Introducing SRL’s 2025 Summer Academy Fellows!

June 4, 2025

By: Anthony Payne

From June 22-28, the 20 students participating in the SRL Summer Academy will meet in Washington D.C. to spend a week producing reported news stories in small groups with the support of PBS News Student Reporting Labs staff, in collaboration with WETA

The program includes professional mentorship, hands-on training, and workshops breaking down every step of the news production process – from research and interviewing to filming and editing. The week will culminate in a screening of the final stories at the WETA office in Arlington, VA.

“It’s truly inspiring to see such a talented group of students from all over the nation joining us this year,” said SRL’s Senior Director of Youth Media Programming Victor Fernandez, “I’m very much looking forward to witnessing their storytelling powers flourish and reach new heights.

We can’t wait to see what stories these students uncover; watch this space and stay tuned for their final stories later this summer!

This level of free hands-on media education is made possible by support for public media programs like PBS News Student Reporting Labs and local station WETA. Consider donating today.

 

Meet the fellows!

Name: Alia Soliman
City: The Bronx, NY
Bio: Alia is a junior at the Bronx High School of Science based in New York City. Her favorite subjects range from physics and math to history and journalism. Outside of the classroom, Alia plays flag football for her school, as well as table tennis and bowling. She loves watching movies, playing with her cat Henry, and going out with friends for a nice summer day out on the town.
Name: Diarra Gangazha
City: Grand Rapids, MI
Bio: Diarra is a junior at East Kentwood High School in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Outside of school, she loves to listen to music, rewatch her favorite TV shows, and spend time with her friends. She’s most excited about the opportunity to learn skills at the Academy that will help make her the best storyteller she can be.
Name: Jayden Hall
City: Alpharetta, GA
Bio: Jayden is a rising senior at Innovation Academy in Alpharetta, Georgia. His favorite subjects are math and journalism. When not studying, he enjoys playing video games competitively on his nationally ranked Esports team, volunteering in his community,  and spending time with friends and family. He is excited about participating in the PBS News Student Reporting Labs summer program and is most interested in meeting students from around the country who share a passion for journalism.
Name: Annalise Huang
City: Danville, CA
Bio: Annalise is a freshman at Monte Vista High School in Danville, California. In school, she equally enjoys English class and playing volleyball with her friends. She loves running, going to concerts, and hanging out with friends. At the Academy, she’s looking forward to building new friendships and learning how to better tell stories that need to be shared!
Name: Janey Mitchell
City: Mount Pleasant, UT
Bio: Janey is a sophomore at North Sanpete High School in Mount Pleasant, Utah. She is active in student council, journalism, and other clubs. Janey plays three different sports: soccer (her favorite), basketball, and track. She loves hanging out with friends, listening to music, and playing video games in her free time. She’s super excited to meet more people and learn as much as she can about journalism.
Name: Autumn Wynn
City: Brooklyn, NY
Bio: Autumn is a junior at Park Slope Collegiate in Brooklyn, New York. When she’s not in school, she’s in the city. Autumn works at The Bell, researching and recording for the podcast Miseducation and meeting with the Youth Journalism Coalition. Other than that, she loves to write, annoy her cat, and find new food places to try. Autumn is most excited to learn new skills, make friends, and eat blue crabs!
Name: Julia Mayi
City: Atlanta, GA
Bio: Julia is a rising senior at Midtown High School in Atlanta, Georgia. She enjoys producing her school news show, Knight View. Named Audio Video Student of the Year, Julia hopes to expand her knowledge of storytelling while working with like-minded storytellers. In the future, she hopes to add depth to stories about well-known figures, such as Zora Neale Hurston, and shed light on lesser-known figures like Woodie Neal Persons, a prominent Atlanta educator. Outside of Knight View, she enjoys reading and photography.
Name: Kyra Svab
City: Burbank, CA
Bio: Kyra is a junior at John Burroughs High School in Burbank, California, where she balances four AP classes, learning American Sign Language, and executive producing her school news show, Good Morning John Burroughs, all while daydreaming about her next photo shoot. She’s most at home behind the camera or behind the laptop during an editing session, crafting videos, or catching candid moments on film. She’s got a soft spot for vintage tees, David Bowie, and coming-of-age movies that will make you cry a little and dance a lot. She’s really looking forward to connecting with other students who are just as passionate about storytelling and media as she is.
Name: Blakely Pfaff
City: Rockville, MD
Bio: Blakely is a Junior at Rockville High School in Rockville, Maryland. She is an anchor for the Wake Up Rockville morning show, with her own recurring weather segment. Blakely recently published a graphic novel called Daisy’s Dare, an inspirational story of a young girl taking healthy risks to build her confidence. She is excited to dive deeper into storytelling and take what she learns back to Rockville and her IB broadcast journalism classmates.
