“I was incredibly lucky and incredibly privileged that, immediately after graduating, I went into a position that specifically focused on covering marginalized communities, which is what I’ve always wanted to do as a reporter,” said Ramirez of her position with the NPR station in Charlotte.

It was announced a few weeks ago that Ramirez will continue to serve Charlotte’s marginalized communities dedicated to covering race and equity issues in the state. In addition to her assignments with WFAE, Ramirez will also work for La Noticia, the state’s largest Spanish-language paper. , a national service that places journalists in local newsrooms to cover under-reported topics and communities, allows Ramirez to cover the Latino community more broadly, as well as to report on immigration issues.

In total, Report for America’s 2021-2022 corps members will include 300 public service-minded journalists working in more than 200 newsrooms across the U.S. It is noteworthy that the corps is diverse – with 135 journalists of color participating in this year’s cohort.

In her current position at WFAE, Ramirez said she has written about the harsh economic impacts of the pandemic, as well as highlighted stories of success and perseverance in difficult times. For one story, Ramirez interviewed a family that left their jobs in a textile factory because of a lack of personal protection equipment. Once the family members left, they started a mask-making business, which had sales take off immediately.

“That was a really interesting story because it was a success story at a time when everyone was feeling pretty down and defeated,” Ramirez said.

During her time at Elon, Ramirez, a journalism and strategic communications double major, was involved in Elon News Network, the student-run media organization, and was a student coordinator at El Centro, the center for �þ��� Hispanic and Latinx students. Ramirez credits these experiences for helping her better understand the issues she reports on every day.

“My experience working as a student journalist at Elon News Network prepared me and gave me that kind of real-life experience that I think is so necessary in journalism,” Ramirez said. “Being a student coordinator at El Centro gave me a much deeper understanding of a lot of the issues that I’m covering in marginalized communities. That’s incredibly valuable and something that I tap into every single day, with every story I’m working on.”

The corps members will begin their assignments in June.

The film introduces audiences to the customers who frequent Jake’s, a 24-hour diner in Greensboro. One of Kopkowski’s main inspirations for the film was her time waiting tables at a Georgia breakfast restaurant similar to Jake’s. The Atlanta native said she is drawn to telling Southern stories, and is grateful to her work showcased in the festival. .

“I love that RiverRun celebrates North Carolina filmmakers because there really is like so much, especially documentary-wise, that happens in North Carolina for filmmaking,” said Kopkowski, a Communications Fellow. “I think the South has a lot to say, so I’m all for anywhere that is celebrating Southern filmmakers.”

Nicole Triche, associate professor of cinema and television arts, served as Kopkowski’s BFA mentor, and she said Kopkowski’s outgoing personality helped capture the community that dines and socializes at Jake’s.

“The film is a beautiful time capsule of what life was like pre-COVID,” Triche said.

Having filmed before the pandemic hit the U.S., Kopkowski recalled the editing process was “bizarre” because she did the edits in quarantine.

“It was kind of surrea … cutting this footage of literally just strangers gathering in an indoor space, which was the No. 1 thing you couldn’t do at the time,” she said.

RiverRun will be hybrid this year with in-person and virtual viewing options, giving Kopowski and other filmmakers multiple chances to connect with audiences and viewers.

“Regulars” will screen during an in-person session on Wednesday, May 12, from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. It will also be available virtually on Thursday, May 13.

Triche said it is great to see Kopkowski’s success, especially on the big screen at RiverRun.

“I hope that she is able to make more connections with other filmmakers,” Triche said. “That this opportunity continues to grow her audience for her film.”

To view Kopkowski’s documentary film, visit to purchase tickets. For more information about Kopkowski’s other work, visit her website, .

“It’s not something that I expected going into my senior year doing, but luckily I was introduced to it,” Peskin said. “It definitely has given me some confidence. It’s given me something to show. It’s let me connect with a professor and grow that relationship, and helped me understand a little bit more about the profession I’m going into.”

Peskin first learned about the national PRWeek student competition for John Doorley, associate professor of strategic communications. After an introduction, Peskin started the application process, which included a campaign for New York Fashion Week and a designer about to debut an upcycled, recycled plastic shoe line.

