Announcing SRL’s first College Climate Reporting Fellows

February 28, 2025

PBS News Student Reporting Labs is thrilled to introduce the ten college student journalists who have been selected to report stories about young people working to create solutions to respond to the climate crisis and other environmental issues. This spring, these college climate reporting fellows will work in teams to produce three video stories related to student advocacy efforts, environmental education initiatives, youth-led community programming, and more. This is the first time SRL has offered a reporting fellowship for college students. 

“I couldn’t be more excited to get to work with this talented group of students,” said SRL editorial director, Marie Cusick. “They’ve pitched some great story ideas highlighting young changemakers.”

The fellowship includes professional mentorship and workshops with SRL staff, access to industry-grade production equipment, a $500 stipend, and travel costs for production trips. We’re excited to learn together, hear their insights and see the stories they produce about the many ways local communities are responding to climate change.

The stories they produce this spring will be published as a series in the fall of 2025. Keep reading to learn more about the fellows.

	Name: Kani’ya Davis School: North Carolina A&T State University City: Greensboro, North Carolina Bio: Kani’ya Davis is a third-year journalism student at North Carolina A&T State University, studying to become an investigative reporter. The Columbia, South Carolina native has a deep passion for social justice and hopes that her work can incite positive political reform. Davis is a lead reporter for her university newspaper, The A&T Register, and also serves as the treasurer for the N.C. A&T chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists. In her spare time, Davis hosts a Black literature book club and explores local museums and art exhibits.
	Name: Roury Fitzpatrick School: California State University San Marcos City: San Marcos, California Bio: Roury Fitzpatrick lives in San Diego, California and is a first-year student at Cal State San Marcos. She graduated from Westview High School where she made many contributions to SRL, and attended the 2024 SRL Summer Academy.
	Name: Grace Go School: Cornell University City: Ithaca, New York Bio: Grace Go is a student journalist based in the greater Seattle area. She worked at her high school’s radio station and television station, and loved both. She hopes to continue covering inspiring stories through broadcast journalism throughout college and beyond.
	Name: Jose Guzman-Wug School: University of Southern California City: Los Angeles, California Bio: Jose Guzman-Wug is a third-year student pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in environmental studies and a Master of Science degree in environmental data science at the University of Southern California. The son of immigrant parents and himself an L.A. native, Guzman-Wug is very passionate about climate-related issues and community service. He recently got into climate journalism and is very excited to continue growing his skillset and applying his knowledge!
	Name: Sarah “Paola” Magallanes School: University of Georgia City: Athens, Georgia Bio: Sarah “Paola” Magallanes is a second-year advertising student at the University of Georgia. She is on the pre-law track, and hopes to study intellectual property. Magallanes is involved with the Hispanic Student Association (HSA) and the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA). Publishing under her nickname/middle name Paola, she writes for The Red & Black, an independent newspaper in Athens-Clarke County. In her free time, she enjoys learning foreign languages and watching horror movies new and old.
	Name: Cole Monzon School: University of Miami City: Coral Gables, Florida Bio: Cole Monzon is a junior at the University of Miami studying marine affairs and advertising. He is passionate about environmental science and communications. He hopes to use different forms of media to raise awareness about environmental issues around the world.
	Name: Lizzie Stoner School: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill City: Chapel Hill, North Carolina Bio: Lizzie Stoner is a sophomore at UNC Chapel Hill majoring in environmental studies and journalism. She has been part of The Daily Tar Heel’s audio and video desk for a year and recently joined the lifestyle desk as a writer. She is also a production assistant for UNC’s undergraduate theater company and service chair for Epsilon Eta, an environmental honors society. She is passionate about storytelling and sustainability and can’t wait to work with other dedicated student journalists and learn from the SRL staff!
	Name: Zion Williams School: Howard University City: Washington, DC Bio: Zion Williams is a sophomore broadcast journalism major at Howard University. She has worked with SRL as a student journalist since high school. Recently, she worked with SRL as a production intern on the documentary Run, Hide, Fight: Growing up under the gun. At Howard University, she is involved in multiple news organizations on campus, including The Hilltop, which is the nation’s oldest black collegiate newspaper. Williams’ professional goal is to become an executive producer at a major news network. When she is not in school, she enjoys exploring the D.C. area.
	Name: Joey Wu School: University of Pennsylvania City: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Bio: Joey Wu is an environmentalist in the Vagelos Integrated Program in Energy Research (VIPER) studying bioengineering and environmental science at the University of Pennsylvania. He founded Waterroots, a global education nonprofit that has partnered with over 29 countries to develop grassroots climate storytelling projects. Joey is an active activist, acting as a Penn Climate Speaker, an EarthEcho Marine Plastic Ambassador, and serving on the National Clean Water Collective Youth Council. Wu is a Clinton Global Initiative Scholar, Duke Interfaith Climate Fellow, IEEE Bio-X Scholar, Millennium Fellow, Udall Scholar, Thouron Scholar, UN Youth Delegate, World Bank/IMF Delegate, and NAAEE Academic Scholar.
	Name: Lajward Zahra School: Rice University City: Houston, Texas Bio: Lajward Zahra is a sophomore at Rice University, majoring in English and minoring in Spanish and Politics, Law, and Social Thought, and is an independent journalist. Her work can be found in Teen Vogue, The Nation, Business Insider, The American Prospect, and YES! Magazine, among others. Zahra’s reporting has covered the intersection of youth and politics, immigration, and the environment. She also enjoys writing creatively and is forever inspired by the frontera where she grew up. Zahra was previously a VOICES Fellow with the Asian American Journalists Association.

 

This fellowship is made possible by the Scripps Howard Foundation and other SRL program funders.