Current Master's Students
Barbara Bellinger
Interests: International and immigration
Anticipated graduation: Spring 2023
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
Anticipated graduation: Fall 2023
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
Anticipated graduation: Fall 2022
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
Anticipated graduation: Summer 2022
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: The intersection of journalism and public relations
Anticipated graduation: Spring 2023
In the fall of 2021, I started my dual enrollment in Michigan State's journalism B.A.-M.A. program. My area of interest is the intersection of journalism and public relations. I am also interested in researching the relationship between pop culture and the press, focusing on how cultural products have changed the way topics are presented in the news. In the summer of 2021, I held an internship at Ann Arbor SPARK, working in digital marketing with a local startup company. I have been the social media and PR manager for a technology company based in Charlotte, North Carolina, for one year.
Wajeeha Kamal
Interests: News media law & entertainment reporting
Anticipated graduation: Spring 2023
I have been the cops and courts reporter at The State News and a major in Political Theory and Constitutional Democracy in MSU's James Madison College. Also, I am a history minor. I am the public relations head of Women of Color, James Madison College. I plan to one day attend law school. Two areas of interest are entertainment and news journalism, with an interest in politics and even movie commentary.
Katarina Keeley
Interests: Production and writing
Anticipated graduation: Spring 2023
As an undergraduate, I studied Media & Information with a concentration in Film & Media Production. I am the photo coordinator at MSU's Impact 89FM and creative director for Foreign House, a content house and social media platform. At the Impact, I wrote for the entertainment and music review teams. I came to this journalism program because, even though I love to work behind the camera, I have always had an interest in working in front of the camera, too. This program is a great opportunity for me and would truly fulfill my passions during my time at MSU.
Lea Mitchell
Interests: International journalism
Anticipated graduation: 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, and political journalism, too.
Nora Mougharbel
Interests: Sports, science and multimedia
Anticipated graduation: Fall 2022
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.
Soojeong Kim
Interests: Political communication
Anticipated graduation: Summer 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 Universit. I have done internships and freelancing in South Korea and am narrowing down my research interests for my pursuit of a doctorate.
Vladislava Sukhanovskaya
Interests: Health journalism, medicine, science, and the animal world
Anticipated graduation: Spring 2023
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: Race and identity
Anticipated graduation: Fall 2022
I am a senior journalism major with minors in media photography and documentary film. My goal at Michigan State is to become as well rounded as possible in writing, photography and video. I come from a very blended family, and this fuels my interest in race and identity. I hope to use my photography to delve into what it means to be multi-racial in American society, starting with coming to terms with that for myself.
Taylor Haelterman
Interests: Environment and science journalism
Anticipated graduation: 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.
Adanma Mbonu
Interests: Journalism
Anticipated graduation: Spring 2023
I am a 2019 broadcast journalism graduate of Wilberforce University in Ohio where I wrote on-air reports for hard news, feature and entertainment segments for TV and cable stations. I also produced, directed and hosted an online radio show. I have also worked with newspaper and print magazine content. One day soon you will see me across the world on television talking on my own show. After my master's in journalism, I plan to get a doctorate in international communications. Gaining more knowledge in my studies will result not only for the benefit of me but for the benefit of others to have a role model.
Graduates
Chimoa Lewis
Interests: Environment, Science and Health
Anticipated graduation: 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
Anticipated graduation: 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.