“You have to make a whole campaign strategy talking about all the different ways you want to get the designer out there and how to promote the event,” Peskin said. “But really they just give you a prompt and it’s your job to take advantage of it and do as much as you want with it.”

The campaign is a significant amount of work for students, especially during a pandemic, Doorley said. �þ��� must be willing to work over the holidays, accept critique, and respond with a “can-do” attitude. Doorley has mentored previous finalists, and supported Peskin throughout the planning and pitching processes.

“It’s 100 percent hers,” Doorley said. “She worked very hard, and it goes to show you her attitude, and her ability to think and write clearly, which is what strategic communications is all about.”

For her final product, Peskin created a sustainable campaign for a virtual New York Fashion Week. Streamed live from the streets of New York on social media platforms like YouTube and TikTok, Peskin’s campaign included a week of zero waste in the fashion industry, promoting initiatives with different celebrities.

“Mine was definitely focused on sustainability and the possibility of zero waste staffing or zero waste events in the fashion industry,” Peskin said. “I named it the ‘Reboot collection.’ I thought that was a fun play on revitalizing old plastic bottles into new shoes, but also like rebooting into the future of sustainable fashion.”

Peskin and the other four finalists will attend a virtual awards ceremony on March 18, where this year’s PRWeek Outstanding Student of the Year Award will be presented.

In 2016,  for the PRWeek Student of the Year award. A year later, Rachel Hobbs ’18 earned the same recognition. In 2018, Hobbs and Kelly Valerio ’20 were both named top-five finalists, with the former advancing to the top two. In 2019, Anissa Cooper ’19 was named honorable mention – or runner-up.

The were hosted virtually on Nov. 14 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to his student journalist award, Norcross captured second place in the Best Student Feature Reporting category for “,” a feature about one of the cast members at the North Carolina Renaissance Festival. Junior Baylor Rodman also placed second in the Best Student TV News Producing category on the merits of .

Norcross said winning the D. Haney Howell Award was exciting and serves as motivation for him to “work harder and get better.”

“This award means even more given the year we’ve had,” he said. “I really can’t thank enough my family, friends, colleagues, advisers and everyone who makes me a better journalist and person every single day.”

Serving as news director at Elon News Network, Norcross leads and supports broadcast journalism in the student-run media organization. Being a part of student media motivates Norcross to be a better journalist each day and it is why he chose to study at Elon, he explained.

“One of the main reasons I decided to come to Elon with the fact that I can get involved with student media the first day I stepped foot on campus,” Norcross said. “Not only does it help students while here at Elon, but it also prepares us extremely well for the real world. I don’t know of any other place where I was able to do so much within just my first few years here.”

Richard Landesberg, associate professor of journalism and ENN adviser, has known Norcross since the aspiring journalist first arrived  “under the oaks.” Landesberg said Norcross has been a leader since he started at ENN, and has helped the organization grow and better serve the community.

“I can’t think of anyone more deserving to be named North Carolina Student Journalist of the Year,” Landesberg said. “He is one of those rare students who understands the power of television news and how to harness that power. His work informs our community and brings light to important issues and ideas.”

. Mercy Myers of the University of South Carolina placed second in the D. Haney Howell Award competition.

A 2020 Elon graduate, Collins won first place in Best Student News Reporting for his series on the . Today, he serves as the Jacksonville bureau chief and multimedia reporter at WITN News in Jacksonville, North Carolina.

When working on his award-winning story, Collins completed rewrite after rewrite and continued to seek feedback from many before his work aired, Landesberg said. His passion and skill as a storyteller was evident in his reporting, and Landesberg noted he was not surprised by Collins’ won.

“Liam showed incredible passion and perseverance in bringing this story to light,” Landesberg said. “His reporting on this project was a work of passion as well as first-class journalism.  He worked hard to make sure that this reporting was well-crafted, accurate and accessible. This was an important piece of work.”

This year’s awards competition recognized the best of television, radio, website and collegiate work from July 1, 2019, and June 30, 2020. The full livestream of the event can be watched .

