Youth Suicide Team

Franco LaTona, originally from West Bend, Wisconsin, is a master’s student at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. After completing a bachelor’s degree in journalism at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he joined the Peace Corps to work on sustainable health projects in West Africa. Working on health issues led him to the Cronkite School, where he is a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation fellow, focusing on health disparities in underserved communities across the Southwest.

Veronica Galvin is a senior at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication who expects to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism in December 2020. She worked as a news-gathering intern for CNN’s D.C. bureau, collecting the latest news from the U.S. Capitol and fact-checking the Democratic presidential debates. She then was a line producer for the nation’s 12th largest market, KPNX 12 News Phoenix, helping prepare shows and running scripts. As a producer for Cronkite News on Arizona PBS for a year, her interest in different forms of storytelling has been fulfilled by working on the “Life Is …” documentary project. When she leaves ASU, Galvin plans to earn a master’s in video editing and post-production abroad.

Chloe Jones is a graduate student in the inaugural cohort of the Master’s in Investigative Journalism program at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She received her bachelor’s from Cronkite and minors in philosophy and Spanish in May 2019 and plans to complete her master’s in December 2020. Jones has covered juvenile justice for News21, breaking news for the Arizona Mirror, immigration and sustainability for Cronkite News, and various assignments for KJZZ 91.5, Arizona’s NPR affiliate. She currently is working at the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism covering breaking news for The Arizona Republic. After graduation, she hopes to find work amplifying voices and holding power accountable through poignant storytelling.

Helena Wegner is a senior at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She has covered breaking news and politics at The Arizona Republic, and travel, shopping and food and dining at Phoenix Magazine. She also writes a monthly student newsletter for the Pat Tillman Veterans Center. Wegner was a digital editor at the State Press during her last semester before graduating in December 2020. After graduation, she hopes to have more opportunities to report on topics in-depth. In her free time, she likes to tend to her basil plant and read new recipes on NYT Cooking.

Jennifer Alvarez graduated summa cum laude from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, earning a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication and a certificate in cross-sector leadership. Alvarez worked for the school’s Cronkite News professional program for three semesters and reported on health disparities among minority communities as a part of the Southwest Health Reporting Initiative. Her report on Native American suicide received first place recognition in the Society of Professional Journalists’ in-depth reporting category. Alvarez won first place in the long-news feature category by the Broadcast Education Association, and she received an award of excellence for anchoring Cronkite News. She also anchored for Cronkite Noticias, the program’s Spanish counterpart. While at Cronkite, Alvarez was selected to interview NBC anchor Lester Holt on behalf of the school and took part in a yearlong documentary on youth suicide in Arizona. She has interned at Project Humanities, Know99 Television, KJZZ 91.5’s SPOT 127 and most recently, 12 News. Alvarez hopes to focus on long-form and next-generation storytelling.

Austin Fast is pursuing a master’s degree in investigative journalism at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Before moving to Phoenix, he covered the world’s largest wild salmon fishery for a public radio station in rural Alaska, wrote breaking news for a Cincinnati TV station and taught English overseas with the Peace Corps. An Ohio native, he enjoys exploring national parks, going on road trips and trying out Phoenix’s local breweries and restaurants (when there’s not a pandemic). After graduation, he hopes to produce multimedia investigations that amplify the voices of diverse and rural populations across Arizona.

Michael Patton moved from South Dakota to study journalism at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in hopes of working in a field that emphasizes truth. He joined the suicide project because depression and suicide shaped much of his childhood after a middle school classmate took his own life. Patton felt working on the topic would be an opportunity to shed light on an intimate, multifaceted issue that’s too often brushed aside or oversimplified.

Faith Abercrombie is a junior in Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, focusing on broadcast journalism. She is an intern for the city of Phoenix at PHXTV and a broadcast reporter for Cronkite News covering politics. In addition to her broadcast reporting, she serves as an ambassador for the Cronkite School’s recruitment team to engage with prospective students. Abercrombie started to show a strong interest in mental health awareness after an uncle committed suicide. For “Life Is …,” she explored potential links between suicide risk and genetics.

