About

FEEL Magazine was born out of a void. The founder, Nikolya Sereda, through extensive research realized that there was no publication or outlet that coordinated and presented the work of Deaf artists. While there were publications that covered notable Deaf figures or provided resources for hearing parents for Deaf children, there were none that had the perspective Ms. Sereda was looking for. She decided to take action and create a prototype of her vision. After many meetings and pitches, her idea has come to life.

FEEL Magazine celebrates talented Deaf, Deaf +, and HOH artists by publishing a fresh, progressive, intriguing perspective in art. By creating an outlet for expression, we encourage all ages, backgrounds and identities of the Deaf community to appreciate works of art.

Meet the Team

Editor in Chief

Nikolya Sereda

Meet Nikolya Sereda, FEEL Magazine’s Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Editor in Chief! From Natick, Massachusetts, Nikolya is a third year student majoring in English and Theatre Arts. Her father is an architect and her mother teaches dance while her older sister studies opera. Growing up in such an artistic family has influenced Nikolya to pursue the arts after she graduates. She is the only deaf person of her family. Nikolya enjoys cosmetics, writing, and all forms of comedy.

Internship Program

Every year, FEEL Magazine conducts two semester-long internship programs, providing opportunities for deaf youth to work with us and delve into the artistic side of our community. We provide positions for all different fields of work including journalism, graphic design, marketing, photography, and more. Meet this semester’s interns!

Lydia Kopp

Meet Lydia Kopp, Co-Editor, she was raised in a family of signers, both deaf and hearing. She was born in Ohio and moved to Austin, Texas to attend the Texas School for the Deaf from second grade to high school graduation before being accepted into Gallaudet. She is absolutely loving it here as a freshman in her second semester. She is hoping to declare a major in Art and Media Design as well as a minor in Writing. She enjoys creating art and trying out new techniques. Her favorite animal used to be the horse, but now it is the snake. She also has eaten alligator meat. FYI—tastes just like chicken!

Miranda Petronella

Meet Miranda Petronella, Co-Editor, she is a senior from New York and majoring in English with hopes of working in the editorial or publishing field after graduation. Besides studying, she enjoys writing poetry, reading, and traveling America. Southern California with its warm weather is one of her favorite places. Being from an Italian-American family, She is an avid fan of the Italian national football team.

Naysia Thomas

Meet Nayasia Thomas, Graphic Designer, born and raised in Michigan. She has one son (dog) named Scooter, who is 4 years old. He is her first love ever since she adopted him. She is a senior studying for a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design and Web at The Art Institute of Washington. After graduation, she is thinking about pursuing a MFA in art, or joining the Peace Corps before she goes back to school. She hasn’t decided. She loves to cook virtually everything, especially seafood.  Her hobbies are painting, listening to music, knitting, and more. Also, she wants to start her own blog about traveling with her dog.

Alexa Paulay-Simmons

Meet Alexa Paulay-Simmons, Artistic Director, she grew up integrated in the deaf culture in Frederick, Maryland. She decided to move to Hawaii for college just to explore what lies outside the deaf community. She found that her Deaf identity is deeply rooted into her heart. She decided to start attending Gallaudet this semester after two and half years in Hawaii. She is still exploring majors. Her interests include fashion and creative writing. She loves to dance like no one is watching with a cup of coffee in her hands, first thing in the morning [almost] every day.  She also absolutely loves to explore trendy coffee shops and sitting down there to read, write, or just to people watch.

Leila Colmenero

Meet Leila Colmenero, Photographer, from Chicago, Illinois, she is a fifth-year student majoring in Photography and Graphic Design. She has a younger hard-of-hearing sibling and she is proud to be an aunt of 14 nephews and nieces. She enjoys traveling, socializing with friends, and taking pictures. Her fun fact is that She can’t say no to pizza. Her goals after graduation are either one of these: to set up her own photography business, to travel all over the world before she gets a serious job, or to pursue a MFA in something related to her fields.

Ivy Sahneyah

Meet Ivy Sahneyah, Web Designer, she is a senior and her major is Graphic Design. She is from the Hopi Reservation in Arizona. She is Native American, so she has two tribes: Hopi and Tewa. She is the only Deaf-Blind in her hearing family. Her favorite food is Mexican, Hopi Taco, and Hopi Stew, and she cannot live without them. On her own time, she likes running long distances, doing weight lifts, traveling to different places, and taking pictures with her digital camera. Her dream is to help Deaf-Blind Youths and Adults from other countries to change their lives, because they missed their best opportunities. Fun Fact: After 28 years, she finally ate cow’s balls and they tasted like beef!