RTDNAC

The Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas sponsors professional development meetings and seminars for journalists in North and South Carolina. It holds an annual fall meeting, which offers training for professionals and honors winners of the awards competition. The organization’s annual spring workshop is geared toward helping students hone their skills as they prepare to enter the job market.

The D. Haney Howell Student Journalist of the Year is named for Haney Howell, a former professor at Winthrop University and an emeritus member of the RTDNAC board. A nationally acclaimed news reporter and producer, Howell passed away in February 2019.

Eisner is the recipient of the , a grant that will allow her to research the climate injustice occurring in Robeson County. The county, one of about 150 majority-minority counties in the U.S., was devastated by hurricanes in 2016 and 2018. Eisner said that while she saw reports on the county when the hurricanes occurred, there has been little follow-up coverage in the years since. This inspired her to pitch her coverage idea to the Pulitzer Center, which raises awareness of underreported global issues. In addition to receiving funding for her project, Eisner is part of the 2021 cohort of the �þ��� Consortium Reporting Fellows.

“Coming from North Carolina, I think it’s going be really exciting to do a story about North Carolinians,” Eisner said. “This is a community that has really been underserved, and deserves a little bit of spotlight.”

�þ��� is one of the Pulitzer Center’s more than 30  partners, an educational initiative that brings Pulitzer Center staff and journalists to Elon’s campus twice a year. With Elon’s membership in the consortium, students – like Eisner – have the opportunity to work with the center on developing reporting projects, which have been featured on the center’s website and are disseminated through media partners.

Past Elon students who have participated in the student fellowship initiatives have investigated topics such as the  and .

Kelly Furnas, lecturer in journalism and adviser to �þ���’s student newspaper, The Pendulum, helped Eisner work through her ideas and finalize her application. Furnas said he is always excited when students can work with the Pulitzer Center.

“They provide a tremendous amount of mentorship and guidance throughout the entire process in terms of coaching, but also in terms of pitching, and trying to place stories,” Furnas said.

The fellowship application asked for story ideas focused on new scientific discoveries, or information related to the impacts of climate change within the United States. In its call for applications, the Pulitzer Center specifically mentioned its interest in proposals related to climate change in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. Environmental reporting is a fast growing area of journalism, Furnas said, and he looks forward to seeing Eisner’s final results.

“For her to be able to spend months working on a project that’s going to have significant impact on not just the community, but on anyone who is taking note of the effects of climate change, has a lot of benefits for her but also for the community she served,” Furnas said.

Eisner has already started her research for the project, and hopes to visit Robeson County in person during the summer.

“This is my first professional opportunity. This is the first time I am getting out in the real world and doing pretty hard-hitting, real-life reporting,” Eisner said. “I’m really excited to do a story that could have a big effect on the local area where I grew up.”

Eisner is an active member in Elon’s student media organizations, serving as a producer and reporter with Elon News Network. Additionally, she was the editor-in-chief of Phi Psi Cli, Elon’s student yearbook, during the 2019-20 academic year.

Muller graduated from Elon with a degree in human services studies, and he originally intended to play professional basketball after graduation. But, as he told the dinner attendees, he battled with depression and decided to forego basketball for acting, moving back to New York and studying at the Herbert Berghof Studio. Eventually Muller returned to North Carolina and continued studying in Winston-Salem at Actors Group. Eleven years ago, Muller ultimately decided to make his own films.

While attending Elon and studying acting, Muller didn’t formally train in filmmaking, and that is one challenge he said he’s faced as a filmmaker. When Muller was working on his first script, reviewed by then Associate Provost and current �þ��� President Connie Book, he said that his lack of formal training made people curious about his filmmaking. But he surrounded himself with others in the industry, which helped his development.

“It’s about having the right people around you to execute your vision,” Muller said. “You just want to keep pushing forward and get the right people around you. If you’re the smartest one in the room, you’re in the wrong room.”

Muller owns and operates his own North Carolina-based film company, , producing films such as “Brother’s Keeper,” “Find a Way” and “Sacred Hearts.” As an independent filmmaker, Muller said he works “around the clock,” but to him, it doesn’t feel like a job.

“People say if you find what you love to do, you feel like you never work a day in your life, and it’s really true,” Muller said.