Ayano Nagaishi graduated in May 2020 with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. During her time at the Cronkite School, Nagaishi completed multiple internships at The Arizona Republic and KTAR. She also worked as a video producer and video editor for Arizona PBS Catalyst. Nagaishi has passion for in-depth storytelling with a focus on social justice. She is currently is a social justice watchdog reporter at the News Leader in Staunton, Virginia.

Alexis Cortez is a senior at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication who expects to graduate in May 2021 with her bachelor’s degree in sports journalism with minors in communication and digital audiences. A multimedia journalist, Cortez has covered various high school sports, from filming Hamilton High School football and Casa Grande Union High School baseball to covering Perry High School girls’ volleyball for azpreps365.com. As her career expands, she looks forward to pursuing new opportunities.

Brielle Ashford graduated summa cum laude graduate from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in 2020, earning a bachelor of arts in journalism and mass communication. During her time at Cronkite, Brielle, who also graduated from ASU’s Barrett, the Honors College, completed internships at The Arizona Republic, FOX in Detroit and KPNX 12 News in Phoenix. She now is a producer-in-residence at WUSA 9 in Washington, D.C.

Grace Oldham is a digital journalist and storyteller pursuing her master’s degree in mass communication at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication in spring 2020. She has covered metro Phoenix and state politics for The Arizona Republic, higher education for the State Press, and was part of an investigation into federal agents’ handling of sex trafficking cases in Arizona for the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism.

Jamie Landers is a senior at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She most recently served as a breaking news reporter for The Arizona Republic and a social justice reporter and anchor for Cronkite News on Arizona PBS. She has spent the past three summers reporting for the Chautauquan Daily, a daily newspaper in western New York, covering music and the Chautauqua Institution’s renowned lecture platforms. In addition, Landers interned in NBC News’ long-form department in New York City in 2018. She is thrilled to have seen the development of “Life Is …” from start to finish and looks forward to pursuing this style of in-depth reporting after graduation.

Jordan Elder completed a dual degree at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, graduating in May 2019 with a bachelor’s in journalism and in May 2020 with a master’s in mass communication. At the Cronkite School, Elder was a producer and editor for Catalyst, a science television program on Arizona PBS. She also reported and anchored for Cronkite News and completed various internships. Elder has a passion for solutions journalism and documentary storytelling, and she is grateful to be part of a project as meaningful as “Life Is …” She now is a multimedia journalist for WICS Newschannel 20 in Springfield, Illinois.

Mackenzie Shuman graduated from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in May 2020. She now works full-time as an education and environment reporter at the Tribune in San Luis Obispo, California. When Mackenzie is not writing, she is hiking, camping or rock climbing.

Nicole Ludden is a multimedia journalist, storyteller and 2020 summa cum laude graduate of Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Ludden, a member of Kappa Tau Alpha, the national honor society in journalism and mass communication, has worked as a fact-checker and features reporter for The Arizona Republic and has been published in several publications in the state. She has a passion for investigative reporting and has worked as a reporter and teaching assistant for the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism. In her career, Ludden hopes to amplify the voices of others, serve the public and hold the powerful accountable.

Cristian Sida is a senior at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication who expects to earn his bachelor’s in journalism and minor in communications in May 2021. The Arizona native has a passion for storytelling, and he has reported on both domestic and international issues, such as social justice. Sida plans to attend graduate school to further his education.

Chase Hunter is a digital and print journalist working for Cronkite News in Washington, D.C., covering borderlands, immigration and the 2020 election. As an intern, he has covered homelessness, mental health, education and breaking news for The Arizona Republic and the State Press. He expects to graduate from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in May 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.

Lilia Stene is a digital and print journalist attending Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. She has worked for the Arizona Science Center, among other organizations.

Shane Dieffenbach is a digital and print journalist attending Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. He has worked for the NFL Arizona Cardinals, among other organizations.