing

    From a childhood spent on the water to developing a machine learning application that helps competitive sailors optimize their performance, Nicolai Jacobsen has transformed a lifelong passion into a platform that serves sailors at every level.  


    Vantage Sailing began as a personal project — a way for Jacobsen to translate his years of sailing experience into useful feedback through data.  


    Jacobsen, originally from Norway, graduated from Northeastern in 2025 with a degree in data science a...
    Khoury College of Computer Sciences •

    Trouble finding a parking spot? Students and faculty develop app to predict availability

    For Sarita Singh, parking can take up to 20 minutes. And sometimes, she never finds a spot. 


    “Having lived all my life in urban cities, parking has always been a big challenge,” said Singh, an associate teaching professor at Khoury College in Seattle. “Wherever we go, we have to park our cars somewhere.”  


    She is not alone. Studies indicate that almost 30% of urban traffic consists of drivers who are simply searching for parking. So Singh and Mario Nascimento, Khoury College’s Vancouver-ba...
    Khoury College of Computer Sciences •

    Northeastern mechanistic interpretability workshop aims to make sense of AI systems

    If your car breaks down, you can call a mechanic, someone who understands how the parts fit together and function. When something goes wrong with an AI model, it’s unclear who to ask for help.   


    This question is at the heart of mechanistic interpretability, or “mech interp,” a growing research field that aims to open up the “black box” of AI systems and understand them internally, at a structural level.  


    At the second New England Mechanistic Interpretability (NEMI) workshop, a one-day ev...
    The Huntington News •

    New vision for BPS announced at first-ever State of the Schools Address

    Boston Mayor Michelle Wu unveiled a sweeping set of citywide goals to a packed audience at the Josiah Quincy Upper School in Chinatown at Boston’s first-ever State of the Schools Address  Oct. 28. 
    The plan included a variety of initiatives aimed at improving equity and student outcomes such as new bilingual programs, investments in athletics and major school building projects. 
    “This is Boston, and we reject the idea that urban public schools are doomed to do less,” said Wu, whose children atte...
    The Huntington News •

    Uvida, Boston’s first zero-waste store, hopes to change how you shop

    Maria Vasco knew Boston was missing something. 
    Vasco, a graduate of the University of Massachusetts Boston who majored in environmental studies and sustainability, opened Uvida, Boston’s first zero-waste store, in 2020 after noticing a gap in the market. Vasco, 27, wanted to live more sustainably but saw there were no zero-waste stores in the city to support that lifestyle. 
    “I found out that there was no zero-waste store, and so I wanted to solve my personal issue,” Vasco said. 
    Uvida first op...
    The Huntington News •

    The unexpected price tag of being an architecture major: ‘It definitely becomes a barrier’

    When Layaan Al Haidari, a third-year student, arrived at Northeastern, she was certain of one thing: she was going to be an architect. Inspired and encouraged by her family members, some of whom are in the field, she felt prepared for the workload, but did not anticipate how often she’d need to buy supplies. 
    The estimated total cost of completing an undergraduate degree on Northeastern’s Boston or Oakland campus is $90,250 before financial aid, according to the undergraduate admissions webpage....
    The Huntington News •

    Northeastern student leaders sign national letter calling on universities to ‘defend’ higher education

    Several Northeastern Student Government Association, or SGA, members signed a letter May 2 urging government officials, university administrators and policymakers to fight against the Trump administration’s “attacks on higher education that affect every student we represent.”
    The letter, titled “National Letter from Elected Student Leaders Defending Higher Education,” collected signatures from student leaders at universities nationwide, including at several high-profile institutions like Duke Un...
    The Huntington News •

    Trump’s immigration crackdowns alarm immigrant and refugee students. Meet one of their teachers.

    For Laura Gersch, election night last year was “horrifying.” 
    Gersch, a 10th grade English teacher at Boston International Newcomers Academy, or BINcA, a Boston Public School in Mattapan for English learners, spent the night anxious that she would wake up the next morning to news that Donald Trump had been announced as the 47th president of the United States. Her anxiety wasn’t for herself — it was for the safety of her students under the new administration, many of whom are immigrants and refug...
    The Huntington News •

    Department of Conservation and Recreation’s arborway improvements project design faces mixed reception from Jamaica Plain community

    When Vickie Henry — a resident of Jamaica Plain — bought her home, the quiet, tree-lined residential road of May Street seemed like the optimal spot. May Street, with its Victorian and Colonial revival-style houses and lush lawns, is relatively close to the Arborway, a major historic roadway running through the neighborhood that connects the area to other parts of Boston. 
    Since 2019, the state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation, or DCR, has been working on a sweeping reconfiguration of...
    The Huntington News •

    A celebration of life, death and native traditions takes place at Spontaneous Celebrations’ Día de los Muertos

    Music and chatter resounded Nov. 2 at Jamaica Plain’s Spontaneous Celebrations’ Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, celebration, the Mexican holiday that celebrates and honors the dead, believing their spirits return to reunite with family. The event took place at their building and outdoor space located on Danforth Street. 
    Framed by arching oak trees and papel picado, a form of perforated, decorative paper, a pathway lined with candles, copal, or incense, and fragrant garlands of cempasúch...
    The Huntington News •

    Copley Square Farmers Market vendors embrace change in a post-COVID-19 landscape

    In the heart of Back Bay sits the Copley Square Farmers Market, one of the largest farmers markets in Massachusetts. Dotted with pigeons, tourists and locals, it features farmers, artisans and other food producers. Despite gray skies on Tuesday, Oct. 8th, vegetables spilled out of baskets in bright bursts of color. Open Tuesdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., the market, tucked between busy streets, beckons customers to slow down and examine each tent. At one end of the block, steamy lentil...

    Selected Illustrations