Carmen Cusido

Carmen Cusido has worked for MikeWorldWide Public Relations, the New Jersey Department of Education, Twitter, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and others.


During her time on the editorial team at Twitter Moments, she taught journalism at Kean and Rutgers universities and Hudson County Community College. Her writing has appeared in Newsweek, Oprah Daily, Refinery29, Remezcla, NBC News, CNN, NPR, Cosmopolitan, New Jersey Monthly, NRDC, and other publications.

Cusido also has written about U.S-Cuba relations and her recovery from anorexia and has been interviewed by ABC News, The Guardian, The Star-Ledger, amNewYork, and Univision. Her book, "Coping with Eating Disorders," geared toward a young-adult audience, was published in January 2019. She was also featured in Jean Chatzky's 2019 book titled "Women with Money."

In addition to her full-time job and freelance writing, Cusido co-teaches a bilingual journalism course at Montclair State University in New Jersey, and has taught communications and journalism courses at Kean and Rutgers universities and Hudson County Community College.

Cusido earned a Master's degree in journalism from Columbia University and a bachelor's degree in Journalism with minors in Spanish and political science from Rutgers University. Additionally, Cusido participated in the Yale Writers' Workshop in 2018 and earned an executive education certificate through Harvard Business School in 2021.

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IP •

Resist Your Regrets

Consider your immediate reaction to this line: “I’m sorry, but …” Do you sense bad news is coming or that the speaker is about to under-deliver? That’s not a message speakers want to send, but many do it instinctively and needlessly. Regretful phrases like “I apologize …” and “Please excuse/forgive …” may seem polite, but they usually backfire, making you sound less credible and confident. It’s your job to manage your regret, not your audience’s job to accommodate it. “Regretful language in a s...
Columbia Alumni She Opened The Door •

Ask the Expert | Creating Messaging to Make an Impact

Join us for an inspiring session with Carmen Cusido '10JRN, a dedicated mental health advocate and communications leader with over 20 years of experience in journalism, public service, and mission-driven organizations. Currently serving as the Assistant Director of Media Relations and Communications at Kessler Foundation, Carmen works alongside scientists pioneering research in autism, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, and stroke. Her impactful writing has been featured in renowned outlets such as Newsweek, Oprah Daily, Refinery29, CNN, and NBC News. In this video, Carmen shares valuable insights and tips on how to craft engaging and compelling messaging, all while amplifying underrepresented voices through storytelling and strategic communications. Don't miss out on her expert advice!
Postgrads •

🎓Postgrads | Episode 17:Carmen Cusido

Welcome to Postgrads — In each episode, we sit down with Columbia Journalism School graduates to explore what comes after the degree — the jobs, the pivots, the dreams, and the unexpected turns. In today’s episode, we’re joined by Carmen Cusido, a Communication Professional Freelance writer based in New Jersey, as well as a mental health advocate. Cusido will share with us her path through different careers, as well as her long time battles with eating disorders. Trigger warning: from 12:43: discussions of severe depression, loss of loved ones, anorexia and other eating disorders Interviewer: Zhuoya Ma Guest: Carmen Cusido Camera: Danny Liu Edit: Danny Liu/Zhuoya Ma Referenced work： Egg freezing: https://wearemitu.com/wearemitu/culture/opinion-egg-freezing-fertility-post-roe-america/ Severe depression: https://www.newsweek.com/i-tried-take-own-life-when-mom-died-1677628 Eating disorder and Latino culture: https://remezcla.com/features/culture/the-weight-we-carry-unpacking-eating-disorder-sin-verguenza/ YOUTUBE CHAPTERS 00:00 start 00:13 beginning 00:48 upbringing 01:58 different journalism school experience 03:25 Columbia J school - foreign reporting 04:16 preferred beat 05:27 speech writer 06:17 influence of education 09:06 educating the others 10:10 bilingual translating accuracy 11:08 rapid fire question 12:36 eating disorder+depression 21:25 the biggest misconception about mental health 24:33 book writing 26:03 monologue - leave a message to past and future self 26:56 ending 💡 About Postgrads: Postgrads is a video podcast founded by Zhuoya Ma and Danny Liu, spotlighting Columbia Journalism School graduates carving their path after graduation. Each conversation dives deep into career choices, creative pivots, and the reality of building a meaningful life in media. 📬 Want to be featured or collaborate? Email us at zhuoyama79@gmail.com #postgrads #columbiajournalismschool #freelancer #mentalhealth