PBS NewsHour names 18 fellows for inaugural student reporting academy

This summer, 18 talented young storytellers from 11 states will convene in the nation’s capital with a common objective: to help build the future of public media.

The middle and high school fellows are participants in the first Student Reporting Labs Academy in Washington, D.C. They’ll work alongside public media mentors to produce original digital content and sharpen their journalism and production skills. They will also help program leaders develop strategies to engage young people with the news and current affairs and ensure that diverse youth voices are active in the conversations about critical issues facing the nation.

PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Lab participants and newly named fellows, top row: Ben Root, Alex Trevino and Chloe Golan; Bottom row: Isabel Evans and Erykah Williams.

These young journalists have reported on the challenges of keeping schools safe, how political advertising reaches young people and service projects at their own schools, all of which have contributed to the NewsHour’s broadcast and digital platforms this year.

Here is the list of this year’s fellows:

Georgie Abbey, Royal Oak High School
Annie Collick, Royal Oak High School
Isabel Evans, Philip’s Academy Charter School
John Fabella, Maui Waena Intermediate School
Chloe Golan, Alonzo and Tracy Mourning Senior High
Evan Gulock, Royal Oak High School
Alexander Lischak, Trumbull Career & Technical
Alex Maxwell, Judge Memorial Catholic High School
Sydney Payne, Carlsbad High School
Keenan Penn II, Fraser High School
Alizah Rizvi, Philip’s Academy Charter School
Ben Root, Stephen F. Austin High School
Jakira Smith, Free Spirit Media and Simeon Career Academy
Giel Marie Tolentino, Maui High School
Alex Trevino, Stephen F. Austin High School
Nicholas Weiss, Cedar Crest High School
Zoe Whitney, Maui High School
Erykah Williams, Vista PEAK Preparatory

To learn more about the students and to watch their submission videos, please visit the official SRL Academy Tumblr.

Mentor support provided by:
Detroit Public Television
KPBS
KLRU
NJTV
PBS Hawaii
Rocky Mountain PBS
Utah Education Network
Western Reserve Public Media
WNET

Student Reporting Labs is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting as part of the public media initiative, “American Graduate: Let’s Make It Happen,” which is helping communities improve education opportunities for all students and build the next generation of skilled graduates. Student Reporting Labs is also funded by National Science Foundation.