Calah Schlabach is a multimedia storyteller pursuing a master of mass communication degree at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She was previously a grant writer for a social services nonprofit, and she has spent time writing and copyediting in Vietnam and Haiti.
Daja Henry is a recent graduate of Howard University and current Robert Wood Johnson Foundation fellow pursuing a Master of Mass Communication degree at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. At Cronkite, she is a graduate assistant for the Southwest Health Reporting Initiative and Cronkite Noticias, the school’s Spanish-language publication. In this capacity, she assists with coverage of health disparities for minorities in the Southwest.
Brendon Derr is in the inaugural graduate student cohort at the Howard Center for Investigative Reporting within the Cronkite School. He hopes to focus his work on bringing deep data-driven investigations to as wide an audience as possible via narrative writing, multimedia, and visualizations.
He completed his bachelor’s at the University of Greenwich, in London, double-majoring in philosophy and creative writing. Not previously a journalist by trade, he has lived and worked abroad in various countries around the world as an English teacher, a martial artist, an executive assistant, a writer, an editor, an event manager, a ludologist, and a student.
Katie Sypher is a master’s student of journalism at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. There she also serves as a graduate assistant in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Southwest Health Reporting Initiative and a News21 Fellow.
Katie graduated with a bachelor’s degree in cognitive science from the University of Connecticut. She has previously interned at SciLine and PBS’s NOVA. Katie is also an avid reader, an equestrian, and a native “Mainah.” When she’s not scoping out local coffee shops and museums, she’s likely off on a hike just outside of town. Above all, she is a storyteller, seeking stories that reveal something new about the world and that make a difference. You can find her on Twitter at @KatieSypher.
Delia Johnson is a master’s student in the 4+1 program at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She is a health reporter in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Southwest Health Reporting Initiative and a News21 fellow.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism with a focus in visual storytelling and a minor in studio art. Photography has long been a passion of Delia’s and she hopes to tell stories of disparities and underreported communities to promote change. You can find her on social media @DeliaCJohnson.
Haillie Parker is a multimedia journalist and master’s student at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication and a News21 fellow for the summer of 2020. She received her bachelor’s degree in film production from Arizona State University in 2015, and spent the following years working as an actor and performer for the Walt Disney Company.
Haillie’s background in theatre sparked her passion for storytelling which has since outgrown the strict framework of fictional plots and drives her to seek out the true and untold stories of everyday people rooted in emotion and human connection. Haillie also maintains a diligent yoga practice and has never met a dog she didn’t like. You can find her on Twitter @HaillieParker.
Luke Simmons hails from the southern state of Georgia where he graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in International Affairs. He joined the Peace Corps in 2016, serving as an agroforestry volunteer in the West African country of Guinea. While in Guinea, Luke worked in a small village on agriculture and food security related projects, including starting a beekeeping business. Luke also won a Peace Corps video contest with a short movie about his host mother. He is passionate about storytelling, environmental issues, video production, public service, beekeeping, reading, and being outside. He is currently studying for a Master of Mass Communication with a focus in health reporting at the Cronkite School.
Marcus Xavier Chormicle is a multidisciplinary artist and journalist from Las Cruces, New Mexico. He is currently pursuing his undergraduate degree in journalism and mass communication at the Walter Cronkite School at Arizona State University as a means to participate in the tradition of storytelling in the Southwest region of the United States. Much of his work has focused on communal and personal relation to family, place, racial identity and history within New Mexico and the greater Southwest.
Find more of his work on his website chormicle.com or on Instagram @chormicle.
Nino Abdaladze is a 26-year-old journalist from Tbilisi, Georgia. She is a Fulbright foreign graduate student at Arizona State University, at Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication where she studies investigative journalism. Nino has previously worked as an investigative reporter for iFact – a small media outlet in Georgia, writing about crime, corruption, health care, and social issues. In 2017, together with her colleague, she won the EU Prize for Journalism for the best investigative article. Nino is passionate about documentary filmmaking and photojournalism as well as writing and producing multimedia content. You can find her on Twitter: @nino_abdaladze.
