The halls of The Chapin School are brimming with curiosity, creativity and conversation. Alongside the energy of the present is the powerful connection to the past, with alumnae representing nearly 125 years of the School’s history.
Alums, near or far, are invaluable, inspiring current students, families and fellow alumnae every day. Throughout the school year, faculty and staff welcome them back to 100 East End Ave for gatherings, performances, athletic events, talks and panel discussions.
In early December, Chapin invited distinguished alumna Ayana Harry ’01 to speak to students, as her career in journalism represents well the values of inquiry and civil discourse emphasized in the Chapin curriculum. Ayana, a political reporter for NY1, has built an extensive career covering local, national and international news. During her visit to our Senior History Seminar class, she discussed her career path and recent reporting on the 2025 New York City mayoral campaign.
After graduating from Chapin, Ayana attended Princeton University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Politics. Her journalism career began at ABC News in New York, where she worked her way up from intern to desk assistant, ultimately becoming a field producer who was sent across the country to coordinate network coverage after major breaking news. While at ABC News, Ayana covered presidential campaigns, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the Bernie Madoff arrest and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti.
Working next as a reporter and fill-in anchor at PIX11 News in New York City, Ayana focused on City Hall politics and criminal justice issues, and was the first television journalist to cover Eric Garner’s police-involved death. In 2015, Ayana traveled to Haiti to report on the continuing recovery efforts, five years after the country’s devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake. She was also in the courtroom every day covering the criminal trials of Harvey Weinstein and R. Kelly, In 2021, she reported on the daily developments in the races for New York City mayor as well as New York governor in 2022. Ayana shared that she joined Spectrum News NY1 in 2023 as a multimedia journalist covering politics.
After discussing her background and career trajectory with students, Ayana focused her talk on the human and ethical responsibilities behind her work. She emphasized the importance of building and maintaining connections in journalism which have helped her throughout her career and with her stories. Much of her work, Ayana explained, involves earning people’s trust and knowing the right individuals to reach out to. “People put their trust in you when they tell you their stories,” she said. “I take great honor in that.”
This year, Ayana was assigned to cover the NYC mayoral campaign, specifically following candidate Andrew Cuomo. She gave students an inside look into her daily schedule and responsibilities, and the realities of political reporting. “I help communicate what is happening in City Hall, which has an effect on the daily life of people in New York City,” she said, underscoring the responsibility journalists carry during unpredictable election cycles.
After a thoughtful discussion, Ayana took questions from the class. One student asked, “How do you engage younger voices in New York City?” and another asked, “How do you separate personal biases from your reporting?” Ayana emphasized her strong belief in traditional journalism, saying, “I am the vehicle for information and facts,” and said her personal opinions should never interfere with or influence her storytelling. It is crucial, she explained, to ensure that she shares both sides and represents multiple perspectives in her reporting.
When asked about handling pressure from editors and how she stays true to her voice, Ayana gave credit to Chapin. She shared that within the halls of the School she learned how to stand up for herself, build her confidence and recognize her own power.
Ayana’s visit connected directly to the Senior History Seminar’s yearlong focus on Civil Discourse. In the fall, students discussed what it means to participate in a civil society, explored how to have productive conversations during disagreements and examined the media's role in covering the mayoral election. Ayana’s insights related directly to these conversations, highlighting the importance of ethical reporting, respectful engagement and balanced storytelling.
The themes raised in Ayana’s visit were explored again later in the month through a broader community conversation with alumnae working across media.
