FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 3, 2022
PRESS CONTACT: Clare Lefebure
press@nlgja.org
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists announced the 2022 CONNECT: Student Journalism Training Project cohort.
The ten students selected for the annual CONNECT: Student Journalism Training Project will cover the NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists National Convention in Chicago from Sept. 8-11. The student participants are Alex Anteau, Ose Ehianeta Arheghan, H Conley, Mary Helene Hall, Miguel Johnson, Kaitlyn Lavo, Erin McGroarty, Daryl Perry, Abigail Ruhman and Marissa Sasso.
CONNECT is a multimedia journalism training program for college students and recent grads. It aims to serve students as an innovative leadership program for emerging journalists as well. The cohort of 10 students will attend the NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists National Convention, produce portfolio-quality journalism, network with media professionals and receive feedback on their resumes and career plans. They work with mentors to report, edit, photograph, design and produce the news of the NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists National Convention and the host city, while helping to ensure fair and accurate coverage of LGBTQ issues at the event. Upon conclusion of the program, students’ reporting will be published on the CONNECT website and presented during a session at the convention.
About The Cohort
Anteau is a student at the University of Georgia pursuing a master’s degree in health and medical journalism. They have written for publications including the Athens Banner-Herald and Rural Health Quarterly.
Arheghan recently graduated Magna Cum Laude from The Ohio State University with dual degrees in Chinese and Political Science. Currently, they are working as a postgrad intern at National Public Radio on the It’s Been a Minute team.
Conley is a student at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY pursuing a master’s degree with a focus on Health & Science and Audio Reporting. During the summer of 2022, they were a Condé Nast Content Integrity Group Fellow for Bon Appétit where they did research and fact-checking.
Hall is a student and Media Changemaker Scholar at Mercer University pursuing a degree in journalism. She currently serves as the Editor-in-Chief for The Cluster, Mercer’s student newspaper. After graduating in spring 2023, she aspires to report on gender and sexuality issues and the good we can find in our communities.
Johnson is a student at the City College of New York pursuing a dual degree in Political Science and English. He is interested in development journalism, and hopes to amplify the voices of activists in the Global South and alert Western audiences to the injustices that occur on the global stage.
Lavo is a student at California State University Northridge pursuing a bachelor’s degree in journalism. Lavo has been a professional photographer for the last nine years, focusing on portraits and freelance work. She currently works as the Editor in Chief of the student-run publication, the Daily Sundial.
McGroarty is a student at the University of Wisconsin Madison School of Journalism pursuing a master’s degree in journalism. She specializes in reporting on prisons and policing in America, often through the lense of gender and neurodiversity. She is currently an investigative reporting intern with Wisconsin Watch, the newsroom for the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism.
Perry is a student at the University of Maryland, College Park pursuing a bachelor’s degree with a major in journalism and a minor in creative writing. He joined UMD’s independent student newspaper, The Diamondback, as a staff writer in 2020 and switched to the photo desk in 2021. He is also an SEO intern at USA Today, a member of WMUC’s press committee and a radio show host on Drop The Pop.
Ruhman is a student at the University of Missouri pursuing a bachelor’s degree with majors in Convergence Journalism, Sociology, and Women’s and Gender Studies. This fall they will be interning at True North, a comprehensive domestic and sexual violence survivor service program.
Sasso is a student at American University pursuing a bachelor’s degree with majors in Foreign Language and Communications Media. She is currently the staff editor of the student lead university satire newspaper, The Rival American.
Applications for the 2023 cohort will open in Spring 2023. More information about the CONNECT Student Journalism Training Project can be found on our website.