Natalie Walters grew up in Augusta, Georgia. She is an established business reporter, having reported for Business Insider, TheStreet, and The Motley Fool in New York. Her work has appeared in Vice, USA Today, Yahoo! Finance, Inc. and The Daily Mail. Walters is now part of the inaugural investigative journalism master’s program at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School in Phoenix.
Chloe Jones is a multimedia journalist with experience in writing, photo, radio and interactive storytelling. She is currently a graduate student in the inaugural investigative journalism cohort at the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism at ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She graduated from the Cronkite School in May 2019 with a B.A. in journalism.
Much of her work has focused on telling stories of underserved communities in Arizona in impactful ways to provoke change. She hopes to continue telling important stories like these after she graduates with her Masters in Investigative Journalism in December 2020.
Jones was raised in Tempe, Ariz. and enjoys exploring all of the biodiversity Arizona has to offer. When she is not chasing a story, she is practicing or teaching yoga, walking her dog outside or binge-watching the docuseries Explained for the 100th time on Netflix. To view more of her work, visit www.chloeleejones.com, or you can reach her on Twitter at @chloeleejones or Instagram at @clojooo.
Lidia Terrazas was born in Sinaloa, Mexico and emigrated to the United States when she was 10 years old. She is a graduate student of investigative journalism and a Roy W. Howard fellow at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She was exposed to the niche practice of corporate immigration law by working as a paralegal for two years. During her career as a paralegal, Lidia committed herself to Pro Bono matters geared towards helping the most vulnerable members of society. She worked on the Safe Harbor Project to help former victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation by pushing for a change in legislation in the state of Minnesota. As a first-generation college graduate, Lidia planned to attend law school but after working directly with the immigrant community, she decided to transition into journalism to tell the stories of those who don’t have a voice. During her undergraduate experience, she was a legislative and social media intern for the Industrial Commission of Arizona where she tracked human trafficking House and Senate bills.
Ranjani Venkatakrishnan studied journalism with a double minor in psychology and Japanese, as well as an honors student. She graduated summa cum laude in spring 2020 with the ASU Alumni Association’s 2020 Outstanding Graduate Award from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She is a naturalized immigrant in the US who was originally born in Chennai, a major coastal city in Tamil Nadu, India. She is passionate about international reporting and covering topics like social issues and mental health. For her honors thesis in her junior year, she built a website talking about mental health in India, focusing on the depression and differently-abled children. She started and continues to host Desi Tunes, Arizona’s ONLY and longest running Indian music radio show on Blaze Radio. Her show has won the Best Specialty Show award in the Blaze music department multiple times and was nominated for two IBS Awards in 2019. She is also a three time recipient of the FLAS fellowship for Japanese at ASU, enabling her to continue studying the language and hopefully prepare her to be a foreign correspondent in Japan someday. In her free time, she loves writing poetry, watching anime, and traveling.
Anthony Wallace is a lifelong Arizonan and current Master’s student at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism. While studying, he has worked as a freelance writer and multimedia journalist, producing written work, podcasts, videos, and photos for a variety of publications including Phoenix New Times, Phoenix Magazine, and The Hertel Report. Through his own experience with chronic illness, he became fascinated with health care, disease, and its intersections with politics and culture. Prior to pursuing journalism, he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and spent nearly 10 years in a touring alternative rock band. Today, that experience guides Wallace as he explores topics and turns them into emotionally engaging stories through a variety of mediums.
Stephanie Wakefield is a master’s student of journalism at the Arizona State University Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. While studying, she has worked as a freelance writer and multimedia journalist. She has articles and photos published for Perfect Game. She has also worked on broadcasts for ESPN, MLB Network, and PAC12 Network.
Stephanie graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education from East Tennessee State University and a master’s degree in Elementary Education from the University of Phoenix. She has previously interned at Society of American Baseball Research (SABR). Stephanie is also an avid sports fan and loves to spend time with niece Zoey. When she’s not checking out new local dive bars or restaurants, she’s likely on a disc golf course somewhere in the valley. Above anything else she is looking for great stories to tell and someone new to talk with because she has never met a stranger. You can find her work on her website stephaniewakefield86.journoportfolio.com or on Instagram or Twitter at @swakefield24.