The magazine Teresa Cusumano, English professor and language specialist, found in a box in Coxe Hall had been out of print for years. Now, Voices, its successor, publishes new issues each spring and invites anyone from campus to contribute.
What began in 1989 as a place for international students to publish their work has grown into Voices, a magazine open to submissions from students, staff and faculty.
Previously known as International Voices, the magazine and its mission to give all students a voice date back more than 35 years on Lehigh grounds. While its origins lie in international student empowerment, it has since expanded to welcome all students.
The club was initially founded under the name Foni, before being reinstated in 2016 as International Voices. The reinstitution was carried out by Cusumano, who remains the organization’s primary faculty adviser alongside her colleague, Maria Cristina Montufar, adjunct English professor and language specialist.
“Foni was the first club that recognized international-student writing right on campus back in the 1980s, when we first started with an actual program for non-native English-speaking students,” Cusumano said.
In 2016, she restarted the club with encouragement from fellow faculty. Cusumano used Foni’s original concept, keeping its largely international student demographic.
Three years ago, Cusumano said she and student leadership decided to change the name to Voices to be more inclusive and expand the magazine’s reach.
“I noticed that the name was kind of misleading to a lot of students because it gave this perception that it’s only for international students, which it’s not,” Cusumano said. “It’s open to faculty, staff, domestic students, international students, anyone on campus.”
In 2025, the literary magazine received national recognition from the National Council of Teachers of English after being nominated by Cusumano’s colleagues from the International Center for Academic and Professional English. Voices won the Superior Award, one of the highest tiers awarded to student literary magazines.
“I was very proud that even my own colleagues felt strongly enough to submit it and take pride in the magazine, because (the International Center for Academic and Professional English) is essential to it,” Cusumano said.
Cusumano saw the recognition as the culmination of years of work from long-time executive board members and magazine contributors.
Mira Wignaraja, ‘27, served as president during the magazine’s award-winning edition in 2025, and has since stepped down to the role of secretary to help mentor future executive board members. She said being in Voices has been a very positive experience.
“It’s given me the chance to be a leader here, to get to know other students, and be in a community,” Wignaraja said. “Our club is very small, so we don’t have a lot of people, but we work with the people we have, and everyone does everything for each other.”
Voices also takes a nonlinear, pay-it-forward approach to student leadership. Wignaraja said she stepped down as president in order to help mentor future executive board members, many of whom are underclassmen. This year, the club’s president is first-year Francesca Ponce, ‘30.
“We all collaborate on the executive board,” Ponce said. “It’s not that much pressure on just the president. We all divide work; I think it’s been a great experience.”
Ponce and the rest of the executive board are creating a new submission system.
“It’s very important that people go to events and learn about submitting to Voices through that,” Ponce said.
Some events Voices has hosted, according to Ponce, were pumpkin painting at the harvest fest and their Friendsgiving happening later this month.
The positive community is echoed by Voices’ treasurer, Jiaqian Xu, ‘27.
“It’s been a really good learning opportunity,” Xu said. “I just feel like the submissions are so creative. We really have a lot of good student work, and even though we have a lot of challenges, we are still able to overcome them.”
Voices has been contributing to Lehigh’s campus with events to expand the club’s reach.
Earlier this fall, Voices collaborated with Lehigh After Dark, University Productions and the Central Asian Students Association to put on the Harvest Fest.
The club hosted a pumpkin painting activity while showcasing its past magazine work and promoting submissions for the club’s upcoming edition.
Voices’ events also build community and promote diversity.
“This is definitely a very inclusive magazine,” Xu said. “Whether you are an international student or a local student, you can all celebrate and come together. It’s a very nice place for people who might not have the same cultural background to get to know other cultures.”
Cusumano said the organization’s primary mission is to give everyone on campus a voice, while encouraging positive and productive conversations.
During editorial meetings, the executive board prioritizes representing diverse perspectives and opinions, emphasizing that individuals don’t have to agree to engage in respectful discussions rooted in empathy, understanding and cultural awareness.
“We try to keep in mind that there are differing perspectives, differing opinions, differing positions on all the things that are going on today,” Cusumano said.
Submissions to Voices Magazine from students, staff and faculty are encouraged to be sent to the club’s email, [email protected].
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