Charm alumni: Where are they now

By Assata Makonnen, Amir Muhammad & Anika Stikeleather | February 20, 2024

As the youth-led Baltimore city magazine CHARM: Voices of Baltimore Youth celebrates its tenth anniversary, it takes a moment to reflect upon its past members and the impact that CHARM has had on them to this day. 

CHARM, started by then middle school teacher Whitney Birenbaum and her students Shantika Bhat, Jonathan Veale, and Tehle Ross, began with the purpose of bringing a voice to the youth of Baltimore City. It has since expanded into an organization that has partnered with publications and literary organizations like DewMore Poetry, Johns Hopkins University Press, The Afro and Black Classic Press, which are integral to the literary culture of Baltimore City. Throughout the years, it has continued to serve as a platform for the city’s youth to express how they love, defend, and seek change for their community. CHARM alumni have taken their time with the organization and used it as the foundation to forge their own paths.

Jonathan Veale

Age: 20

High school: Baltimore school for the Arts  

College: University of Maryland 

Major: Cinematic Arts

Jonathan Veale majors in Cinematic Arts at University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He enjoys filmmaking, photography, and script writing. Due to his work with CHARM, he has become accustomed to talking to many different people and working with others. “To work on other peoples films and help them with those visions,”  Veale said about his goals after college. 

Advice for future CHARM editors: “I always have more than one piece of advice. But I think one of the most important ones to remember is it takes you very far to be a polite and caring person. I've been able to get to many places that I have in life because I was willing to sit down with someone, be able to talk with someone and be there for people that needed it.”

Shantika Bhat

age: 21

High school: Baltimore Polytechnic Institute 

College: Johns Hopkins University 

Major: Public Health; Minor in communications and marketing 

Shantika Bhat is a fourth year at Johns Hopkins University. She is currently studying abroad in Europe as a Public Health major with a minor in communications and marketing. It’s a field that she’s felt drawn to ever since helping to found CHARM. With her degree, she hopes to enter the medical field and help as many people as she can. Although not in the literary space she still thinks about CHARM and its power to uplift youth voices.

 “CHARM is meant for the Baltimore youth,” Shantika said. “It’s for our voices to be heard. Keep the creativity going and don’t stop.” 

Advice for future CHARM editors: “Always make room for yourself and the issues you care about. That’s the thing. Sometimes it can be scary, but you can never take up too much space, especially when it’s for a good cause.”

Shubhan Bhat

Age: 19

High school: Baltimore Polytechnic Institute 

College: University of Maryland, Baltimore County 

Major: Computer Science 

Shubhan Bhat is a first year at University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He enjoys hip hop, digital art, and computer science, which he is currently majoring in. CHARM served as the perfect outlet for Shubhan’s creativity; he hopes to utilize that same creativity in pursuing a career in the digital arts. 

“Knowing that CHARM would accept me was incredible,” Shubhan said. “I have so much respect for the CHARM crew because they really encouraged and pushed for the creative freedom that I had been hiding away for two years. It was the only time where I really felt understood.” 

Advice for future CHARM editors:  “Even if you feel like you’re not at a good place right now, just keep trying, and everything will fall into place.” 

Saniya Wilson-Powell

Age: 19

High school: Baltimore City College 

College: McDaniel College 

Major: Writing and Publishing (minor in American Sign Language)

Saniya Wilson-Powell has a deep relationship with CHARM. It was where she got the experience of editing and publishing as early as high school and decided on her future goals. The recent graduate of Baltimore City College attends McDaniel College where she majors in Writing and Publishing and minors in American Sign Language. With her degree, Powell hopes to pursue a career as an author, publisher, editor and entrepreneur.

“I want to start my own business to help women in general because there are not a lot of women writers to help them publish their books, have women editors, and women in publishing,” Powell said.  “Just to give each other a boost up.”

Advice for future CHARM editors:  CHARM helped me realize my true potential.