2018 Knight NewmarkJ Fellows

Kat Hernandez holds a bachelor’s degree in Food Journalism from the CUNY Baccalaureate for Unique and Interdisciplinary Studies Program. Her work has been published in The Salt: NPR, PRI’s The World, Edible Manhattan, Harlem Focus and Feet in 2 Worlds. Kat’s Knight Newmark-J internship this summer is at WNYC Public Radio.

Noëlle Lilley recently graduated from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. Her concentration was in Broadcast and she minored in Film and Media Production. Noëlle’s Knight Newmark-J internship this summer is at amNewYork.

Sean Parrish is earning his bachelor’s degree at Haskell Indian Nations University, where he is majoring in Indigenous and American Indian Studies. He is a member of the Native American Journalist Association and has contributed stories and photos for The Indian Leader Association, which is the first Native American student newspaper established in 1897. Sean’s Knight Newmark-J intenship is at Voices of New York.

Alexa Imani Spencer is a rising senior at Howard University. An aspiring investigative journalist and documentary filmmaker, Alexa has covered human and civil rights, socioeconomic inequality and police brutality, as well as the Obama Administration as part of the White House Press Pool for Thomson Reuters. Alexa’s Knight Newmark-J internship this summer is at USA Today.

Toussaint Campbell is a recent graduate of Nova Southeastern University, where he studied communications, public relations and marketing. He also wrote for The Current, his campus’ student-run paper. Toussaint’s Knight Newmark-J internship this summer is at The Haitian Times. 

Gustavo Huerta is a photo journalist who earned his Bachelor of Liberal Arts at the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley, where he concentrated in Print Journalism. Huerta founded and published Jacaranda, a yearly print magazine in South Texas. Gustavo’s Knight Newmark-J internship this summer is at the Mott Haven Herald.

Victoria Mba-Jonas recently graduated from Howard University, where she studied Journalism and Graphic Design. She was a contributor at several of Howard’s media outlets. Mba-Jonas has interned for the American Society of Magazine Editors, Essence and DC Modern Luxury magazine. Victoria’s Knight Newmark-J internship this summer is at The Haitian Times.

Jenny Pedraza is a recent graduate of Hunter College, where she majored in Media Studies and minored in English. Jenny has reported in the Bronx at The Hunts Point Express, where she wrote pieces that explored in depth topics of identity, immigration and the arts, among other issues affecting Bronx residents and the New York Hispanic community at large. Jenny’s Knight Newmark-J internship this summer is at Democracy Now!

Elizabeth Ucles is a rising senior of St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, where she is earning a bachelor’s degree in Writing and Rhetoric, with a concentration in Journalism and a minor in Spanish. She became a staff writer and later arts editor for the St. Edward’s University newspaper, Hilltop Views, and interned at Texas Monthly and Austin Monthly. Elizabeth’s Knight Newmark-J internship this summer is at WNYC Public Radio.

Sophia Ebanks is a graduate of the Macaulay Honors College at the City College of New York. Her own writing focuses primarily on race, gender, women’s rights and health. Sophia’s Knight Newmark-J internship this summer is at the Norwood News. 

Katelyn Joyce is an aspiring journalist from Jersey City, N.J. She graduated from Saint Peter’s University this spring with a bachelor’s degree in English Literature and a minor in Journalism. Joyce was active in the school newspaper, The Pauw Wow, as a staff writer and lifestyle editor. Katelyn’s Knight Newmark-J internship this summer is with Solutions Journalism.

Korey Matthews  was a Multimedia Journalism major at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland, where he recently graduated. Korey was the social media editor of The MSU Spokesman, Morgan’s student-run newspaper. He has written and directed a short film, called “The Big Break.” Korey’s Knight Newmark-J internship this summer is at Starfish Media Group.

Michaela Román is a multimedia journalist with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at El Paso, where she majored in Digital Media Production and Multimedia Journalism. She served as editor-in-chief and photo editor at her student-run newspaper. Michaela’s Knight Newmark-J internship this summer is at Starfish Media Group.