Name: Zolton Hall
City: Macomb, MI
Bio: Zolton is a junior at the Fredrick V. Pankow Center in Macomb County, Michigan. His favorite subjects are TV and broadcast media and theater. When he’s not in school, he likes to play sports, make movies with friends, and read. He’s most excited to have the opportunity to explore somewhere new for the first time, meet so many people from around the country, and have the opportunity to create exciting ideas with them.
Name: Nicole Lee
City: San Francisco, CA
Bio: Nicole is a junior at Independence High School in San Francisco, California. Her favorite subjects are English and U.S. history. Outside of school, she volunteers at the UCSF Medical Center in the nursing station, is an active member of St. Ignatius Parish, and served as a high school elections ambassador for the spring 2025 voter outreach initiative with the San Francisco Department of Elections, where she received the Best Collaboration award. She hopes to one day major in political science at a four-year university. Nicole is excited to showcase her passion for journalism at the Summer Academy and build on her experience as a news anchor for her school’s weekly broadcast, NextWeek@IHS.
Name: Simran Gupta
City: Cumming, GA
Bio: Simran Gupta is a senior at Alliance Academy for Innovation in Cumming, Georgia. She is passionate about technology and its applications for youth well-being, particularly for mental health and education. She believes that life is all about learning new things and listening to new perspectives, which is why she’s excited to be a part of PBS News Student Reporting Labs. Outside of school, she likes to bike, listen to music, and solve puzzles.
Name: David Arowolo
City: Baltimore, MD
Bio: David is a rising high school junior from Baltimore County, Maryland. He is passionate about storytelling, advocacy, and digital media. When he’s not editing videos or working on student council initiatives, he enjoys mentoring younger students and exploring civic engagement projects. David is most excited to connect with others who use media to amplify youth voices and make a difference.
Name: Alessandro De Palma
City: Miami, FL
Bio: Alessandro is a sophomore at the Miami Senior High School in Miami, Florida. He is most well-known by other students for his “brainfreeze persona.” His favorite classes are AP psychology and AP seminar. Whenever he is not at school, he likes to play baseball with a group of locals. He looks forward to connecting with others and learning more about the art of storytelling.
Name: Henry Scott
City: Bozeman, MT
Bio: Henry is a junior at Bozeman High School in Bozeman, Montana. He is the founder of the film club at his school and is interested in English and literature studies. He also spends a lot of time involved with the Special Olympics at his school. When out of school Henry really enjoys skateboarding, watching movies, and listening to music. He is most excited for the chance to learn more about videography and editing and meet people with similar passions about film and journalism.
Name: Chaeeun Yoo
City: Concord, NC
Bio: Chaeeun Yoo is an incoming freshman at Columbia University, and is ardently passionate about the intersection between the arts and humanities. They are the executive editor for The Redwood Review and the Founder of Our Iyagi, which seeks to build community between underserved people. She was an advisor for the 2024-25 SRL Student Advisory Board and is eager to connect further within the PBS network. In Chaeeun’s free time, she enjoys vermicomposting, watching films, and reading!
Name: Tomas Rubio
City: Lake Charles, LA
Bio: Tomas is a senior at College Street Vocational Center in Lake Charles, Louisiana. He loves his video production class, where he’s taken the lead with sitcom production, podcasting, and documentary production. Tomas enjoys hanging out with friends, family, and playing outdoor games. He’s excited about learning how to better communicate in the media field and sharpen video and editing skills at the Academy.
Name: Marium Zahra
City: El Paso, TX
Bio: Marium is a junior at the Young Women’s STEAM Research and Preparatory Academy in El Paso, Texas. She loves storytelling, especially through written journalism. She loves art, baking, gardening, and reading Pride and Prejudice. She’s excited to get to know students from across the country and learn more about video storytelling and journalism!
Name: Macayla Ramsey
City: Detroit, MI
Bio: Macayla is an incoming freshman at New York University from Detroit, MI. Her favorite subjects in school are history and English. In her free time she enjoys playing soccer, hanging out with friends, and watching movies. She’s most excited to capture the experience of student storytelling at the Academy.
Name: Nuha Hussein
City: Grand Rapids, MI
Bio: Nuha is an incoming college freshman based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She has a passion for digital storytelling, cinema, and photography, and is a walking dictionary for music. Nuha attended the previous PBS SRL Summer Academy and was part of the 2024 Student Advisory Team. She’s excited to make new friends and create lasting memories at this year’s academy!