The 10 fellows of the 2003 Academy for Alternative Journalism have been named from a pool of 450 applicants.
The Academy for Alternative Journalism, now in its fourth year, is a summer residency program funded by AAN and individual AAN member publishers to train minority students in the art of alternative journalism. The program was launched in 2000 in association with Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Each fellow receives a stipend of $3,000.
The academy was founded by seed money from the Chicago Reader and the New Times Group, and is now supported by grants from AAN and individual contributors such as Times Shamrock, Village Voice Media, New Mass Media, Austin Chronicle and Jim Holman of the San Diego Reader.
The 2003 Academy for Alternative Journalism fellows are:
Cindy Arora of South Pasadena, Calif., is a 2000 graduate of the San Jose State University, where she majored in journalism and women’s studies. Since graduation, Arora has worked as a staff writer for the San Gabriel Valley Tribune, where she covers Latino affairs and redevelopment.
Joy Howard of Brookline, Mass., is a 2002 graduate of Cleveland State University, where she majored in communications and women’s studies. While earning her degree, Howard worked as an intern and stringer for the Cleveland Free Times, where she wrote news stories and contributed to other investigative features..
Michael Jones of Louisville, Ky., attended the University of Kentucky, where he majored in English, and has worked as a staff writer for several independent publications in the area, including the Louisville Eccentric Observer, the Jeffersonville Evening News and the Louisville Defender.
Porochista Khakpour of Pasadena, Calif., just earned a master’s degree in creative writing (with a concentration in fiction) from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore fresh on the heels of her undergraduate degree in creative writing from Sarah Lawrence. She has served as an intern in the marketing department at Spin magazine and has written feature and cover stories for New York glossies such as Paper and Flaunt.
Jared Maher of Westminster, Colo., is a 2002 graduate of the University of Colorado where he majored in English and creative writing. Maher is an associate editor at the ‘un-magazine” Adbusters, where he writes essays and stories for the print and Web versions of the national ‘zine.
Elizabeth Olsson of Kingdom City, Mo., will earn a bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism in June. Olsson has done extensive investigative work with Medill’s Innocence Project under the direction of Professor David Protess. She also has worked as an intern on two premier investigative publications, The Chicago Reporter and City Limits Magazine in New York.
George Sanchez of San Francisco is a 2001 graduate of the University of San Francisco. Currently, Sanchez is a fellow with the Center for Investigative Reporting where he has developed stories on day labor organizing and contributed to other national investigative projects. Sanchez also has worked as an intern and fellow for Mother Jones magazine.
Bryant Scott of Calumet City, Ill., graduated from Winona State University in 1998 with a degree in journalism. Following graduation, he worked as an associate editor/media relations coordinator for the American Dental Hygienists’ Association, where he wrote articles for the association’s magazine and coordinated media events and connections.
Khanh T. L. Tran of Berkeley, Calif., will earn a master’s degrees in journalism and Asian studies from the University of California, Berkeley in December. She earned her bachelor’s degree in comparative literature from the College of William and Mary. She has written extensively on technology and business for a variety of local and national publications, including The Wall Street Journal, and was a news intern for CBS MarketWatch.
Michael Wamble of Newport News, Va., graduated from North Central College in Illinois in 1995 with a degree in English. He currently works as a staff writer for the Daily Press in Newport News, where he covers religion and news. He has worked for The Catholic New World, where his work on the partnerships between faith-based groups and government agencies took him to Turkey and Bolivia.
Of the 450 applicants, a short list of 35 finalists is available to AAN editors looking for interested minority prospects. Contact Mike Lenehan, executive editor of the Chicago Reader, mlenehan@chicagoreader.com, for the list. He will forward the applicant’s accompanying materials to interested AAN editors.
