Current Master's Students
Barbara Bellinger
Interests: International and immigration
I am a non-traditional student and recent transplant to East Lansing. I moved to Michigan from Oregon two years ago. My area of interest is international reporting with one focus being immigrant communities here and abroad. I intend to explore all modalities of reporting: writing, on-air, editing, videography, etc., while at MSU to ensure I have the qualifications for multimedia reporting positions.
Hannah Brock
Interests: Investigative journalism
I will start my master's in journalism program in spring of 2022 after graduating with a bachelor's degree with honors. I am interested in becoming an investigative journalist. I worked for MLive covering both statewide and local news and at The State News covering public safety and courts. I have also researched how reporters cover crises and explored the news media's relationship with the public with my mentor, Dr. Manuel Chavez. Throughout, I have striven to amplify unheard voices and tell untold stories. During my first year at Michigan State, I set my goal to hold perpetrators of wrongdoing accountable and to build trusting relationships in the communities I serve. This is the core of my passion for journalism.
Raenu Charles
Interests: International reporting
I'm a recent graduate from Michigan State University's James Madison College with a degree in international relations. International development was my favorite area to learn about, and we talked about ways in which race, gender, ethnicity and sexuality operate on a global scale. It would be an absolute privilege to learn more about these issues and report on them, as well.
Jonus Cottrell
Interests: Visual environmental communication
I am a second-year graduate student interested in environmental communication, specifically video. I would like to study the factors that contribute to the likelihood of an individual replicating an environmentally conscious action after seeing a video on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram or YouTube. In other words, how can environmental communicators turn environmentalism into a viral meme?
Madelyn Darbonne
Interests: Social Media's Impacts on Journalism
My area of interest is in exploring the relationship between journalism and technology, with a particular focus on how social media shapes the journalistic landscape. During my master's program, I will be studying how information circulates on social media and the impact this has on journalistic practices to understand how non-media professionals perceive misinformation, disinformation and media literacy through social media platforms.
Prior to pursuing my Master's degree, I graduated from Michigan State with my Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism with a concentration in media relations in Spring 2022. During my time as a Spartan, I conducted undergraduate research in the field of journalism focusing on crisis communication through social media and worked as a social media manager for a technology company, both of which sparked my interest in my focus area.
Kyle Davidson
Interests: Political and Environmental Reporting
I'm a recent MSU graduate interested in accessibility and engagement in political and environmental reporting. I graduated from MSU in Spring 2022 with a degree in journalism and political science. I worked with newspapers throughout the state during my undergraduate program, including the Lansing State Journal and Detroit Free Press. Through my graduate research I hope to find new strategies for making dense topics easier for readers to understand, and to encourage engagement with environmental and political news.
Wajeeha Kamal
Interests: News Media Law and Reporting, Criminal Justice and Police Accountability Reporting, Entertainment and Critical Commentary
I am a student in the linked BA-Journalism MA program. I have experience in investigative journalism and breaking news, through my work with The State News. In addition, I am a student in the James Madison and Honors Colleges, studying political theory and constitutional democracy, and history.
Aziza Kultaeva
Interests: Investigative, Visual, and Solution-Based Journalism
I am a professional journalism from Kyrgyzstan and most of my career path I spent at BBC Kyrgyz Service as a correspondent. I used to cover almost all topics in news journalism starting from social issues to geopolitics concerns in Kyrgyzstan as well as in Central Asia. Last year I tested myself in communication in diplomacy and teaching journalism courses.
I am passionate about my profession because I love it when quality journalism makes positive changes in the world.
Olivia Martin
Interests: Journalism
I graduated from Central Michigan University with a Bachelor's Degree of Applied Arts spring 2022. I majored in journalism and minored in communications. During my time at Central, I wrote for two magazines - one name MEFeater and Central Michigan's magazine named Grand Central magazine. I also wrote for Central's newspaper, the Michigan Banner. I've always had an interest in writing about entertainment. After obtaining my master's degree I plan to write for a black-owned magazine company and become an editor. After writing for some time, I would like to go back to school and pursue my Ph.D.
Adanma Mbonu
Interests: African American studies, visual journalism and international communication
I graduated with my bachelor's degree in 2019 in mass media communications from Wilberforce University. Now, I am a second-year graduate pursuing a master's degree in Journalism, with a specialization in international journalism. My research topics include African American studies, visual journalism, and international communication studies. In the future, I plan to utilize my journalism skills to create powerful visual and written narratives of the untold stories that happen in our communities and globally.
Nora Mougharbel
Interests: Sports, science and multimedia
I graduated from the University of Michigan in 2019 with a B.S. in biomolecular science. While figuring out what I wanted to do with my life post-graduation, I interned as a science writer and quickly fell in love with journalism. My journalistic interests lie at the intersection of sports, the social and applied sciences and multimedia. I am looking to tell sports stories outside of last night's game.