For more information about the Unity in Communications program, click here, or contact program adviser Genevieve Barnes (gbarnes3@elon.edu).

“This is part of the process and it’s how we grow together,” said Enurah, recently named head of development and partnerships at FBE. “If you didn’t feel uncomfortable at all, you didn’t learn anything. Feeling uncomfortable is a necessary part of the process.”

A WEEE board member, Enurah was the moderator for the Sept. 15 virtual event titled “Breaking the Ice,” a discussion exploring ways that the Elon community can help women of color overcome biases in the entertainment industry, as well as how to practice authentic allyship. Enurah was joined by industry professionals Taja Perkins and Rachel Raimist, who shared personal stories, experiences and challenges that they have faced throughout their careers and offered words of advice.

Perkins, a scripted television producer, is currently co-producing Netflix’s “Grand Army,” a show that is expected to be released later this year. Starting as a post-production assistant, Perkins has worked in scripted post production for more than a decade.

Perkins spoke about her experiences as a Black woman in the entertainment industry, and how others have often incorrectly assumed she worked in hair and makeup, or was an intern, on sets where she was an executive.

“One day you’re on a show and your boss is a very nice woman and your team is mixed and diverse, and then you can be on the next show, and have a … 15-person team, and you could be the only person of color. You can be the only woman,” Perkins said. “And that has been such a difficult thing to handle.”

A college professor turned director, Raimist was tapped by renowned filmmaker Ava DuVernay to direct “Queen Sugar” for the Oprah Winfrey Network. Since then, Raimist has directed “Nancy Drew” and “Roswell, New Mexico” for The CW. Raimist, who serves on the leadership team of the Latino Committee and the Women’s Steering Committee of the Directors Guild of America, attended the School of Communications’ National Advisory Board meeting a few hours before the evening discussion.

Raimist said she has had similar experiences to Perkins, often told that she was “too big and too loud,” by some and “too soft and too shy” by others on sets. Raimist explained that despite her experiences as a woman of color in media being inconsistent, the community she finds with women of color energizes her.

“Being a woman of color means I’m part of a community that’s bigger that I am,” Raimist said. “That has nourished me, mentored me, lifted me up, and I do the same for other women in my life – in my circle.”

During the hourlong conversation, Raimist and Perkins also spoke to how the members of WEEE can engage in authentic allyship, lifting up women of color on campus and in the workplace.

“It’s about recognizing your colleagues of color as full, whole people,” Perkins said. “Interactions don’t always have to be about race, but sometimes conversations should be about race.  It may be uncomfortable, but don’t stray away from this.”

Enurah said that as a woman and a person of color, women of color often have compounded experiences. One way white women can help women of color, especially in the workplace, is to step forward when a female colleague of color is in a situation of racism or discrimination.

“As a white woman, if you see a woman of color being gaslit, the act of stepping up and speaking out makes you a true ally,” Enurah said.

Despite being unable to meet in person during her 2020 Carnegie-Knight News21 Fellowship, the journalism and international and global studies double major completed the 10-week investigative reporting assignment, one of 30 students from 16 universities examining the juvenile justice system in America.

The final multimedia project, titled “” includes topics such as the school-to-prison pipeline, facility conditions, racial disparities and the overall setup of the juvenile justice system in America.

The News21 Fellows began working on the project in January through a video seminar that included reporting and research. Normally, Fellows reside in Phoenix during the summer months, headquartered at Arizona State University’s Cronkite School. From there, they canvas the U.S. to cover their respective topics. But the pandemic and travel restrictions meant that the 2020 Fellows had to report remotely.

Traxler said remote reporting was difficult, especially when it came to visuals. But Traxler and her fellow reporters found themselves dedicating more time to reporting, making sure they got every interview they needed.

“I had a lot of really powerful interviews,” Traxler said. “You see that the juvenile justice system is not isolated to only affecting you, when you’re a kid. It can really follow you throughout the rest of your life.”

Traxler co-reported on two of the project’s primary stories: and in the juvenile justice system. Additionally, she authored a highlighting the lack of data surrounding Latino youth in the juvenile justice system. Her articles included both writing and video production work.

