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.

During the 2014-2015 school year, 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, contributing to the NewsHour’s broadcast and digital platforms.

Here is the list of this year’s fellows:
Annie Collick, Royal Oak High School
William Corprew, Philip’s Academy Charter 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
Mya Long, Black River Falls High School
Alex Maxwell, Judge Memorial Catholic High School
Sydney Payne, Carlsbad High School
Keenan Penn II, Fraser High 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

The fellows are connected to local PBS stations KLRU in Austin, Detroit Public TelevisionPBS HawaiiUtah Education NetworkWNET in New York,  NJTV in New Jersey, Rocky Mountain PBSKPBS in San Diego and Western Reserve Public Media.

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

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.