Mia Nishanian
Interests: Media Field and Content Creation through a Journalistic Lens
My name is Mia, and my hobbies consist of baking, cooking, photography, and ranting about all things reality TV-related. I'm an avid book reader and often spend my free time reading and making videos on my book interests. A life goal of mine is to hike at least one trail at every national park in the United States. A fun fact about me is that I've traveled to 47/50 states in America through a series of 6-plus road trips. My dream job is to work for a media team creating and reporting content for a company. My website is https://www.mianish.net/, and it's where I showcase my love of photography and all the things I create.
Marvin Pride
Interests: Sports Broadcast Journalism
Hey all! My name is Marvin Pride Jr. I went to undergrad at Michigan State University, and I am continuing my journey here for my master's degree. Fun fact about my masters: I am the first of my immediate family who is pursuing a master's which motivates me even more. During my undergraduate time at Michigan State, I took place in the Emmy Award-winning Spartan Sports Report newscast. During my time doing SSR, I was director in my senior year and an assistant director during my junior year! Additionally, I was a part of MSU's Focal Point News as a reporter. With this background, I want to dig deeper on the impact sports has on people. While yes, we may feel good to win and to see it happen, I feel like sports always have a deeper meaning than just the game.
Katie Reichel
Interests: Multimedia Design & Public Relations
In the fall of 2021, I started my dual enrollment in Michigan State University's journalism B.A.-M.A. program and I am very excited to expand my career path and get started in that field. My journalistic interests include multimedia design and PR. During my time as an undergraduate student at MSU I feel in love with visual communication and look to expand my skills with my mentor, Richard Epps.
Vladislava Sukhanovskaya
Interests: Health journalism, medicine, science, and the animal world
I earned a bachelor's degree with honors in 2019 in Arkhangelsk, Russia, where I studied health, podcasting and magazines and earned a certificate in investigative journalism. I have a podcast and a blog in Russian "Nauka v Ladoshke" which covers health and well-being. Also, I am interested in evidence-based medicine and photography. Languages include Russian, English and Swedish.
Chloe Trofatter
Interests: Mental Health, Race and Identity
I'm a linked journalism master's student and have spent the last four years at Michigan State trying to become as well rounded of a writer, photographer and videographer as possible. I'm using the master's program as an opportunity to do some long form documentary work and want to focus on issues surrounding mental healthcare in Michigan.
Graduates
Taylor Haelterman
Interests: Environment and science journalism
Graduated: Summer 2022
I'm a second year M.A. journalism student focusing on the environment and science journalism. I earned my B.A. with a concentration in writing and editing and minor in media photography as part of MSU's dual-enrolled B.A./M.A. program. My interest is in multimedia journalism. I enjoy creating content that includes writing, audio and/or photography. Currently, I'm a morning talk show host at Impact 89FM, a podcast producer and a freelancer. In 2020, my radio work at WKAR placed third in the broadcast environmental reporting category in the Society of Professional Journalists Detroit Chapter Excellence in Journalism Awards.
Soojeong Kim
Interests: Political communication
Graduated: Fall 2022
I began my master's program in the fall of 2020 on Zoom, and the fall of 2021 was my first in Michigan! I'm from South Korea and interests include political communication and polarization, social media, big data, and algorithms. In 2018, I earned a bachelor's degree in communications and media studies from Seoul Women's University. I have done internships and freelancing in South Korea and am narrowing down my research interests for my pursuit of a doctorate.
Chimoa Lewis
Interests: Environment, Science and Health
Graduated: Spring 2022
I am a 2019 graduate of San Jose State University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. A faculty-led study abroad program in Costa Rica led me to a passion for international journalism and telling the stories of people from around the world. I discovered my passion for environmental journalism at MSU after I took an environmental reporting class in my first semester. Since then, I’ve had the privilege of writing for Great Lakes Echo and I am currently concentrating my masters in environment, science, and health. My time in the MSU journalism MA program has challenged me in the best ways and shown me my fullest potential.
Danneisha McDole
Interests: Broadcast journalism
Graduated: Summer 2022
Born and raised in Saginaw, Michigan, I graduated in June from Western Michigan University with a bachelor's in journalism and a minor in sociology. I joined the MSU graduate journalism program in 2021 and am very excited to expand my career path and get started within that field. My journalistic interests include hard news stories and feature news stories. I hope to become a news anchor for a well-known broadcast network.
Lea Mitchell
Interests: International journalism
Graduated: Summer 2022
I graduated with my bachelor's degree in spring 2021 with a journalism degree, along with a sports concentration and minor in broadcast journalism. For my master's studies, I am specializing in international news. I chose to concentrate on international news because I want to learn more about agenda-setting in other countries along with seeing things from those perspectives. I believe pursuing this additional degree will allow me to challenge myself. I am open-minded and enjoy environmental, visual,