Traxler examined racial disparities in the juvenile justice system while protests for racial justice took place across the country, a fact she said impacted her experience writing.

“You want to find that common ground where every person reading it can see their own kid in this and not really feel blue or red about it,” Traxler said.

According to Traxler, the fellowship not only improved her writing, it also gave her more confidence, as she was conducting research and work that felt previously out of reach.

“It gave me the opportunity to grow and push myself and challenge myself,” Traxler said. “I also learned a lot from my peers and my editors, so it was a nice balance between solidifying what I felt like I had, and knowing there’s always more that can be learned.”

About News21

Headquartered at Arizona State University’s Cronkite School, News21 is one of the most prestigious student journalism internships in the country. It was established by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation to provide a platform for college students and graduates to produce in-depth multimedia projects on a national scale. Past News21 investigations have focused on water pollution, food safety, marijuana use and U.S. gun legislation.

In 2019, Anton Delgado ’20 and Alex Simon ’17, then an Arizona State master’s student, joined 35 student journalists from across the country to examine how the federal government has responded to natural disasters ranging from hurricanes to wildfires.

During her informal conversation with students, Taylor, who graduated with a degree in communications, said she never imagined herself in entertainment television when she entered college. She initially studied broadcast journalism, but quickly realized she did not enjoy being on camera. While listening to students at the event introduce themselves – and what they wanted to do in communications – Taylor said she was reminded of her own goals, and how much they had changed.

“You’re able to change as you go,” Taylor told her online audience. “It will definitely change and evolve, what your idea of what you want to do.”

During her career, Taylor worked at several talent agencies, including the Creative Arts Agency (CAA) and Discovery Communications. Additionally, she served as the development producer at Authentic Entertainment and director of development at Red Bandit Media, a production company focused on unscripted programming.

Taylor told students that one of her No. 1 pieces of advice is to find a temp agency and land short-time positions, especially for students looking for internships and jobs during the pandemic. Taylor started in a temporary position at CAA, which eventually led to full-time employment with the agency.

Launched in 2018, the Unity in Communications program is an initiative designed to support students interested in enhancing diversity and inclusion within communications and sports management industries.

This semester Genevieve Barnes, program assistant in the School of Communications, was named the program’s adviser. She said that she wants the program to remain a safe space for students of minority identities to discuss communications. Additionally, Barnes wants to continue to invite high-profile professionals in sport management and communications to speak to students.

“I want it to be an open space for students to feel that they can speak about whatever issues that they have, but also gain professional skills and learn how to network,” Barnes said.

More widely known by the acronym WEEE, the initiative was originally started in Los Angeles and serves as a support network for women in the entertainment industry, promoting collaboration among alumnae, as well as creating a network for �þ��� students interested in entertainment careers. The initiative was brought to Elon’s campus in 2019 by alumna Joyce Choi ’19, who serves as an officer in the Los Angeles-based affinity group.

Nell Geer ’21 and Cameron Wolfslayer ’21, WEEE lead team members, told prospective new members that WEEE is not only a space to support women creators, but also a place where students can find other women to collaborate with and a place to share their work.

“We want to connect you with women and female identifiers in your field of interest,” Wolfslayer said. “This can be a really good place for us to have resources for each other.”

Geer spoke about the aspirations of the program, envisioning that members graduate and bring WEEE to places like New York and New Orleans. Naeemah Clark, professor of cinema and television arts and WEEE adviser, commended the student-run organization and said she looks forward to seeing its planned programming.

“The ideas they have for this year are really fantastic,” Clark said. “The group is in good hands.”

Following the informational meeting, the group discussed “Black is King,” lack of diversity in creative fields, and how a lack of representation shapes how women and people with marginalized identities see themselves in the film industry.

WEEE programming continues next week with an event called “Breaking the Ice,” a virtual meeting hosted by the Los Angeles WEEE group. Attendees will hear from panelists Rachel Raimist of the Directors Guild of America, Nneka Enurah ’11, head of FBE’s development and partnerships, and Netflix producer Taja Perkins. The event will be held on Zoom on Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 8 p.m. EST.