Ruby Topalian

Columbia Daily Spectator — For $50 million, a College of Dental Medicine building could've been named after Jeffrey Epstein. Columbia officials said no. For $50 million, a College of Dental Medicine building could've been named after Jeffrey Epstein. Columbia officials said no. University officials told Spectator the potential donation was closely vetted because of its size and public-facing nature.

The Guardian — 'The world thinks Palestinians don't need help any more,' aid organiser says, despite desperate need as winter nears

Oklahoma Watch — This investigation was the first in the country to uncover the extortion of families across Oklahoma by gangs inside state prisons. I found six victims, one of whom sent more than $50,000 across seven years, and exposed how gangs were able to do this through contraband phones.

KFOR-TV (Oklahoma City, OK) — This is a televised interview I appeared in to discuss my investigation that uncovered an extortion scheme in Oklahoma prisons.

NBC News — Robert Johnson, a former South Carolina prison officer, was shot six times in a hit ordered through an inmate's contraband phone. 15 years later, the FCC is weighing whether to let prisons jam illicit signals.

Columbia Daily Spectator — This was Columbia Daily Spectator's first interview with Mahmood Mamdani.

Oklahoma Watch — My analysis of 171 private school websites and interviews with school administrators revealed that about 20% of private schools in Oklahoma’s private school voucher program raised their tuition over the last year by 6% or more. In effect, school were taking advantage of the extra money from the state by raising tuition prices to the maximum state credit amount. Many community activist organizations and non-profits had speculated that the program was having this effect but this was the first investigation to shed light on the quantitative reality.

NBC News — I contributed substantial reporting to this piece about hospitals across the country charging “facility fees,” even for routine outpatient appointments. This digital piece also aired on Nightly News with Tom Llamas and Top Story with Tom Llamas.

Columbia Daily Spectator — This investigation unpacked the effects of federal funding cuts to university science research on labs at Columbia University through interviews with students and faculty. It ultimately identified a heightened financial impact felt by researchers in basic science over applied science due to the geopolitical and financial possibilities of the latter.

Columbia Daily Spectator — After the city's leading hospital systems rejected the demands of the New York State Nurses Association, a union representing over 20,000 nurses in the city, during contract negotiations, the nurses went on strike Monday.

Oklahoma Watch — State regulators didn't vet accreditors for private schools to qualify for the Parental Choice Tax Credit program, opening the door to subpar accreditation.

Columbia Daily Spectator — Backgrounded every Core Curriculum instructor for fall 2025 to confirm that no doctoral candidates are teaching.

Oklahoma Watch — This was my coverage of the controversial McCurtain County sheriff primary elections. Then Sheriff Kevin Clardy made international headlines a year prior after a secret recording was released in which he and his colleagues were caught making racist remarks. Clardy ran for sheriff again in this election and this piece includes interviews with all those running against him in the primary as well as voters.

Oklahoma Watch — The state of Oklahoma, Oklahoma City and the Oklahoma City Police Department became the subject of a Department of Justice investigation in 2022 for potentially inadequate mental health response to those in crisis. This report unpacks the reforms the city and state was undertaking in response to the investigation and a comparison of these efforts to more established programs in Tulsa.

Trinity News — The most-viewed and liked piece in Trinity News' digital history (30k Twitter views in 24 hours).

Oklahoma Watch — A quick-turn piece covering the closure of Oklahoma's last remaining private prison, Lawton Correctional Facility with a statement from the prison owners.

NBC News — I helped with reporting on this story, locating doctors, assisting with interviews, and retrieving documentation.

Trinity News — After the USSR flag was flown at the college club fair, this piece highlights the reactions of Eastern European students as well as the club officials responsible for it; it also includes a statement from the college administration and students' union president. As I walked around the fair and spoke with students, I noticed that people had strong opinions about the flag and wanted to provide a platform for community members to discuss its significance.

Trinity News — This investigation unpacks the failures of Irish universities in addressing the eating disorder crisis affecting campuses nationwide. Some students reported being threatened with expulsion if they did not gain weight but public facilities are so lacking that receiving proper treatment, especially for low-income students, is often nearly impossible.

Trinity News — The Academic Registry is widely disliked by students across campus who perceive it as sluggish and dysfunctional. I gained access to the registry to determine what was causing this unfavorable reputation. Ultimately, I found that several factors were responsible, revealing that the office received 112,783 student queries from 2022 to 2023.