Rolynda Jonathan​

Rolynda Jonathan is currently in public relations under her employment with the Embassy of Japan in Palau. A journalist by occupation for nearly 6 years, Rolynda wrote and produced for Oceania Television Network (OTV) before leaving mainstream media in early 2015. Rolynda also contributed to international publications, regional and international news outlets including Radio New Zealand. In 2012, Rolynda became the first Pacific journalist awarded with a fellowship under the UNEP/APFED Media Fellowship Program where she contributed to the publication of “Environmental Dispatches: Reflections on Challenges, Innovation and Resilience in Asia-Pacific”. “Although I’m no longer actively involved in mainstream media career-wise, this is my calling – a calling that I hope to fully answer and return back to in the near future,” she said.  “I’m very fortunate and excited to continue to contribute to the advancement of Palau’s media, to be part of the nation’s development and participate in the democratic process.” Rolynda was born and raised in Koror, but spent nearly a decade living and working in the United States before returning home in late 2009. Rolynda can be contacted at email: missimeyuns@yahoo.com

Bernadette Carreon

Bernadette Carreon writes for Tia Belau, the Guam Daily Post/Sunday Post and Marianas Business Journal. A journalist for 21 years, Bernadette is also the Palau correspondent for international news agencies including Kyodo News, Radio Australia and Agence France Presse. She came to Palau in 2001 to work for the now-defunct Palau Horizon and has since considered this island nation her home. An intrepid journalist, Bernadette has survived several threats resulting from her fearless reporting. “As a journalist, I acknowledge and embrace my role in a free society, where free flow of information allows people to participate in the democratic process,” she said. “This is an exciting time to be a journalist in Palau as we brace for a digital revolution.” Bernadette was born and raised in Manila, where she began her career in journalism in 1995. She worked for Today and Malaya. Bernadette holds a degree in journalism from the University of Santo Tomas, one of the oldest universities in Asia. Bernadette can be contacted at emai: carreon.bernadette@gmail.com

Ongerung Kambes Kesolei

Ongerung Kambes Kesolei is a reporter, photographer and editor for Tia Belau - Palau's first and the oldest newspaper. An energetic media personality, Kambes writes and report for his own Palauan language news program in local cable channel. He maintains an eponymously named weekly radio show called The Ongerung Show, which is themed on culture and history. He is a prolific radio and television host and interviewer with hundreds of programs under his belt. Kambes got his first start in the news business by contributing photographs and articles for the local newspapers before becoming a full-fledged news reporter and editor for Tia Belau at the end of 2008. He is active in volunteer activities against non-communicable diseases. He says he is an insomniac who will never finish up his reading list because he keeps adding more to it. He can be contacted at email: okkesolei@gmail.com